Asian Lives in Anthropological Perspective by Susan Bayly

Asian Lives in Anthropological Perspective by Susan Bayly

Contemporary Asian societies bear the imprint of the experience and afterlives of colonialism, revolutionary socialism and religious and secular nationalism in dramatically contrasting ways. Asian Lives in Anthropological Perspective draws together essays that demonstrate the role of these far-reaching transformations in the shaping of two Asian settings in particular – India and Vietnam. It traces historical and contemporary realities through a variety of compelling topics including the lived experience of India’s caste system and the ethical challenges faced by Vietnamese working women.

“This book which addresses such key themes as modernity, morality and collective identity in both Vietnam and India will be of immense significance for scholars and students seeking to engage in comparative work on Asia…[It]opens up new fields of research and analysis for interdisciplinary scholarship on Asia” • Magnus Marsden, University of Sussex

Susan Bayly is Professor Emerita of Historical Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She was also the editor of the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (2000-2004). Her most recent publications include Asian Voices in a Postcolonial Age. Vietnam, India and Beyond (Cambridge University Press, 2007), 'Anthropology and History'. In Schools and Styles of Anthropological Theory. Matei Candea, ed. (London: Routledge, 2018).