Holi was originally a festival that celebrated fertile land and a good harvest. It is a time to enjoy spring's abundant colors and to say farewell to winter. 

The main day, Holi, also known as Dhuli in Sanskrit, or Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is commemorated by people showering each other in scented powder.

In the light of the Holi celebrations in India, we have become particularly excited about our upcoming textbook publication, The Modern Anthropology of India by Peter Berger and Frank Heidemann.

This accessible textbook provides a critical overview of the ethnographic work done in India since 1947 and assesses the history of research in each region, thus serving as a practical and comprehensive guide to the main themes dealt with by ethnographers. It highlights key analytical concepts and paradigms that came to be of relevance in particular regions in the recent history of research in India, and which possibly gained a pan-Indian or even trans-Indian significance.

Filling a significant gap in the literature, the book is an invaluable resource to students and researchers in the field of Indian anthropology/ethnography, regional anthropology and postcolonial studies. It is also of interest to students of South Asian studies in general as it provides an extensive and critical overview of regionally based ethnographic activity undertaken in India.
 

Why not request your own complimentary exam copy?

Routledge offer a large selection of titles on India and Hinduism. Why not email kathryn.reavill@tandf.co.uk with your specific interests to find out more and receive a bespoke list of suggested titles?

What are the main challenges to doing business in China?

There are many. First, the legal system though improving somewhat, is weak. It is difficult to have contracts and laws enforced in many parts of China. Second, the government still maintains control of about 35% of the economy. And this 35% is the core of the economy. Most importantly they control the banking system, so they decide who gets capital. That is why it can be said they do not have capitalism in China. Third, the government is the main player in the business system. If you do business in China, you do business with the government. They are involved in myriad ways. Fourth, the government has created rules that benefit their own state-owned companies (SOE) at the expense of others. Fourth, intellectual property rights (IPR) are not safe in China. This is especially bad for foreign businesses with advanced technology. Fifth, there is a culture of relationships in China, where who you know is more important than laws and rules. This again involves the government, but it involves everyone. Families rule. Helping you family is most important over other relationships and commitments. Professional cultures is just beginning. Sixth, there is wide-spread government corruption. The people who do best in society are government officials. Much of this is through bribery, kickbacks, etc. Corruption is systemic. The government is fighting it sort of but the problem is so big it will take a generation or two if they really put their back into it, which is far from clear.

What would you say was the most damaging cultural assumption that American and Chinese executives bring to the table when doing business with each other?

They do not trust each other. The Chinese remember the “century of shame” when Western countries invaded China. Stealing from foreigners is almost sport. The Chinese have a sense of inferiority from being so far behind the West. Though that is changing as their tremendous success continues. The two cultures cannot understand each other. “Yes” for the Chinese means “I’ll think about it”, while Westerners think yes means agreement. They cannot read each other’s body language or facial expressions. Chinese are indirect, American are direct. This easily leads to misunderstanding. The Chinese do not think long-term. They do not trust their own government. They want to make money and get out, literally out of the country. Americans have long-range plans.

Could you briefly summarize the intellectual property rights in China and how this relates to collaboration with American businesses?

The Chinese did not have a law for private property until 1984. Laws since then are not always enforced even when they exist. The Chinese do not have a history of IPR. They for thousands of years had a traditional society, which meant imitating role models was the norm. In other words, copying others was the norm. Confucius or one of his disciples said, “To steal a book is an elegant offense”. They really do not have a deep sense of IP. Also they have a more communal society than the West, so they naturally favor the importance of the community as a source of innovation, which puts them at odds with the West. Even when the courts find Chinese companies guilty of IP violations, the penalties are so small they are not a deterrent.

What prompted you to write this book?

My fascination with Chinese culture, the great changes in Chinese society, and the contrasts with the West. I wanted to understand what kind of social-political-economic system was developing in China and what role will it play in the world.

Are there any anecdotes from the researching and writing process that you would like to share with us?

On the first day in Shanghai, my family got lost and wandered into a restaurant. We must have looked like we were from outer space. The whole staff of the place including the cooks came out to watch us eat. They were amazed that we could use chopsticks. I asked for soy sauce for the rice in every way imaginable. They had no idea what I wanted.

I saw a picture in a book store of a Mandarin from the 19th century. He had a 17 inch fingernail on one finger. A sign of his exalted status, he did no physical labor. This system was in place for 2000 years up to the beginning of the 20th century. It still casts a shadow over government-society relations.
I could go on forever.

Who would you recommend read this book?

Social scientists interested in China. Business professors interested in China. Executives who do business with China or plan to. This latter audience is important I think. Once I get my copies I will be giving them to executives and will have much more feedback from them in a few months. Basically I am an anthropologist with a strong interest in ethics, especially how culture and ethics are related. My book focuses on how American and Chinese business cultures interact. It is a qualitative (interpretive) book. Much of it can be understood and appreciated by a general educated public. I think government officials who work with China will appreciate the book. A big part of the book deals with government and business-government relations. I have heard from a business professor in Hong Kong and one in Singapore. They both expressed very strong interest in the book. I think the book will draw strong interest in places like that, e.g. Taiwan and Japan too.

If you could encourage readers to take away one thing from this book, what would it be?

The Chinese have a great and often misunderstood culture. There is much to learn from it.

How can this book be used to inform business practice in a practical sense?

It is very practical to understand a little about Chinese culture and institutions, to understand the person and context you are dealing with. This would significantly lower miscommunications and inappropriate expectations.
 

The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan plunged the country into a state of crisis. As the nation struggled to recover from a record breaking magnitude 9 earthquake and a tsunami that was as high as thirty-eight meters in some places, news trickled out that Fukushima had experienced meltdowns in three reactors. These tragic catastrophes claimed some 20,000 lives, initially displacing some 500,000 people and overwhelming Japan's formidable disaster preparedness.

This book brings together the analysis and insights of a group of distinguished experts on Japan to examine what happened, how various institutions and actors responded and what lessons can be drawn from Japan’s disaster. The contributors, many of whom experienced the disaster first hand, assess the wide-ranging repercussions of this catastrophe and how it is already reshaping Japanese culture, politics, energy policy, and urban planning.

Read the review by The Japan Times here.

Order your complimentary e-inspection copy here.

View the rest of the titles in the Nissan Institute/Routledge Japanese Studies series here.

Why not take a look at our Routledge Research on Gender in Asia series?

Women’s Day originated as a Socialist political event in Eastern Europe and Russia (the Soviet bloc) but gradually the day became more global and as a result partially lost its political overtones. For some, the day has become simply an occasion for men to express their love for women whilst in other regions the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are remembered.

Have a look below at the diverse selection of titles we have exploring the role of women in Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Join in the discussions about International Women's Day on March 8th on our Asian Studies Twitter and also our Middle East Studies Twitter.

Since the end of the Cold War, significant attention has focussed on the issue of nuclear deterrence and in particular whether formal nuclear security guarantees from nuclear weapons states to non-nuclear weapons states involving the possible use of nuclear weapons have a place in the twenty-first century global strategic landscape. Growing support for nuclear disarmament in the US and elsewhere has seen serious doubts being raised about the ongoing utility of extended nuclear deterrence.

Asia, the US and Extended Nuclear Deterrence provides the first detailed analysis of the way in which extended nuclear deterrence operates in contemporary Asia. It addresses the following key questions: What does the role of extended nuclear deterrence in Asia tell us about the broader role of extended nuclear deterrence in the contemporary international system? Is this role likely to change significantly in the years ahead? O’Neil uses a theoretical and historical framework to analyse the contemporary and future dynamics of extended nuclear deterrence in Asia and challenges many of the existing orthodox perspectives on the topic.

Providing a new perspective on debates surrounding extended nuclear deterrence, this book will be of interest not only to students and scholars of Asian politics, international relations and security studies, but also to policy makers and professionals.
 

Recommend this book to your librarian here.

Fillm Censorship in the Asia-Pacific identifies the key issues and concerns that arise from the design and implementation of the system by examining the censorship laws, policies, guidelines and processes. The book evaluates film practitioners’ and censors’ opinion of, and experience in, dealing with those issues, and goes on to develop reform proposals for the film censorship system.
 

Author Saw Tiong Guan currently teaches at the Faculty of Law at the University of Malaya, Malaysia. He is also an independent film director and producer.
 

View our Contemporary China series.

Click here to view all the titles in the series. Simply enter the code GDC71 at checkout to receive your discount (offer available until 20th March 2013).

Edited by Glenn D Hook, from the University of Sheffield, UK, this well-established series with one of the pre-eminent institutions for Japanese Studies in Europe publishes cutting-edge research and authoritative introductory texts on modern Japan and the Japanese. Editorial policy encourages leading and promising younger scholars to contribute especially social scientific analysis on a wide range of Japan-related subjects.

Below are a selection of our bestselling titles in the series. To claim your 20% discount on any title, simply enter the code GDC71 at checkout to receive your discount (offer available until 20th March 2013).

Order your complimentary exam copy today by clicking here.

The latest edition of this comprehensive and user-friendly textbook provides a single volume resource for all those studying Japan's international relations. It offers a clear and concise introduction to the most important aspects of Japan's role in the globalized economy of the twenty-first century. The book has been fully updated and revised to include comprehensive discussions of contemporary key issues for Japan’s IR, including:

• the rise of China;
• reaction to the global economic and financial crisis since 2008;
• Japan’s proactive role after 9/11 and the war on terror;
• responses to events on the Korean Peninsula;
• relations with the USA and the Obama administration;
• relations with Russia, Central Asia and the Middle East;
• changing responses to an expanding and deepening European Union.

Extensively illustrated, the text includes statistics, maps, photographs, summaries and suggestions for further reading, making it essential reading for those studying Japanese politics and the international relations of the Asia Pacific.

Reviews

'The launch of China’s first aircraft carrier, North Korea’s belated return to the Six Party Talks, the crisis over the Fukushima nuclear reactor, renewed Japanese interest in regional institutions, concern about the US economy, political instability in Japan itself – these are the stuff of current commentary in mid-2011. This, the third edition of this widely used textbook on the International Relations of Japan, gives the reader a firm grasp of the political complexities behind all this. East Asia, as the authors are fully aware, is moving to centre stage, with potential both for solving global problems and for destructive conflict.' Professor J. A. A. Stockwin, former Director, Nissan Institute for Japanese Studies, University of Oxford

'Japan's foreign policy has been undergoing seismic shifts since the second edition of this fine book. A rising China, a now-nuclear North Korea, and an America bogged down in wars in Central Asia and the Middle East are but the most conspicuous of the major new challenges that confront Japanese policymakers. Experts and novices alike will find no deeper or more up-to-date analysis of these subjects than this new edition of Japan's International Relations.' Professor T.J. Pempel, Department of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley, USA

The author of Neoliberal Morality in Singapore discusses the unintended consequences of policymaking in an article for the Singapore TODAY.

Based on intensive interviews that author Romit Dasgupta carried out with young male private sector employees in Japan, Re-Reading the Salaryman in Japan makes an important contribution to the study of masculinity and Japanese corporate culture. After having initially being launched at the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA) Biennial Conference, along with other titles in the Routledge/ASAA East Asia Series, the official launch of Re-Reading the Salaryman in Japan was held at The University of Western Australia, in Perth, Australia, on Monday 10 September 2012 in the University’s Institute of Advanced Studies.

Professor Vera Mackie (University of Wollongong) attended the launch and unveiled the book. Vera is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and had been an important mentor for Romit throughout the writing of Re-Reading the Salaryman. Dr Yasuo Takao from Curtin University also said a few words, since he too had also been involved with Romit's research in its early days. Apart from Vera and Yasuo, the launch was attended by academics, postgraduate students, friends, and members of Romit’s family.

In Japan, the figure of the suited, white-collar office worker or business executive ‘salaryman’ (or, sarariiman), came to be associated with Japan’s economic transformation following World War Two. The ubiquitous ‘salaryman’ came to signify both Japanese masculinity, and Japanese corporate culture, and in this sense, the ‘salaryman’ embodied ‘the archetypal citizen’.

Romit's book uses the figure of the ‘salaryman’ to explore masculinity in Japan by examining the ‘salaryman’ as a gendered construct. Whilst there is a considerable body of literature on Japanese corporate culture and a growing acknowledgement of the role of gender, until now the focus has been almost exclusively on women in the workplace. In contrast, this book is one of the first to focus on the men within Japanese corporate culture through a gendered lens. Not only does this add to the emerging literature on masculinity in Japan, but given the important role Japanese corporate culture has played in Japan’s emergence as an industrial power, Romit's research offers a new way of looking both at Japanese business culture, and more generally at important changes in Japanese society in recent years.

Here you can listen to Gene being interviewed by East Asian Studies.

Listen to the interview with Gene Cooper here.

During the early communist period of the 1950s, temple fairs in China were both suppressed and secularized. Temples were closed down by the secular regime and their activities classified as feudal superstition and this process only intensified during the Cultural Revolution when even the surviving secular fairs, devoted exclusively to trade with no religious content of any kind, were suppressed. However, once China embarked on its path of free market reform and openness, secular commodity exchange fairs were again authorized, and sometimes encouraged in the name of political economy as a means of stimulating rural commodity circulation and commerce.

This book reveals how once these secular "temple-less temple fairs" were in place, they came to serve not only as venues for the proliferation of a great variety of popular cultural performance genres, but also as sites where a revival or recycling of popular religious symbols, already underway in many parts of China, found familiar and fertile ground in which to spread. Taking this shift in the Chinese state’s attitudes and policy towards temple fairs as its starting point, The Market and Temple Fairs of Rural China shows how state-led economic reforms in the early 1980s created a revival in secular commodity exchange fairs, which were granted both the geographic and metaphoric space to function. In turn, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the temple fair phenomenon, examining its economic, popular cultural, popular religious and political dimensions and demonstrates the multifaceted significance of the fairs which have played a crucial role in expanding the boundaries of contemporary acceptable popular discourse and expression.

Read the article for Real Clear World here.

Watch a video of the author talk about Governing Health in Contemporary China here.

The below review of Governing Health in Contemporary China is by Liz Economy for Asia Unbound on the Council on Foreign Relations website.

Trying to wrap one’s arms around China today is a significant challenge. It is a global power with a growing economy, rising military, and expanding diplomatic reach. Yet there continues to be a gnawing sense in and outside China that all is not quite right. Whether it is the 180,000 protests annually, the growing flight of capital and people to the West, or the potentially ruinous impact of corruption on the Communist Party’s legitimacy, uncertainty about China and its future is much greater than the country’s impressive global standing might suggest.

In the face of such uncertainty, what we need most is to understand better—issue by issue—what is happening on the ground in the country; and a terrific new book Governing Health in Contemporary China by my CFR colleague and renowned public health expert Huang Yanzhong provides precisely that kind of insight. It details Beijing’s efforts to tackle one critical and politically explosive issue—health care—and helps us understand where and why the country has succeeded and failed, and what more needs to be done.

The statistics are startling. China has one-third of the world’s smokers and suffers around one million tobacco-related deaths annually; the cardiovascular disease death rate is higher in China than in the United States; and close to one hundred million Chinese are believed to suffer from diabetes. Public anger over poor care, rising costs, and corruption in the health care system triggered over 17,000 violent attacks against hospital doctors and health care workers in 2010. Moreover, horrific stories of tainted food and drugs have further undermined the Chinese people’s faith in their government’s capacity to provide an effective health care regime. As Huang notes, over the past ten years, the Chinese people have come to refer to health care as one of the Three New Mountains—health care, education, and social security—modeled after the old Three Mountains (imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic-capitalism) that the Communist Party deployed to bring down the government of Chiang Kai-Shek.

Huang takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the twists and turns of the various efforts by Chinese leaders from Mao Zedong through Hu Jintao to tackle the country’s health care crisis. He explores the political battles surrounding three of the most pressing health care challenges the country faces: provision of good and affordable health care for all Chinese citizens, managing health care crises such as HIV/AIDs and the outbreaks of SARS and Avian flu; and developing an effective regulatory and enforcement system for food and drug safety. In each case, Huang finds evidence that Chinese leaders have learned from experience and from the outside world how to improve their practices. As a result, he can point to a number of advances in areas such as health insurance coverage or the strengthening of grassroots health care providers.

Yet as Huang amply demonstrates, these remain changes at the margin. He quotes a senior official from the Ministry of Health as noting that the most recent set of reforms launched in 2009 have not “solved the fundamental, systematic and structural problems [in China’s health sector].” Even president-elect Xi Jinping’s pledge to bring higher levels of health care to the Chinese people, coupled with increased investment in the health care sector (according to a recent McKinsey & Co. study, Beijing plans to triple its health care investment to $1 trillion by 2020), will not be enough to make the kind of difference in the country’s public health system that China’s leaders desire and its people demand.

Real change needs a far more radical set of political and institutional reforms that address how health care policy is made, financed, delivered, and evaluated. For Huang, that means health care policy “by fiat” cannot continue. What is needed, instead, he proposes, is reform in Beijing’s relations with local governments, greater democratic participation, a robust civil society, the rule of law, and a true market economy. Without such reform, Beijing will never get at the heart of its public health care crisis.