December 16, 2011
currently reading, highly recommend. i’m always wary of these kinds of texts, since it’s so easy to find things where western authors project their own worldview onto their subject or subconsciously fit their experiences into a preconceived political narrative—or worse, academic work with no first-hand experience at all. this is exactly the opposite—most of the information in the book is from direct transcripts of informal conversations between the authors and the people they meet, with some history sprinkled in when necessary. i wish it went a little deeper into each group, but it has a refreshing sense of honesty to it that i think makes it a good introduction. get it at yr library! (unless you live in pittsburgh, in which case wait for me to return it first sorry)

currently reading, highly recommend. i’m always wary of these kinds of texts, since it’s so easy to find things where western authors project their own worldview onto their subject or subconsciously fit their experiences into a preconceived political narrative—or worse, academic work with no first-hand experience at all. this is exactly the opposite—most of the information in the book is from direct transcripts of informal conversations between the authors and the people they meet, with some history sprinkled in when necessary. i wish it went a little deeper into each group, but it has a refreshing sense of honesty to it that i think makes it a good introduction. get it at yr library! (unless you live in pittsburgh, in which case wait for me to return it first sorry)

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