2 December, 1995
Leiden, the Netherlands
IIAS seminar

SPACE AND IDENTITIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

By Deborah Tooker

On December 2, 1994 in Leiden the IIAS Collaborative Research
Programme on "Cultural Traditions in Endangered Minorities in
South and Southeast Asia" held a seminar entitled, "Space and
Identities in Southeast Asia". In this seminar the work of the
members of this collaborative programme was presented.
Papers were: 1) B. J. ter Haar, Movement through Geographical
Space among the Yao; 2) D.E. Tooker, Tribal Mandalas? The Case
of the Akha of Northern Thailand; 3) C. Chou, Whose Centre:
Hierarchy between the Malays and Orang Suku Laut in Riau,
Indonesia; and 4) M.J. Klokke, Perceptions of Mount Meru in
Ancient Java. Prof. Stanley J. Tambiah of Harvard University
served as discussant. Prof. R. Schefold (Leiden) served as
Chair of the programme and Prof. F. Husken (Nijmegen) gave a
welcoming speech on behalf of the IIAS. 
There were a number of areas of productive overlap in the
papers of the fellows who are working on different topics, and
there was critical and lively discussion. A number of members
of the Dutch academic community participated.