1st Edition

Wildlife in Asia Cultural Perspectives

Edited By John Knight Copyright 2004
    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    Drawing on anthropological and historical data, this book examines human-wildlife relations in China, Tibet, Japan, Bhutan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The volume initially focuses on the various ways in which wild animals are exploited as a resource, for food, medicine and crop-picking labour, before examining animals termed as pests or predators that are deemed to be harmful and dangerous.

    Bringing together anthropologists and historians, this book analyses the range, variability and historical mutability of human sensibilities towards animals in Asia and will be of interest to Asianists and anthropologists alike.

    Preface  List of Contributors  Introduction John Knight  Part 1: Wildlife as Resource  1. Attitudes towards Wildlife and the Hunt in Pre-Buddhist China Roel Sterckx  2. The Chase and the Dharma: The Legal Protection of Wild Animals in Premodern Tibet Toni Huber  3. Representations of Hunting in Japan John Knight  4. Japanese Perceptions of Whales and Dolphins Arne Kalland  5. Cultural Underpinnings of the Wildlife Trade in Southeast Asia Deanna Donovan  6. Coconut-Picking Macaques in Southern Thailand: Economic, Cultural and Ecological Aspects Leslie E. Sponsel, Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel and Nukul Ruttanadakul  Part 2: Wildlife Pests and Predators  7. Wildlife Depredations in Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan Klaus Seeland  8. Farming the Forest Edge: Perceptions of Wildlife among the Kerinci of Sumatra Jet Bakels  9. Pigs across Ethnic Boundaries: Examples from Indonesia and the Philippines Gerard A. Persoon and Hans H. de Iongh  10. 'Primitive' Tiger Hunters in Indonesia and Malaysia, 1800-1950 Peter Boomgaard  11. The Raj and the Natural World: The War against 'Dangerous Beasts' in Colonial India Mahesh Rangarajan  12. Wolf Reintroduction in Japan? John Knight

    Biography

    John Knight is Lecturer at the School of Anthropological Studies, Queen's University Belfast and a former Research Fellow at the International Institute for Asian Studies, The Netherlands.

    'The reader who instantly tenses at the words 'conference volume' can be reassured; all the papers are data-rich, detailed, well thought out, and balanced. In fact, rarely has a book about the anthropology of environmental management packed more data into so little space.' - The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

    'This book affords an accessible and broad perspective on wildlife in Asia, going well beyond just a single species of interest...At a time when much of the world is taking a fresh look toward Asia, this book offers varied perspectives on wildlife in Asian countries.' - Anthrozoos