Product Description
The first comprehensive study of the involvement of Malay, Chinese, and Indian women in the politics of Malaysia, this volume traces the rise and growth of the major women's auxiliaries of various political parties and notes their contribution to the evolution of the political party system in Malaysia.Unearthing previously untapped historical information, Dancz examines the nature of women's participation within the party system and analyzes the reasons why women became active, the conditions under which these auxiliaries were formed, and the political and social constraints under which they operated. ... Read more

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Product Description
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." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent contribution to psychological anthropology
Though the subject of latah, a Malayan hyperstartle pattern, is inherently interesting, Winzeler's in-depth study using both historical documentation and personal fieldwork experiences brings to the reader a sophisticated knowledge of this culture-bound syndrome.Anyone who is interested in insular Southeast Asia, medical anthropology or psychological anthropology should read this book ... Read more

Product Description
With over three million copies in print, CultureShock! is a dynamic and indispensable range of guides covering countless destinations around the world. The series is especially intended for travellers who are looking to truly understand the countries they are visiting and who might even consider residing there. Each title contains invaluable advice for the traveller to adapt seamlessly into the local environment and is packed with useful details on transportation, taxes, accommodation, health, shopping and festivals. Additionally, each book provides concise insights into the history, language, cuisine and business practises of each country, as well as explaining the customs, traditions and social etiquette in a lively and informative style. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

This was a gift to my missionary cousin
My cousin said this book is great... that it exceeded her hopes and expectations.... that it is better than any of the other book she was considering.

To Be Shocked or Not To Be Shocked that is the Question
I am not quite sure why I bought this book!

Maybe it was to make sure that the authors (Terry Collins and Derek Bacon) get at least some royalties for their efforts or perhaps the more likely excuse is that I needed to see whether my experiences were the same or similar to others. Then again maybe I bought the book because I just wanted to criticize the characterization or stereotyping of what it is like for us white folk living in Indonesia and particularly Jakarta!

The book set me back some IDR 163,000 from Kinokuniya in Plaza Indonesia. I was in Kinokuniya to buy a cross-stitch magazine for my better half and I happened to see the book and thought, why not? So, I whacked it on the counter and I now have my very own copy!

You might be wondering why a bloke who has spent so long in Jakarta wants to read anything to do with Culture Shock. Well, even after all this time living in Indonesia I am still "hey Mister" and perhaps this is both the beauty and the beast that is Jakarta; no matter how long you might have lived here and no matter how much you have integrated into society, you will never get away from being "Hey Mister!"

The book is well written (at least for my mind) and I found myself smiling and chuckling to myself as I read through it. It is surprising how much of the experience is common and how much we tend to forget of what has happened. It was nice to read and remember some of those long forgotten experiences that were jogged back into the more conscious memory!

I know one of the authors (Terry Collins) and perhaps I should make this as a disclaimer. Nevertheless, those of you that know me would know that I pull no punches. If I thought the book was garbage I would say so in not such an eloquent way! Yet, the book, I have found has been worth the money I outlaid for it, if for no other reason than it reminded me of moments that I have enjoyed during my stay.

Funnily enough most people are reporting that they are not finding this book in the arrival halls to Jakarta but rather in the departure shopping areas. I guess this might afford those on their way out of Jakarta a chance to buy the book for the purposes of answering this question: "what the hell just happened to me?"

I would have thought though that the best spot for this would be in the departure lounges of foreign locales and the arrival lounges of points of entry into Indonesia...but I guess this is why I studied law and not marketing!

But for anyone interested in learning the "ins and outs" of the Jakarta experience then this is perhaps the book for you. The book contains sections on the history and politics of Jakarta, settling in for those of you who might want to be more than tourists, visa and immigration information, business information, food and entertaining, fitting in, and communicating, among a number of others.

I think the most valuable learning tools in the book are the short glossary at the end, the culture quiz, and the "do's and don'ts" section.

So, go out and buy the book as it might just help you understand the experience you are about to have or the experience that you have just had!

Loved the book
I loved the book!I'm going to go live in Indonesia, possibly Jakarta, and the book gives all the tips you would want to know.I would buy this series for any new place that I want to live.It goes over everything from how to pick a house to weather patterns.It give a great description of what the people are like and how they think.A must buy for anyone moving to Indonesia.Priceless information that would take years to learn on your own.

Be Shocked No More
Culture Shock! is the only must-read book on how to survive the confusing "monster" named Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Being born and raised there, Jakarta hasn't stopped surprising me to this very day, especially since I no longer reside there in the last decade.

This revised version is more comprehensive and up-to-date, as the co-author Terry Collins is, undoubtedly, superbly skillful in describing and explaining how Jakarta has evolved and will continue to evolve as one of the most unique places on the planet. Overall, it is a great book to read and keep on your bookshelf. Suitable for those who intend to visit Jakarta for pleasure or business for a few days, weeks, months, or even years.

Highly recomended reading
I have been waiting for this book to come out for a few months!

I wish it was available when we first arrived in Jakarta.

This book is a very comprehensive guide to life in Jakarta, it should be compulsory for all new expatriates as it makes life so much easier when you understand whats going on around you. Even after living here for nearly 12 months I learnt a lot.

The book was originally authored by Derek Bacon nearly 10 years ago and has just been thoroughly revised and updated by a renown Jakarta Blogger, Jakartass.

Some of the topics covered:-

* First impressions
* History, Geography and Politics
* Fitting into society
* Settling in
* Food and entertainment
* Culture and travel
* Communicating in Jakarta
* Doing business
* Fast facts

I was very impressed with this book and hope you will be too. ... Read more

Product Description
This collection of ethnographic and interpretive essaysfundamentally alters the debate over indigenous land claims inSoutheast Asia and beyond. Based on fieldwork conducted in Malaysiaand Indonesia during the 1980s and 1990s, these studies explore newterrain at the intersection of environmental justice, natureconservation, cultural performance, and the politics of making andinterpreting claims.

Calling for radical redefinitions of development and ownership and fornew understandings of the translation of culture and rights inpolitically dangerous contexts—natural resource frontiers—thisvolume links social injustice and the degradation of Southeast Asianenvironments. Charles Zerner and his colleagues show how geographicalareas once viewed as wild and undeveloped are actually culturalartifacts, shaped by complex interactions with humansocieties. Drawing on richly varied sources of evidence andinterpretation—from trance dances, court proceedings, tree plantingpatterns, marine and forest rituals, erotic poems, and codificationsof customary law, Culture and the Question of Rights reveals theironies, complexities, and histories of contemporary communities’struggles to retain their gardens, forests, and graveyards. Thecontributors examine how these cultural activities work to bothconstruct and to lay claim to nature. These essays open up new avenuesfor negotiating indigenous rights against a background of violence,proliferating markets, and global ideas of biodiversity and threatenedhabitat.

This collection will prove valuable to anthropologists, politicalgeographers, ecologists, environmentalists, legal scholars, and thoseinterested in indigenous rights.

Contributors. Jane Atkinson, Don Brenneis, Stephanie Fried, NancyPeluso, Marina Roseman, Anna Tsing, Charles Zerner ... Read more

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Music of the Chinese in Sabah: the Keyboard Culture is the first book on this topic. The author, David Wong, has provided a rich set of data from his own experience as a teacher and performer on the piano and the electronic organ, as well as from many other people with their own experience of teaching and performance to illustrate how music is an important aspect of life in Sabah. The book talks about music home tuition, and a wide variety of other musical activities: in primary and secondary schools (including the school marching bands), churches and commercial music schools.This book makes an important contribution to studies on Chinese culture and inter-ethnic relations, education in general and musical training in particular, Christian missions, and modernisation. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume considers the ways in which modernity challenges and informs the language policies of various Southeast Asians nations. Using case studies from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, the authors examine language policies that are explicitly articulated either in the form of State constitutions or in the public proclamations of political leaders.Particular attention is paid to the ways in which English often seems as the language of globalization, impacts the status of indigenous Southeast Asian language.Language Policy and Modernity in Southeast Asia will be of interest to researchers in both language policy and contemporary political theory. ... Read more