The Trading Culture of Jade Stones Among the Yunnanese in Burma and Thailand, 1962–88

Bibliographic Data

ID6153674
AuthorsWen-Chin Chang (0000-0003-2117-6219, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume2
Issue2
Pages269-293
Publication date2006-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Chinese Overseas (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1793-0391 • E-ISSN: 1793-2548
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/179325406788639589
OpenAlexW3083479951
LanguageEN
Citations received7

This article aims to illustrate the trading culture of jade stones by examining the social life of the traded stones in their transnational movement from Burma to Thailand during the period of the Burmese socialist regime. Drawing on the work of the well-known anthropologist, Appadurai, I adopt a perspective emphasizing processes to look into the complex intersection of economic, political, and cultural factors relating to repeated transactions. These factors include the politics of organization, the politics of knowledge, personal guts, and the uncontrollable factor of luck. The research shows that market laws entwined with intricate socio-political forces of the region were the driving force in the exercise of the trade beyond national boundaries

Ancient history · Archaeology · Asian studies · China · Geography · History of China · JADE (particle detector · Traditional medicine · Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues · Health, Medicine and Society · Hermeneutics and Narrative Identity · History · Medicine