Border Landscapes: The Politics of Akha Land Use in China and Thailand

Description In this course, we will use an ethnographic lens to explore aspects of the lives of some of the peoples of East and Southeast Asia. We will look at people who might be described as existing on the margins of the societies in which they find themselves, considering that the margins may both reflect and shape the whole. Our reading will provide a rich and detailed source of information on specific elements of the four places about which we’ll be learning this quarter. You will not leave the course able to generalize about the peoples and cultures of East and Southeast Asia. Any such generalization is flawed, in any event. The ethnographically grounded understanding you will achieve will, however, serve you in good stead should you continue to pursue an interest in the region(s).