scholarly journals The Three-Age System: A Struggle for Southeast Asian Prehistoric Periodisation

SPAFA Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Podjanok Kanjanajuntorn
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Local Data ◽  
West Central ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Central Thailand

This article explores the concept of the “Three-Age System” that has to some extent stymied the conceptualization of Southeast Asian prehistory. The direct transfer of this system from its European application to Southeast Asia has substantially influenced the analysis and characterization of Southeast Asian data. In particular, the chronological division of ‘Bronze Age’ and ‘Iron Age’ has overemphasized the linkage between the development of metal technology in relation to socio-economic development. It is agreed that absolute chronology needs to be established, however the terminology of ‘Bronze Age’ and ‘Iron Age’ should be used specifically for the classification of artefact chronology, separately from the explanation of stages of social organisation. Archaeological data from west-central Thailand will be discussed to demonstrate the issue of the incompatible framework of the Three-Age System (Figures 1-2). The apparent absence of clear age subdivisions and the lack of a “real” Bronze Age has made the chronology of this region seem incomplete. Stone tools had been abundantly used throughout the prehistoric period, and bronze and iron materials were often found at the same sites. However, little scientific data prior to 500 BCE has been obtained from any site in the region. This may or may not be the reason for west-central Thailand being considered peripheral in the discussion of the socio-economic development of mainland Southeast Asia. In consideration of these issues, archaeological methodology and the formation of knowledge from Southeast Asia prehistory will be discussed, including the necessity to move from the imported “Three Age System” to concepts that better fit the local data in west-central Thailand. The distorted prehistoric analysis needs to be adjusted so that our understanding of prehistory in Thailand does not become a scientific illusion.บทความนี้เป็นการสำรวจและสะท้อนให้เห็นว่า “ระบบสามยุค” ที่ใช้ในการกำหนดอายุแหล่งโบราณคดีด้วยวิธีเทียบเคียงนี้ แทบจะกลายเป็นกรอบคิดในการศึกษาโบราณคดีสมัยก่อนประวัติศาสตร์เอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ ระบบการกำหนดอายุแบบโบราณคดียุโรปที่ถูกนำมาใช้ได้ส่งอิทธิพลต่อแนวทางการศึกษาโบราณคดีภูมิภาคนี้อย่างสำคัญ โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งการกำหนดอายุ ‘ยุคสำริด’ และ ‘ยุคเหล็ก’ ที่มุ่งเน้นการศึกษาพัฒนาการด้านเทคโนโลยีโลหกรรมแล้วนำไปใช้อธิบายเชื่อมโยงกับพัฒนาการทางสังคม การลำดับอายุสมัยมีความสำคัญสำหรับโบราณคดีก่อนประวัติศาสตร์ก็จริง แต่การใช้ 'ยุคสำริด’ และ ‘ยุคเหล็ก’ ควรใช้ในลักษณะที่เป็นการจัดจำแนกประเภทโบราณวัตถุ แต่ไม่ควรนำไปผูกติดกับการอธิบายพัฒนาการทางสังคม ตัวอย่างที่จะนำมาอภิปรายในบทความนี้ก็คือ ข้อมูลโบราณคดีสมัยก่อนประวัติศาสตร์จากภาคตะวันตกของประเทศไทย โดยจะสะท้อนให้เห็นว่าการกำหนดอายุแหล่งด้วยระบบสามยุคทำให้เกิดความลักลั่นอย่างไร จากการเป็นภูมิภาคที่ไม่พบยุคสำริด ‘แท้’ ทำให้กลายเป็นว่าลำดับทางวัฒนธรรมของภูมิภาคไม่มีความต่อเนื่อง หลักฐานประเภทเครื่องมือหินพบมากมายในภาคตะวันตก ในขณะที่วัตถุประเภทสำริดและเหล็กพบเพียงบางแหล่งเท่านั้น แหล่งโบราณคดีในภูมิภาคนี้ที่กำหนดอายุทางวิทยาศาสตร์เก่าแก่กว่า 500 ปีก่อนคริสตกาลมีจำนวนน้อยมาก ซึ่งอาจจะเป็นเหตุผลหรือไม่ก็ตามที่ทำให้ภาคตะวันตกของไทยไม่ค่อยถูกกล่าวถึงในการศึกษาพัฒนาการเศรษฐกิจ-สังคมภาคพื้นทวีปเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ ในการอภิปรายประเด็นดังกล่าวนี้ ผู้เขียนได้หยิบยกข้อมูลว่าด้วยพัฒนาการของวิธีวิทยาทางโบราณคดีและประวัติการสร้างองค์ความรู้เกี่ยวกับโบราณคดีก่อนประวัติศาสตร์ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ รวมทั้งข้อคำนึงในการแสวงหาคำเรียกลำดับอายุที่น่าจะเหมาะสมกว่า ‘ระบบสามยุค’ เพื่อให้การศึกษาโบราณคดีก่อนประวัติศาสตร์สะท้อนความเข้าใจเกี่ยวกับอดีตของประเทศไทยอย่างแท้จริงโดยไม่กลายเป็นมายาคติทางวิทยาศาสตร์

The Contributions of the political economy approach: An analysis of Socio-economic development in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falih Suaedi ◽  
Muhmmad Saud
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The Political ◽  
Developmental Studies ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Political Economy Approach

This article explores in what ways political economy as an analytical framework for developmental studies has contributed to scholarships on Indonesian’s contemporary discourse of development. In doing so, it reviews important scholarly works on Indonesian political and economic development since the 1980s. The argument is that given sharp critiques directed at its conceptual and empirical utility for understanding changes taking place in modern Indonesian polity and society, the political economy approach continues to be a significant tool of research specifically in broader context of comparative politics applied to Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia. The focus of this exploration, however, has shifted from the formation of Indonesian bourgeoisie to the reconstitution of bourgeois oligarchy consisting of the alliance between the politico-bureaucratic elite and business families. With this in mind, the parallel relationship of capitalist establishment and the development of the state power in Indonesia is explainable.<br>

The Bronze Age of Southeast Asia: New Insight on Social Change from Ban Non Wat

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Higham
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Eleventh Century ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Copper Base ◽  
French Colonial ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Bronze Age

The expansion of copper-base metallurgy in the mainland of Eurasia began in the Near East and ended in Southeast Asia. The recognition of this Southeast Asian metallurgical province followed in the wake of French colonial occupation of Cambodia and Laos in the nineteenth century. Subsequently, most research has concentrated in Thailand, beginning in the 1960s. A sound chronology is the prerequisite to identifying both the origins of the Bronze Age, and the social impact that metallurgy may have had on society. This article presents the revolutionary results of excavations at the site of Ban Non Wat in northeast Thailand within the broader cultural context of Southeast Asian prehistory, concluding that the adoption of copper-base metallurgy from the eleventh century BC coincided with the rise of wealthy social aggrandizers.

scholarly journals Environmental Challenges of Urbanization in Southeast Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-118
Author(s):  
N. G. Rogozhina
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Environmental Situation ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
Southeast Asian Countries

One of the most important trends in the modern stage of the socio-economic development of the countries of Southeast Asia is the acceleration of the process of urbanization which will determine the future of the region. By 2050, the share of the urban population in the total population of the region is due to increase to 65% compared to 42% at present. The author stresses that the process of urbanization in SEA has a number of distinctive characteristics. Firstly, it should be noted the uneven distribution of the urban population among the countries of the region. Secondly, there is an accelerated growth of medium-sized cities. Thirdly, in the socio-economic and political systems of Southeast Asian countries, large cities and primarily capitals still dominate Being the foundation of economic growth and social progress, urbanization at the same time has many challenges, one of which is the threat of environmental degradation for almost half of the region’s population. With all the diversity of socio-economic development and the political structure of the countries of the region, the environmental situation in their cities, and especially the capitals, is strikingly similar, which indicates the presence of common causes of environmental crisis. The article notes that environmental tension in cities, primarily subjected to problems associated with urbanization, are at the same time a consequence of the national environmental crisis, the cause of which is the realization of a model of extensive economic development, the implementation of which is accompanied by the over-exploitation of natural resources and increased pollution. The deterioration of the environmental situation in cities, which reveals itself in a high level of air and water pollution, restricting public access to drinking water sources and sanitary facilities, increasing the production of solid waste with imperfect disposal technologies, devalues the results of the economic and social progress of Southeast Asian countries.The author discusses in detail the main environmental problems of cities, analyzes the causes of their occurrence and assesses the possibilities for their prevention. The latter involves an integrated approach to overcoming the environmental crisis along with implementing measures at different levels and in different areas. The author comes to the conclusion that despite the fact that in recent years there have been some positive changes in the approach of the authorities to solving the most acute environmental problems, nevertheless, it is doubtful that the environmental situation will noticeably improve in the near future without changing the philosophy of development itself

The level of socio-economic development of regions in Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 27-47
Author(s):  
Jakub Kubiczek ◽  
Martyna Bieleń
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Euclidean Distance ◽  
Data Bank ◽  
Linear Ordering ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
Local Data ◽  
Taxonomic Analysis ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
The Difference

The development of regions within one country is an uneven process. States seek to reduce internal inequalities between particular regions through the implementation of appropriate economic policies, as is the case of Poland. The aim of the study is to evaluate the level of socio-economic development of regions in Poland (voivodships) in the years 2013– 2019. For this purpose, a taxonomic analysis based on Hellwig’s development measure was conducted and the Euclidean distance was applied to assess the difference between the obtained pattern and particular voivodships. On the basis of data provided by the Local Data Bank of Statistics Poland and through linear ordering, two rankings of voivodships were created: one reflecting their socio-economic development excluding environmental protection aspects and the other focusing solely on the issue of environmental protection. Low values of the coefficient of variation relating to a part of the analysed variables indicated that the development level of voivodships in the analysed period is in many respects very similar. The variables crucial for determining the differences between voivodships show that Mazowieckie Voivodship occupies high positions in both rankings (and is the leader in the ranking of socio-economic development excluding environmental protection aspects), while Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodship is characterised by a low level of development illustrated by both rankings.

scholarly journals LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF ARTISANAL FISHERIES ON SMALL ISLANDS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serafin Corral ◽  
David Romero Manrique
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Artisanal Fishing ◽  
Illegal Fishing ◽  
Socio Economic Development

Socio-economic development of small island fishing communities is greatly dependent on local coastal and marine resources. Illegal fishing and aggressive practices in insular ecosystems lead to overexploitation and environmental deterioration. Moreover, a lack of scientific data increases uncertainty and prevents adequate monitoring of marine resources. This paper focuses on the integration of a local fishing community into decision-making processes with the aim to potentiate artisanal fishing on the Island of Tenerife (the Canary Islands). The aim is to preserve both the marine ecosystem and promote the socio-economic development of traditional Cofradías (local fisher communities).A qualitative methodological framework, based on participatory problem-solution trees and focus groups, was implemented to identify the main obstacles impeding the sustainable development of the artisanal fishing sector on the island. Collective proposals with policy implications are also discussed.The community involved identified four main issues that are causing an unsustainable island fishery: 1) Overexploitation; 2) Poor self-management of Cofradías and commercialisation problems; 3) Fisher individualism and low co-management strategies, and 4) Illegal fishing increase vs. artisanal fishing decline. Results show the required policy enhancements to tackle those issues with, for instance, the creation of marine protected areas, the promotion of a common islander vision, and an increase in participatory research projects between scientists and fishers. Participants also revealed the necessity to adapt existing regulations to local specificity to reduce the gap between policy makers and local community.

scholarly journals The Prevailing Art and Tradition of Intentional Dental Modification in Prehistoric Southeast Asia | Ang Namamayaning Sining at Tradisyon ng Intensyonal na Modipikasyon ng Ngipin sa Sinaunang Timog-Silangang Asya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Kathryn N. Purnell ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Data Representation ◽  
Body Modification ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Rite Of Passage ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Bronze Age

Since prehistoric times, humans have changed select characteristics of their bodies, such as tattooing, hair-dyeing, cranial and feet deforming, and teeth modifying. Teeth are some of the most well-preserved remains in the archaeological record, with which we can study past cultural and ritualistic beliefs. Previous publications on dental modifications in Southeast Asia are mostly limited to the mainland, thus this paper reviews modifications observed in prehistoric sites across Southeast Asia, identifying common techniques and motivations. Findings show occurrence of dental ablation, filing, plating, and coloration, which began in the Neolithic, disappeared in the Bronze Age, but reappeared in the Iron Age, although the absence may be due to sampling shortage. Modifications have been associated to aestheticism, group identity, rite of passage, practicality, and medical benefit, but whether these all ring true remains uncertain. It is recommended that future research expand scope for better data representation, analyze modifications with context of community profiles, and investigate the significance of migration in the prevalence of certain techniques and patterns as part of understanding the cultural aspects of past humans’ lives, and assess the cultural (dis)continuity of these traditions into modern-day forms of body modification, art, healing, self-expression, and identity. Magmula sinaunang panahon, maitatala ang mga pagbabagong pisikal sa katawan, tulad ng pagtatato, pagkukulay ng buhok, at pag-iiba-anyo ng ulo, paa, at ngipin. Nabibilang ang ngipin sa mga lubos na napepreserbang artepakto sa arkiyoloji, at sa gayo’y magagamit pang-aral ng mga nakalipas na kultura at ritwal. Kasalukuyang limitado sa mainland ng Timog-Silangang Asya ang saliksik sa intensyonal na modipikasyon ng ngipin, kaya tatalakayin dito ang mga sinaunang modipikasyong nabanggit sa buong rehiyon, at tutukuyin ang pagkakatulad sa mga teknik at motibasyon. Nagsimula ang paglaganap ng sadyang pagtatanggal, pagliliha, pagkakalupkop, at pagkukulay ng ngipin noong Panahong Neolitiko, naglaho noong Panahong Tanso, at bumalik muli pagsapit ng Panahong Bakal, ngunit maaaring iukol ang paglaho sa kakulangan ng datos. Hindi pa tiyak, pero pwedeng ang mga modipkasyon sa estetisismo, pakikisama, pagriritwal, praktikalidad, at benepisyong-medikal. Inirerekomendang palawakin sa susunod na saliksik ang sakop para sa mas mabuting representasyon ng datos, suriin ang mga modipikasyon sa konteksto ng komunidad, at imbestigahan ang kahalagahan ng migrasyon sa paglaganap ng mga partikular na teknik at padron habang inuunawa ang mga aspetong kultural ng sinaunang panahon, at tasahan ang pagpapatuloy (o hindi) ng mga tradisyong nabanggit sa kasalukuyang modipikasyon ng katawan, sining, paggagamot, pagpapahayag ng sarili, at identidad.

China-ASEAN Connectivity: China's Objectives, Strategies, Projects and Challenges

2012 ◽  
Vol 04 (02) ◽  
pp. 5-20
Author(s):  
Chenyang LI ◽  
Liang Fook LYE
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Master Plan ◽  
Socio Economic Development

The Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity has spurred China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to explore more substantive cooperation. Yunann and Guangxi are riding on the connectivity bandwagon to secure Beijing's support to spur their socio-economic development. However, the pursuit of further connectivity between China and ASEAN has its challenges including the need for coordination between the competing provinces and translating various proposals into actual progress on the ground.

The Contributions of the political economy approach: An analysis of Socio-economic development in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Falih Suaedi ◽  
Muhmmad Saud
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Comparative Politics ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The Political ◽  
Developmental Studies ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Political Economy Approach

This article explores in what ways political economy as an analytical framework for developmental studies has contributed to scholarships on Indonesian’s contemporary discourse of development. In doing so, it reviews important scholarly works on Indonesian political and economic development since the 1980s. The argument is that given sharp critiques directed at its conceptual and empirical utility for understanding changes taking place in modern Indonesian polity and society, the political economy approach continues to be a significant tool of research specifically in broader context of comparative politics applied to Indonesia and other countries in Southeast Asia. The focus of this exploration, however, has shifted from the formation of Indonesian bourgeoisie to the reconstitution of bourgeois oligarchy consisting of the alliance between the politico-bureaucratic elite and business families. With this in mind, the parallel relationship of capitalist establishment and the development of the state power in Indonesia is explainable.<br>

Changing social inequality from first farmers to early states in Southeast Asia

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (47) ◽  
pp. e2113598118
Author(s):  
Mattia Fochesato ◽  
Charles Higham ◽  
Amy Bogaard ◽  
Cristina Cobo Castillo
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Rice Farmers ◽  
Early States ◽  
The North ◽  
Agricultural Revolution ◽  
Phase Sequence ◽  
Wide Range

When the first rice farmers expanded into Southeast Asia from the north about 4,000 y ago, they interacted with hunter-gatherer communities with an ancestry in the region of at least 50 millennia. Rigorously dated prehistoric sites in the upper Mun Valley of Northeast Thailand have revealed a 12-phase sequence beginning with the first farmers followed by the adoption of bronze and then iron metallurgy leading on to the rise of early states. On the basis of the burial rituals involving interment with a wide range of mortuary offerings and associated practices, we identify, by computing the values of the Gini coefficient, at least two periods of intensified social inequality. The first occurred during the initial Bronze Age that, we suggest, reflected restricted elite ownership of exotic valuables within an exchange choke point. The second occurred during the later Iron Age when increased aridity stimulated an agricultural revolution that rapidly led to the first state societies in mainland Southeast Asia.

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