商品簡介
How is the memory of the past affected by the politics of the present? Tanabe (anthropology, National Museum of Ethnology, Japan) and Keyes (anthropology, U. of Washington, US) present 11 chapters that attempt to address this question for the rapidly changing countries of Thailand and Laos, focusing primarily on Thailand. The roles of ritual and spirit mediumship in confronting modernity are discussed. The social impact of national monuments such as the ubiquitous images of the Buddha and their role in public festivals are explored in further contributions. The recent phenomena of people imbuing commodities with meaning for their identity and the way personal memory relates to the construction of social memory are the subjects of final chapters. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
