Publication
Borderland Narratives
Cultural Anthropologist Erik de Maaker published, together with Monica Janoswki (School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London), Stories across Borders: Myths of Origin and Their Contestation in the Borderlands of South and Southeast Asia in Southeast Asian Studies (SEAS).
- Author
- Erik de Maaker and Monica Janowski
- Date
- 27 August 2020
- Links
- Full Article Borderland Narratives
Orally told stories, like human beings, can be said to have histories. In the telling, they
morph and change, reflecting the concerns and interests of those who tell them and those
who listen to them. As such, they can help to generate cohesion within communities, as
well as trauma and schism. They also move from place to place, transported by their
tellers. Where stories are taken across political borders, their histories can play an
important part in maintaining a sense of common identity for those who tell them and
those who listen to them.