Latah, the Malayan hyperstartle pattern, has fascinated Western observers since the late nineteenth century and is widely regarded as a "culture-bound syndrome." Robert Winzeler critically reviews the literature on the subject, and presents new ethnographic information based on his own fieldwork in Malaya and Borneo. He considers the biological and psychological hypotheses that have been proposed to account for latah, and explains the ways in which local people understand it. Arguing that latah has specific social functions, he concludes that it is not appropriate to regard it as an "illness" or a "syndrome."
FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more |
| ||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Special Offers and Product Promotions
- Buy $50 in qualifying physical textbooks, get $5 in Amazon MP3 Credit. Here's how (restrictions apply)
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...he has produced a quantum jump in the number of known cases and in our knowledge of many of their specifics." Transcultural Psychiatric Research Review
Book Description
Latah, the Malayan hyperstartle pattern, has fascinated Western observers since the late nineteenth century and is widely regarded as a 'culture-bound syndrome'. Dr Winzeler critically reviews the literature on the subject, and presents new ethnographic information based on his own fieldwork in Malaya and Borneo. He considers the biological and psychological hypotheses that have been proposed to account for latah, and explains the ways in which local people understand it. Arguing that latah has specific social functions, he concludes that it should not be treated as an 'illness' or 'syndrome'.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent contribution to psychological anthropology,
By A Customer
This review is from: Latah in South-East Asia: The History and Ethnography of a Culture-bound Syndrome (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology) (Hardcover)
Though the subject of latah, a Malayan hyperstartle pattern, is inherently interesting, Winzeler's in-depth study using both historical documentation and personal fieldwork experiences brings to the reader a sophisticated knowledge of this culture-bound syndrome. Anyone who is interested in insular Southeast Asia, medical anthropology or psychological anthropology should read this book
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
The earliest European account to be cited as an actual or possible reference to latah (by Yap 1952: 516; Murphy 1972: 43) is contained in J. R. Logan's journal of his trip from Melaka into Naning, published in 1849. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
latah persons, latah men, becoming latah, latah women, latah individuals, being latah, latah man, latah woman, true latah, been latah, become latah, regarding latah, latah behavior, main peteri, startle patterns, latah paradox, arctic hysteria, village midwives, sexual obscenity, automatic obedience, hemp oil Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pasir Mas, Sebuyau Iban, Kota Baru, Village Chinese, Atas Paloh, French Canadian, Southeast Asia, Pak Ngah, Hildred Geertz, Mek Sam, Selako Bidayuh, Total Latah, Cina Kampung, Kampung Belukar, First Division, James Siegel, Kelantanese Malays, Mat Daud, Netherlands Indies, Sarawak Malays, South Africa New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The earliest European account to be cited as an actual or possible reference to latah (by Yap 1952: 516; Murphy 1972: 43) is contained in J. R. Logan's journal of his trip from Melaka into Naning, published in 1849. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
latah persons, latah men, becoming latah, latah women, latah individuals, being latah, latah man, latah woman, true latah, been latah, become latah, regarding latah, latah behavior, main peteri, startle patterns, latah paradox, arctic hysteria, village midwives, sexual obscenity, automatic obedience, hemp oil Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Pasir Mas, Sebuyau Iban, Kota Baru, Village Chinese, Atas Paloh, French Canadian, Southeast Asia, Pak Ngah, Hildred Geertz, Mek Sam, Selako Bidayuh, Total Latah, Cina Kampung, Kampung Belukar, First Division, James Siegel, Kelantanese Malays, Mat Daud, Netherlands Indies, Sarawak Malays, South Africa New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 61
books:
See all 61 books this book cites
- Female and Male in Borneo (Borneo Research Council Monograph Series) by Vinson H. Sutlive on 6 pages
- Emotions of Culture: A Malay Perspective (South-East Asian Social Science Monographs) by Jahan Karim Wazir on 4 pages
- Amer Hand Psy 1-3 V St 2e ** in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- A Full Hearing: Orality and Literacy in the Malay World by Amin Sweeney in Back Matter
- Malay Magic Cb: An Introduction to the Folklore and Popular Religion of the Malay Peninsular by Walter William Skeat in Back Matter
See all 61 books this book cites
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
