Awards
- Runner-up for Second runner-up, Julian Steward Award 2017
Overview
This is an ethnographic and ecological history of Dolpo, a culturally Tibetan region in western Nepal. Dolpo encompasses four valleys and a people who share language, religious and cultural practices, history and way of life. It is home to some of the highest villages on earth; almost 90 per cent of the region lies above 10,000 feet in elevation. Its inhabitants wrest survival from this inhospitable landscape by creatively exploiting agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. Bauer describes Dolpo since the 1950s and traces how pastoralists living in the trans-Himalaya have adapted to sweeping changes in their economic, political and cultural circumstances, including: the assertion of Chinese authority over Tibet (which served to restrict trade); the expansion of communications and transportation infrastructure in Nepal (which opened remote villages to the wider world); and the rise of modern nation-states in the region (with their attendant visions of development). An interdisciplinary case study of change, ""High Frontiers"" presents important findings that should be of interest to anthropologists, cultural geographers and historical ecologists alike.
Full Product Details
Author: Kenneth Michael Bauer
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 17.40cm
, Height: 1.90cm
, Length: 22.30cm
Weight: 0.524kg
ISBN: 9780231123907
ISBN 10: 0231123906
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 07 April 2004
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print
Availability: Out of stock
Language: English
Reviews
Bauer has his facts straight, and his analysis is compelling. His book is a valuable addition. -- James F. Fisher, Anthropological Quarterly An antidote to romanticized portrayals of Himalayan landscapes, people, and the interactions between them. -- Lara Deeb, Journal of Anthropological Research A well-written, clear and engaging case study of cultural change in the high Himal. -- Christopher Thoms, Himalaya: The Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies
"""appeal to more generalist readership, given its accessible style and the ground-level view"" -- Katharine N. Rankin, University of Toronto, Journal of the Royal Anthropoligcal Institute ""Bauer has his facts straight, and his analysis is compelling. His book is a valuable addition."" -- James F. Fisher, Anthropological Quarterly ""An antidote to romanticized portrayals of Himalayan landscapes, people, and the interactions between them. "" -- Lara Deeb, Journal of Anthropological Research ""A well-written, clear and engaging case study of cultural change in the high Himal."" -- Christopher Thoms, Himalaya: The Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies"
Author Information
Kenneth M. Bauer founded DROKPA, a nonprofit organization that partners with pastoral communities to implement grassroots development projects in the Himalayas and Central Asia.
