Turner Sarah
Department of Geography, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Asia Pac Viewp. 2010;51(2):121-34. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2010.01419.x.
The Chinese, Vietnamese and Lao spaces within the upland Southeast Asian massif, sheltering over 80 million people belonging to geographically dispersed and politically fragmented minority populations, have only recently reopened to overseas academic endeavours. Undertaking social sciences research there among ethnic minority groups is underscored by a specific set of challenges, dilemmas, and negotiations. This special issue brings together Western academics and post-fieldwork doctoral students from the realms of social anthropology and human geography, who have conducted in-depth fieldwork among ethnic minorities in upland southwest China, northern Vietnam, and southern Laos. The articles provide insights into the struggles and constraints they faced in the field, set against an understanding of the historical context of field research in these locales. In this unique context that nowadays interweaves economic liberalisation with centralised and authoritarian political structures, the authors explore how they have negotiated and manoeuvred access to ethnic minority voices in complex cultural configurations. The ethical challenges raised and methodological reflections offered will be insightful for others conducting fieldwork in the socialist margins of the Southeast Asian massif and beyond. This specific context is introduced here, followed by a critique of the literature on the core themes that contributors raise.
东南亚高地山脉中的中国、越南和老挝地区，庇护着超过8000万人口，这些人口属于地理上分散、政治上碎片化的少数民族群体，直到最近才重新向海外学术活动开放。在那里对少数民族群体进行社会科学研究面临着一系列特定的挑战、困境和协商。本期特刊汇集了来自社会人类学和人文地理学领域的西方学者以及完成田野调查的博士生，他们在中国西南部高地、越南北部和老挝南部的少数民族中进行了深入的田野调查。这些文章深入探讨了他们在实地所面临的困难和限制，并结合了对这些地区田野研究历史背景的理解。在如今经济自由化与集权专制政治结构交织的独特背景下，作者们探讨了他们如何在复杂的文化格局中协商并设法获取少数民族的声音。所提出的伦理挑战和方法反思，对于在东南亚高地山脉社会主义边缘地区及其他地区开展田野调查的其他人来说，将具有深刻的启示意义。这里先介绍这一特定背景，随后对撰稿人提出的核心主题的相关文献进行评论。
