Beyond the Border of Disciplines: From Fieldwork among the Lahu to the History of Bazi Basins

This chapter presents the diverse interaction of text and context in frontier society between China and Myanmar in Yunnan province, southwest China. In recent years, scholars who conduct anthropological fieldwork among ethnic minorities and local communities have become aware of the rich historical documentation that can be found in local society. Meanwhile, new research conditions also provide questions for scholars in historical anthropology, including how to understand diverse meanings of time in different cultures, different interpretations of local history, and multiple layers of local space. In this chapter, the author discusses some research methods based on official and unofficial archives, local inscriptions, oral history and ritual, and understandings by local agents in frontier situation of the Lahu communities, as well as local ecology of Bazi basin and social change within mountain society in Southwest China.