Stories from an Ancient Land

Magnus Fiskesjö is Associate Professor of Anthropology and Asian Studies at Cornell University. He has published widely on topics such as ethnic relations, slavery and inequality, as well as heritage and museum issues, mainly in East and Southeast Asia.

“In conclusion, ‘Stories from an Ancient Land’ is a commendable achievement that brings a wealth of empirical detail and conceptual sophistication to bear on the larger anthropological question concerning the nature of fate and human agency… This book makes a significant original contribution to the growing field of Wa studies. It should be welcomed by anyone interested in general anthropological theory and the cultures, peoples, and history of China and Southeast Asia.” • Anthropos“[This is a] groundbreaking study. Read it—it is well worth it.” • The Irrawaddy.com“Stories from an Ancient Land creatively weaves together ethnohistory, fieldwork, archival research, and social theory. Through his research on and with the Wa in southwest China and in the Myanmar borderlands, Fiskesjö has crafted a thorough and insightful examination of Wa society and cultural dynamics. This excellent ethnography is in equal measure bold and nuanced. It offers compelling angles on peripheral situations, complex histories, violence, grotesque imagery, appropriation, and cultural resilience.” • Hjorleifur Jonsson, Arizona State University

• List of FiguresPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Sources, History, IssuesChapter 1. Gifts and Debts: Fieldwork in the Wa LandsChapter 2. Naming Oneself, Naming the WorldChapter 3. Rice Beer and the Making of Wa SocialityChapter 4. Mining, Hierarchy, and the Anti-State WaChapter 5. Slavery as a Threat to the Ideology of KinshipChapter 6. War, Headhunting, and the Erasure of Wa HistoryChapter 7. Barbarian Ruse: Playing With the Fears of the CivilizedChapter 8. Disease and Death in the Peripheral SituationChapter 9. Hope Against Hope: Border Prophets and Foreign SaviorsChapter 10. The Power of the Exotic: Negotiating the FutureEpilogueReferencesIndex