Malaysia and the "Original People": A Case Study of the Impact of Development on Indigenous Peoples (Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series) [Paperback]

Robert Knox Dentan (Author), Kirk Endicott (Author), Alberto G. Gomes (Author), M.B. Hooker (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205198171 | ISBN-13: 978-0205198177 | Publication Date: October 26, 1996 | Edition: 1

Sharply focused on key issues affecting indigenous and ethnic groups worldwide, this book is part of a series of ethnographies, authored by leading figures in the field of anthropology and builds on introductoy material by going further in- depth and allowing readers to explore, virtually first hand, a particular issue and its impact on a culture. Concentrates on a well-researched, specific issue and its impact on a particular culture. Provides in-depth information on a particular culture, expanding the readerÕs grasp of the experiences and problems encountered by different cultures.

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Sharply focused on key issues affecting indigenous and ethnic groups worldwide, this book is part of a series of ethnographies, authored by leading figures in the field of anthropology and builds on introductoy material by going further in- depth and allowing readers to explore, virtually first hand, a particular issue and its impact on a culture. Concentrates on a well-researched, specific issue and its impact on a particular culture. Provides in-depth information on a particular culture, expanding the readerÕs grasp of the experiences and problems encountered by different cultures.

Product Details

• Paperback: 175 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 1 edition (October 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205198171
• ISBN-13: 978-0205198177
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,275,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A book that was relevant 25 years ago!, January 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Malaysia and the "Original People": A Case Study of the Impact of Development on Indigenous Peoples (Part of the Cultural Survival Studies in Ethnicity and Change Series) (Paperback)

This book is on the political struggle of the Malaysian Aboriginal group, or 'Orang Asli', written by a group of scholars who have been conducting research on the group since 25 years ago. But the explanation on the struggle has been constructed as simply between the politically dominant Malays and the Orang Asli minority, without explaining the critical role of the Chinese in the economic life of the Orang Asli. For such a group of excellent and experienced scholars to ignore this phenomenon is rather surprising, to say the least. What is even more surprising is the fact that it took one of the more illustrious editors, ie. Robert Dentan, 25 years after his first book on an Orang Asli group "Semai, the non-violent people", to be able to say this. It is quite obvious that they have also failed to acknowledge the fact that many Malaysian scholars have said all this a decade or so ago. There is an obvious failure on the part of the editors to productively and creatively use local sources written in the vernacular for the present book. This becomes a great handicap to the authors in constructing a more in-depth analysis. Finally, where is the voice of the suffering Orang Asli themselves? In the present post-modern theorizing exercise, dominant in anthropology (the editor is are anthropologists, except one), the absence of the real social actors' voice is unacceptable!