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."

Latah in South-East Asia: The History and Ethnography of a Culture-bound Syndrome (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, Series Number 7)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Winzeler, Robert L.

Psychology & Counseling

Cambridge University Press

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this text offers a general introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they interpret or explain it since the late 19th century. Winzeler's balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper division courses.

Politics & Social Sciences

Anthropology

AltaMira Press

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this text offers a general introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they interpret or explain it since the late 19th century. Winzeler's balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper division courses.

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today offers an anthropological treatment of the ethnography and ethnology of Southeast Asia, covering both the mainland and the insular regions. Based on the proposition that Southeast Asia is a true culture area, the book offers background information on geography, languages, prehistory and history, with a particular emphasis on the role of colonialism and the development of ethnic pluralism. It then turns to classic anthropological topics of interest including modes of adaptation, ways of life, and religion, all illustrated with relevant case studies and all brought up to date to show what is happening now. Students will find well-supported discussions of subjects ranging from the development of agriculture and language dispersals, to fantasy and reality in hunter-gatherer studies, to disputed interpretations of Thai Buddhism and Javanese Islam, to ongoing government efforts to manage religion, create proper citizens, resettle and assimilate indigenous populations, end shifting cultivation and promote modernization.

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today: Ethnography, Ethnology, and Change in a Complex Region

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today offers an anthropological treatment of the ethnography and ethnology of Southeast Asia, covering both the mainland and the insular regions. Based on the proposition that Southeast Asia is a true culture area, the book offers background information on geography, languages, prehistory and history, with a particular emphasis on the role of colonialism and the development of ethnic pluralism. It then turns to classic anthropological topics of interest including modes of adaptation, ways of life, and religion, all illustrated with relevant, current case studies. Students will find well-supported discussions of subjects ranging from the development of agriculture and language dispersals, to fantasy and reality in hunter-gatherer studies, to disputed interpretations of Thai Buddhism and Javanese Islam, to ongoing government efforts to manage religion, create proper citizens, resettle and assimilate indigenous populations, end shifting cultivation and promote modernization.

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they have interpreted or explained it since the late nineteenth century. Robert Winzeler’s balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper-division courses.

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text, hailed as the "best general text on religion in anthropology available", offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they interpret or explain it since the late 19th century.

In this overview of popular religion in Southeast Asia, Robert L. Winzeler offers an interpretative look at the nature of today’s indigenous religious traditions as well as Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity and conversion. He focuses not on religion as it exists in books, doctrine, theology, and among elites and dominant institutions but rather in the lives, beliefs, and practices of ordinary people. Popular Religion in Southeast Asia employs a broad view of religion as involving not just the usual Western notions of faith but also supernatural belief in general, magic, sorcery, and practical concerns such as healing, personal protection, and success in business. Case studies and concrete examples flesh out the discussion, demonstrating how popular religion relates to historical and contemporary social, cultural, political, and economic developments in the region.

Popular Religion in Southeast Asia

Reference

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Present-day travelers visiting Borneo to see the marvelous buildings pictured in books are liable to wonder if they somehow ended up in the wrong place. Much of the architecture of Borneo and other areas of the humid tropics was never intended to last and, built as it is of wood and other organic materials, last it has not. Among Borneo's spectacular indigenous buildings, the longhouses, mortuary monuments, and other architectural forms of the interior are some of the most outstanding, and much of the renewed interest in indigenous architecture has focused on the rapidly vanishing or now extinct traditional forms of a small number of surviving examples or recreations. 
Drawing on the author's extensive research and travel in Borneo, this impressive and original study offers a more comprehensive account of this architecture than any previous work. Organized into two sections, the book first documents and explains traditional built forms in terms of tools and materials, the environmental context, village organization and social arrangements. This section includes a full discussion of architecture designs and symbolism, especially those dealing with life and death. The author next looks at the destruction or transformation of traditional architecture based on a number of interrelated developments, including religious conversion, Western influence, internal migration, and logging, as well as governmental attitudes and efforts. The differences between Malaysian Borneo longhouses, which remain a common form of dwelling, and those of Indonesian Kalimantan, which have largely disappeared, are striking. 
Just as the traditional architecture of Borneo was being abandoned or transformed, it began to attract greater attention and be put to new religious, economic, and political uses. Christian churches started incorporating the shapes and symbols of traditional cosmology and ritual into their designs and embellishments. Tourists began visiting longhouses, leading to a flourishing industry and the creation of whole resorts based on longhouse themes, and to efforts by the Indonesian government to save the few remaining longhouses in Kalimantan and construct replicas of others. The book concludes with a discussion of recent efforts to document and preserve traditional structures and turn indigenous as well as colonial architecture into history and heritage. 
Illustrated with more than 150 photographs and line drawings, The Architecture of Life and Death in Borneo will appeal to those with an interest in Southeast Asian art, architecture, and religion and in past and present cultural developments involving native peoples.

The Architecture of Life and Death in Borneo

Arts & Photography

Architecture

Univ of Hawaii Pr

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winzeler, Robert L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Winzeler, Robert L.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winzeler, Robert L.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Latah in South-East Asia: The History and Ethnography of a Culture-bound Syndrome (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, Series Number 7)

Latah in South-East Asia: The History and Ethnography of a Culture-bound Syndrome (Publications of the Society for Psychological Anthropology, Series Number 7)

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today: Ethnography, Ethnology, and Change in a Complex Region

The Peoples of Southeast Asia Today: Ethnography, Ethnology, and Change in a Complex Region

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question

Anthropology and Religion: What We Know, Think, and Question

Popular Religion in Southeast Asia

The Architecture of Life and Death in Borneo