Skrevet af WATERSON
The Living House is a pioneering work by respected anthropologist
Roxana Waterson that has become a classic in its field. It is first
book of its kind to present a detailed picture of houses within the
complex social and symbolic fabric of indigenous South-East Asian
peoples.
The main focus of the book is on Indonesia, but in
tracing historical links between architectural forms across the region,
it reveals a much wider field of inquiry—covering all of the
Austronesian peoples and cultures extending as far afield as Madagascar,
Japan and the Pacific islands to New Zealand and Hawaii. As it probes
the centrally significant role of houses within South-East Asian social
systems, The Living House reveals new insights into the kinship
systems, gender symbolism and cosmological principles of the peoples who
build them, ultimately uncovering fundamental themes concerning the
concepts of life force and life processes inherent in all of these
cultures.
A vivid picture is produced of how people shape
buildings and buildings shape people—how rules about layout and spatial
usage impact social relationships. The book concludes with a
consideration of present-day changes affecting the fates of indigenous
cultures and architectures throughout the region. This book will be of
tremendous interest to architects and historians, and anyone interested
in the indigenous art and cultures of South-East Asia.
