Book
Remaining Karen: a study of cultural reproduction and the maintenance of identity
ANU E Press • Acton, A.c.t. • Published In 2008 • Pages:
By: Rajah, Ananda.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This study is concerned with the nature of indigenous Karen religion and ethnic identity among the Sgaw Karen in a small northern Thailand community called Palokhi. It argues that religion and ritual sustain and reproduce a cultural ideology which provides a cultural identity, and from which an ethnic identity may be constructed according to the particular circumstances and details of the contexts of intergroup relations. In the case of the Sgaw Karen of Palokhi, the author argues, the cultural ideology consists of a system of social classification based on the difference between male and female, cultural definitions of the relations between the two and the relationship between men and land, and a 'model' of agricultural processes. This cultural ideology is reproduced in and through religion and ritual life, which is dominated by men who play a crucial role, and it is this which provides the Karen with their distinctive cultural ideology.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Cultural identity and pride
- Functional and adaptational interpretations
- Community structure
- Ethnic stratification
- Inter-ethnic relations
- Linguistic identification
- Territorial hierarchy
- General character of religion
- Organized ceremonial
- Prayers and sacrifices
- Mythology
- Recreational and non-therapeutic drugs
- Exchange transactions
- Real property
- Regulation of marriage
- Kin relationships
- Labor supply and employment
- Acculturation and culture contact
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Karen
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2012
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Asia
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Southeast Asia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2011
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1980-1982
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1850-1982
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Sgaw Karen people, Palokhi, northern Thailand
- NotesAdditional notes
- Ananda Rajah
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-323)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 2009459036
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Sgaw Karen (Southeast Asian people)--Ethnic identity
- Ethnology--Thailand--Chiang Mai (Province)