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Feasting and Social Oscillation: A Working Paper on Religion and Society in Upland Southeast Asia (No. 92)
Feasting and Social Oscillation A Working Paper on Religion and Society in Upland Southeast Asia - No. 92 Author:A. Thomas Kirsch This anthropological study concerns itself greatly with theoretical considerations. (The author takes as his theoretical focus Leach's Political Systems of Highland Burma (1954).) Kirsch argues that anthropologists have observed and recorded religious rites and rituals, but have largely ignored the role of religion when constructing an analytica... more »l framework. Kirsch has done just that by positing that religious phenomena are inextricably intertwined with issues of power, politics, and economics among the upland groups (such as the Kachin) of Southeast Asia. A religious framework can point to social oscillation, competition, and change. Using economic metaphors and models, Kirsch examines the ritual status, norms, and values of the governing systems of these societies. 1973. 4th printing 1990. 67 pages.« less