Tells the story of the intertwined research histories of three anthropologists, one American and two Chinese
Preface to the English EditionAcknowledgments PART I: ORIGINS1 Growing up Half Yi / Bamo Ayi2 In the Shadow of the Han / Ma Lunzy3 A White Guy Discovers Anthropology / Stevan Harrell PART II: CHINA4 Yinchang: My First Fieldwork, 1987-88 / Bamo Ayi5 Getting Started in Southwest China, 1987-88 / Stevan Harrell6 Chasing after Bimo, 1992-93 / Bamo Ayi7 Getting Started Again, 1991 / Stevan Harrell8 First Contact, 1991 / Ma Lunzy9 Almost Real Fieldwork, 1993 / Stevan Harrell10 In the Month of the Snake , 1993 / Ma Lunzy11 Fieldwork with Muga, 1994 / Bamo Ayi12 Getting Further Implicated, 1994 / Stevan Harrell13 The Last Time I Led the Horse, 1994 / Ma Lunzy14 The Bimo in the Modern World, 1994-95 / Bamo Ayi PART III: AMERICA15 The First International Yi Conference, 1995 / Ma Lunzy16 Seattle First Free Methodist Church, 1996-97 / Bamo Ayi17 Collecting Mountain Patterns, 1999 / Ma Lunzy18 Conceptualizing Mountain Patterns, 2000 / Bamo Qubumo19 Celebrating Mountain Patterns, 2000 / Stevan Harrell Epilogue: Fieldwork Connections and the Process of Ethnography / Stevan Harrell Cast of CharactersChinese and Nuosu GlossaryBibliographyIndex
Bamo Ayi is an anthropologist and scholar of comparative religion. She is deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Department, State Nationalities Commission, and professor of philosophy at Central Nationalities University, Beijing. Stevan Harrell is an anthropologist and translator. He is professor of anthropology at the University of Washington. Ma Lunzy is an ethnologist, historian, author, and curator. He is deputy director of Liangshan Minorities Research Institute.
"This fascinating book is the result of multiparty fieldwork,
unfolding over more than two decades. It is a valuable, inspired
documentation of cross-cultural collaborative research that will
prove especially engaging and informative to all of those who,
working across disciplines, grapple with the thorny issue of
representing the voices of indigenous peoples and minorities.
Readers who are interested in ethnic relations in China will
delight in how the book succeeds in situating the special problems
faced in the authors' research in the context of contemporary
global discussions.... It also offers one of the richest, most
multifaceted accounts anywhere of Nuosu history, culture, and
relations with others."
"This polyphonic approach gives useful insights into how joint
fieldwork between foreign and Chinese scholars is arranged, carried
out and perceived by the parties involved.... the book contributes
to a demystification of the fieldwork experience while at the same
time drawing attention to the many layers of interpretation and
construction that determine the outcome of personal encounters in
the field.... The real attraction of the book lies in its account
of how a stimulating and mutually beneficial relationship between
scholars from different countries and cultures is created through
fieldwork."
"This unusual and thought-provoking book.. would make a fine
addition to graduate courses in field research methods. Its
accessibility makes it ideal for upper-level undergraduate courses
in anthropology, Asian Studies, folklore, and contemporary Chinese
society and culture. Scholars in these disciplines, curators and
anyone interested in the minority peoples of China will find this
book useful and illuminating."
"Most importantly, the book exemplifies how a long-lasting
collaboration begun from fieldwork connections is enhanced through
conscientious and sincere efforts in reciprocity.... Fieldwork
Connections gives us good stories of ethnographic processes of
collaboration, and the marvelous accomplishment that perhaps could
be achieved only through the particular chemistry among Harrell,
Bamo, and Ma under the specific context of scholarly exchange at
the turn of the century."
"This is a charming book and a good read for China hands old and
new. Highly recommended."
"This is a jargon-free, readable revelation of the quotidian
details and myriad tasks behind gathering ethnographic data, as
well as the questions ethnographers must regularly ask.... a
remarkably interesting, accessible account of how ethnographers
work."
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