Description
A Sleeping Tiger is a rare book-length treatment of urbanization among Dayaks and also offers a fresh perspective on ethnicity, class, and the context in which they function to the benefit of some and the great detriment of others. Although readers may never have heard of Dayaks (the indigenous, largely non-Muslim peoples of Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo), they have surely witnessed the impact of ethnicity and class on the world today. Dayaks have hardly been spared this impact. Formerly forest dwellers in the main, Dayaks have been migrating en masse into Sarawak's towns and cities, but despite their better efforts to succeed in the urban environment, they feel demeaned and disadvantaged relative to the other ethnic groups of Malaysia.
About the Author
Clare L. Boulanger, a cultural anthropologist, carried out dissertation research in Malaysia in 1988-89 and returned to the country for the Sarawak project covered in this volume. She has published several articles on Malaysia; recently, she also edited an anthology on American culture (Reflecting on America: Anthropological Views of U.S. Culture, Allyn & Bacon, 2007). Dr. Boulanger is a Professor of Anthropology at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, where she has taught since 1993.
Reviews
Clare Boulanger's A Sleeping Tiger is a theoretically sophisticated but concisely written account of how the Dayaks, a large ethnic minority in east Malaysia and adjacent parts of Borneo, are struggling to adapt the ethnic language in which Malaysians have argued political issues so that Dayaks too can benefit from the system, which favors the interests of Malays. Boulanger sensitively shows how modernization not only disrupts traditional communities but the sense of self-worth, which she refers to as "dignity," imbedded in the complex personal relationships traditional life requires. The enormous simplifications entailed in being moden, "modern," require recasting of the Dayak vision of themselves. The clarity of Boulanger's language and theoretical approach would make this book useful to upper-level courses on ethnicity, "development," and Southeast Asia, as well as to area specialists. -- Robert Knox Dentan, professor emeritus, SUNY Buffalo; author of Overwhelming Terror: Love, Fear, Peace, and Violence among the Semai of Malaysia
Book Information
ISBN 9780761843764
Author Clare L. Boulanger
Format Paperback
Page Count 188
Imprint University Press of America
Publisher University Press of America
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 155mm * 14mm
About the Author
Clare L. Boulanger, a cultural anthropologist, carried out dissertation research in Malaysia in 1988-89 and returned to the country for the Sarawak project covered in this volume. She has published several articles on Malaysia; recently, she also edited an anthology on American culture (Reflecting on America: Anthropological Views of U.S. Culture, Allyn & Bacon, 2007). Dr. Boulanger is a Professor of Anthropology at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado, where she has taught since 1993.
Reviews
Clare Boulanger's A Sleeping Tiger is a theoretically sophisticated but concisely written account of how the Dayaks, a large ethnic minority in east Malaysia and adjacent parts of Borneo, are struggling to adapt the ethnic language in which Malaysians have argued political issues so that Dayaks too can benefit from the system, which favors the interests of Malays. Boulanger sensitively shows how modernization not only disrupts traditional communities but the sense of self-worth, which she refers to as "dignity," imbedded in the complex personal relationships traditional life requires. The enormous simplifications entailed in being moden, "modern," require recasting of the Dayak vision of themselves. The clarity of Boulanger's language and theoretical approach would make this book useful to upper-level courses on ethnicity, "development," and Southeast Asia, as well as to area specialists. -- Robert Knox Dentan, professor emeritus, SUNY Buffalo; author of Overwhelming Terror: Love, Fear, Peace, and Violence among the Semai of Malaysia
Book Information
ISBN 9780761843764
Author Clare L. Boulanger
Format Paperback
Page Count 188
Imprint University Press of America
Publisher University Press of America
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 155mm * 14mm
