Where China Meets Southeast Asia: Social and Cultural Change in the Border Region [Hardcover]

Grant Evans (Editor), Chris Hutton (Editor), Kuah Khun Eng (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312236344 | ISBN-13: 978-0312236342 | Publication Date: November 18, 2000

This book provides readers with the first survey of social conditions since the opening of the borders between China and mainland Southeast Asia in the early 1990s, which saw radical changes in the economic policies of the various states involved, in particular, China, Vietnam, and Laos. Each chapter provides a close-up survey of a particular area and problem, but cumulatively they provide an invaluable general picture of social and cultural change in the border regions where China meets Southeast Asia.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Grant Evans is Reader in Anthropology, Department of Sociology, University of Hong Kong.

Chris Hutton is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, Department of English, University of Hong Kong.

Kuah Khun Eng is Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology, University of Hong Kong.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 356 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (November 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312236344
• ISBN-13: 978-0312236342
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vital Book on a Vital Region, June 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Where China Meets Southeast Asia: Social and Cultural Change in the Border Region (Hardcover)

The border regions of China, Burma, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand are hotbeds of trade, migration, and smuggling. Opium and heroin, rubies and jade, endangered species, cars and women follow ancient trails across modern borders. The recent openning of borders has increased economic opportunity, but also spread drugs and AIDS. This book confronts these issues with a sophistication rarely found in similar collections. Most of the contributers are anthropologists with long research experience on the ground -- not economists who never leave the capital. There are many valuable chapters; to cite a few: David Feingold's witty exploration of the relationship of opium production to the trafficking of hill tribe girls, Andrew Walker's discussion of trading in Laos, Jean Berle on the role of Chinese Moslem traders, a Chinese biologists analysis of 'ecology without borders' and the animal trade, and Evans' useful introduction. This book is essential for both scholars and development experts (who may need a re-think), and will be re-read for its theoretical insights long after the particularities become dated. It also places current issues in historical context. A paperback would be welcome.