Nomads of Western Tibet: The Survival of a Way of Life

by Melvyn C. Goldstein (Photographer), Cynthia M. Beall (Photographer)

COLLECTIBLE - NEW Soft cover BRAND NEW & Collectible. Monograph. Nomadic, pastoral life on the western Changtang plateau in Tibet prior to Communist rule. Chronicle of 16 months (1986 - 1988) in commual living with some 300 nomads by anthropologists Melvyn C. Goldstein and Cynthia M. Beall. Professor Goldstein has full facility in language, and both authors are adept with the camera.

Genres: Anthropology

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 1990

About the author

Melvyn C. Goldstein is John Reynolds Harkness Professor of Anthropology and Codirector of the Center for Research on Tibet at Case Western Reserve University, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I read this for a class on the minority peoples of China, I think anyone with an interest in nomadic cultures, Tibet, ethnography, and/or travelogues would enjoy this book. As a bonus, it looks and reads like an issue of National Geographic.

[Zheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

本书是两位人类学家1986-1988年对西藏羌塘帕拉牧场进行田野调查的报告。向读者展示了羌塘地区牧民的传统畜牧业运作机制，以及这种机制下牧民的生活方式与价值观。也提到了文革时期该地区生活方式遭受的践踏以及其后的恢复和持续存在的冲突。最后也得出羌塘地区传统畜牧运作机制先进而可行的结论。考察深入，论据充足。
要得到民俗文化包括语言方面的充分调查，非进行深入田野调查不可。这一切丰满而入微的呈现都来自两位科学家深入细致的考察。他们克服手续上、自然条件上的种种艰难，成功地在政治敏感、自然条件极端恶劣的西藏高寒地区与当地牧民共同生活，深入考察。虽然书中着墨甚少，但克服恶劣自然条件，用藏族交流、与当地牧民打成一片，观察、交谈再总结整理的过程背后的艰难可想而知，皆非常人可承受。加上西藏地区在自然条件和政治上的特殊性，对该地区扎实深入的研究不可多得；且作者考虑到读者群体之广，写作语言亦浅显易懂。讲复杂的研究用简单生动的语言表达出来，又不损失内容，更是难能可贵。
本书译者的翻译，语言流畅，用词恰当，少有生硬翻译的痕迹，为读者阅读提供了巨大的方便。
难得的好书。