Borneo Studies in History, Society and Culture

This edited book is the first major review of what has been achieved in Borneo Studies to date. Chapters in this book situate research on Borneo within the general disciplinary fields of the social sciences, with the weight of attention devoted to anthropological research and related fields such as development studies, gender studies, environmental studies, social policy studies and cultural studies. Some of the chapters in this book are extended versions of presentations at the Borneo Research Council’s international conference hosted by Universiti Brunei Darussalam in June 2012 and a Borneo Studies workshop organised in Brunei in 2012. The volume examines some of the major debates and controversies in Borneo Studies, including those which have served to connect post-war research on Borneo to wider scholarship. It also assesses some of the more recent contributions and interests of locally based researchers in universities and other institutions in Borneo itself. The major strength of the book is the inclusion of a substantial amount of research undertaken by scholars working and teaching within the Southeast Asian region. In particular there is an examination of research materials published in the vernacular, notably the outpouring of work published in Indonesian by the Institut Dayakologi in Pontianak. In doing so, the book also addresses the urgent matters which have not received the attention they deserve, specifically subjects, themes and issues that have already been covered but require further contemplation, elaboration and research, and the scope for disciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration in Borneo Studies. The book is a valuable resource and reference work for students and researchers interested in social science scholarship on Borneo, and for those with wider interests in Indonesia and Malaysia, and in the Southeast Asian region.

Contents.- List of Figures, Tables and Boxes.- List of Abbreviations and Acronyms.- Preface.- Acknowledgements.- 1: Introductory Remarks.- Part I: Borneo-Wide Perspectives.- 2: Some Preliminary Thoughts on Early Anthropology in Borneo.- 3: Towards a Critical Alternative Scholarship on the Discourse of Representation, Identity and Multiculturalism in Sarawak.- 4: Material Culture Studies and Ethnocultural Identity.- 5: Borneo and Beyond: Reflections on Borneo Studies, Anthropology and the Social Sciences.- 6: Devolved, Diverse, Distinct? Hunter-Gatherer Research in Borneo.- 7: Issues and Trends in Media and Communications in Borneo over the Past 30 Years.- 8: Identities in Borneo: Constructions and Transformations.- Part II: State-Specific Perspectives.- 9: The Real and the Ideal: Towards Culturally Appropriate and Collaborative Heritage Practice in Kalimantan.- 10: An Overview of Cultural Research in Sabah.- 11: Whither Gender Studies in Sarawak?.- 12: The Rise of Dayak Identities in Central Kalimantan.- 13: An Overview of Anthropological and Sociological Research at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.- 14: Borneo Research in the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.- 15: Institut Dayakologi: The Challenges of an Information and Advocacy Centre of Dayak Culture in Kalimantan.- Part III: Case Studies.- 16: Kenyah-Badeng Displacement: Bakun Hydroelectric Project Resettlement.- 17: Community, River and Basin: Watersheds in Northern Sarawak as a Social Linkage.- 18: From Inclusion to Social Exclusion in Resource Stewardship among Members of Migrant Bilik Families in Pantu, Sri Aman.- 19: Stones and Power in the Kelapang: Indigeneity and Kelabit and Ngurek Narratives.- 20: Social Change and the Contributions of the Tionghoa, Dayak and Melayu (Tidayu) in West Kalimantan.- 21: ‘Wild Borneo’: A Study of Visitor Perception and Experience of Nature Tourism in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.- 22: Challenges in Indigenous Language Education: The Brunei Experience.- 23: Everyday Finance and Consumption in Brunei Darussalam.- 24: The Relevance of Contextual Components in the Religious Conversion Process: The Case of Dusun Muslims in Brunei Darussalam.- 25: Borneo Studies: Perspectives from a Jobbing Social Scientist.- Notes on Contributors.-