Egalitarianism and ranking in the Malay world

Egalitarianism and ranking in the Malay World both derive in large measure from the emergence of certain structural features – relative-age, unifiliative bias, preferential marriage patterns, and so on – all serving to maintain mutually distinctive societal regimes (the Semang, Senoi and Malayic) wi...

Täydet tiedot

Bibliografiset tiedot
Päätekijä: Benjamin, Geoffrey
Muut tekijät: School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Aineistotyyppi: Conference Paper
Kieli:English
Julkaistu: 2011
Aiheet:
Linkit:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/94082
http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7197
Kuvaus
Yhteenveto:Egalitarianism and ranking in the Malay World both derive in large measure from the emergence of certain structural features – relative-age, unifiliative bias, preferential marriage patterns, and so on – all serving to maintain mutually distinctive societal regimes (the Semang, Senoi and Malayic) within the broader regional framework. These emerged mostly indigenously through a series of deliberate mutual adjustments, both assimilatory and dissimilatory, between populations that were each seeking complementary advantages vis-à-vis each other. The paper discusses the mechanisms by which the distinctive societal regimes of the Malay World – variously, segmentary ('tribal') or centralised ('state'), and egalitarian, ranked or stratified – were institutionalised. Special attention is paid to the emergence of ranking, and ultimately the state, within the Malayic tradition.