ignored, that time is not the present." Thus begins the opening chapter of this important contribution to our understanding of the bewildering diversity that has existed and continues to exist in the cultures of South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. The first survey of its kind ever published, this volume reflects a great deal of knowledge, thought, curiosity and style. Heinz, in a single, brief book, pulls together some of the major cultural strands by which people in Asian societies have organized their collective life and made their lives meaningful. Heinz effectively brings a range of disciplines into her account, drawing from anthropology, history, geography, linguistics, religious studies, art history, world literature, and political science. Title of related interest also available from Waveland Press: Pa Chin, Family (ISBN 9780881333732).

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