Material Cultures in Southeast Asia

Objects in Context
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-55751-9
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 200 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Routledge Contemporary Southeast Asia Series

This book investigates everyday objects in Southeast Asia as integral forms of cultural heritage, examining their functions, significance, and the diverse values and emotions they have embodied over time.

By foregrounding material culture, the chapters delve into how these objects—ranging from utilitarian tools to artefacts of personal and communal identity—reveal the social, economic, and cultural dimensions of life across different historical periods. Through rigorous case studies spanning various regions of Southeast Asia, the book offers fresh insights into the interplay between materiality and cultures. It underscores how objects function not merely as remnants of the past but as dynamic carriers of heritage that continue to shape contemporary society. By bridging perspectives from anthropology, history, and cultural studies, this book enhances our comprehension of the region’s intricate social landscapes and contributes to broader discourses on heritage preservation and curation, the transmission of cultural values, and the ways in which everyday objects serve as conduits for collective memory and identity. Ultimately, it facilitates the de-centring of Western perspectives in research on Southeast Asia.

Material Cultures in Southeast Asia provides a better understanding of past and present societies in Southeast Asia, and it will be of interest to researchers in the fields of Southeast Asian studies, memory studies and heritage studies.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate

Autoren/Hrsg.

Chaouche, Sabine

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Regionalwissenschaften, Regionalstudien
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Volkskunde
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Stadt- und Regionalsoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction: Objects and their Narratives

Chapter 1: “Othering” through Material Culture – Colonial Actors and the Origins of “Touristic Myths” in 19th-Century Southeast Asia

Chapter 2: The Expeditions of an Iban War Boat, pesaka and the Museum

Chapter 3: Peasant Materials for Fishing in Southern Laos

Chapter 4: Exploring the Archetypal Pattern of Mask Festivals of the Tai Ethnic Group: Thai, Lao and Dai Nations

Chapter 5: From Haramayn to Nusantara: The Kiswa Textiles in the Department of Museums Malaysia

Chapter 6: The Pinang Peranakan Mansion: Questions of the Name and the Interpretation of the Material Culture

Chapter 7: Ornament and Deed

Über Autor(innen)

Sabine Chaouche is a prominent historian of theatre and material culture. She has authored four monographs and over twenty edited volumes. Her latest book examines the creation and economics of stage costumes from the 16th to 19th centuries.