Please note: In order to keep Hive up to date and provide users with the best features, we are no longer able to fully support Internet Explorer. The site is still available to you, however some sections of the site may appear broken. We would encourage you to move to a more modern browser like Firefox, Edge or Chrome in order to experience the site fully.

Childbirth and Tradition in Northeast Thailand : Forty Years of Development and Cultural Change, Paperback / softback Book

Childbirth and Tradition in Northeast Thailand : Forty Years of Development and Cultural Change Paperback / softback

Part of the NIAS Monographs series

Paperback / softback

Description

Anders Poulsen's term as a UNESCO expert terminated in 1962, but he has returned to the same area of Northeast Thailand many times since, most recently in 2005.

As such, this beautifully illustrated volume offers a rare study of Isan-Thai customs and belief associated with pregnancy and birth and how they have changed over almost half a century. Using a psychological and socio-therapeutic framework, Anders Poulsen discusses the function of various birth rites as well as giving an unmatched description of all traditions specifically connected to pregnancy and birth.

He includes an interesting description of the tradition of confinement by fire (yuu-fai) and documents that it is still widely practiced, contrary to what has been reported.

He also puts forward a theory of why some traditions maintain their importance while others fade away. The findings of this study are supported by the transcription in Isan (and translated into English) of the ritual texts that are used in these rites.

Information

£29.95

 
Free Home Delivery

on all orders

 
Pick up orders

from local bookshops

Information