A01=Sarah Milledge Nelson
Ancient East Asia
archaeological theory
Author_Sarah Milledge Nelson
Category=NHF
Category=NKD
Category=QRVP7
Early Jomon
Early Neolithic
East Asian Archaeology
East Asian prehistory
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eq_history
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eq_nobargain
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ethnographic comparison
Face Bead
female shamanic authority in ancient societies
Final Jomon
gendered leadership
Hongshan Culture
Huang Di
King Wu
Kofun Period
Late Neolithic
leadership roles
Lower Xiajiadian
Middle Jomon
Oracle Bone
Oracle Bone Inscriptions
ritual specialists
shamanism
Shang Bronzes
Shang King
Shang Oracle Bones
Shang Period
Silla Tombs
social complexity evolution
state formation
state-level society
Turtle Plastrons
Women Shamans
Yayoi Period
Young Men
Zhongshan State
Product details
- ISBN 9781598741339
- Weight: 560g
- Dimensions: 152 x 229mm
- Publication Date: 15 Jul 2008
- Publisher: Left Coast Press Inc
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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Sarah Milledge Nelson’s bold thesis is that the development of states in East Asia—China, Japan, Korea—was an outgrowth of the leadership in smaller communities guided by shamans. Using a mixture of historical documents, mythology, archaeological data, and ethnographic studies of contemporary shamans, she builds a case for shamans being the driving force behind the blossoming of complex societies. More interesting, shamans in East Asia are generally women, who used their access to the spirit world to take leadership roles. This work challenges traditional interpretations growth of Asian states, which is overlaid with later Confucian notions of gender roles. Written at a level accessible for undergraduates, this concise work will be fascinating reading for those interested in East Asian archaeology, politics, and society; in gender roles, and in shamanism.
SARAH MILLEDGE NELSON is John Evans Distinguished Professor at the University of Denver. Nelson is a specialist in cultural development, the origins of agriculture, and gender in the ancient world. She has done extensive fieldwork in Korea, China, and the American West.
