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We gather at our Environmental Cottage on Grand Island, New York. The Cottage sits on several undeveloped acres. -- Photo by Jon Rieley-Goddard |
Jim Whitlock prepared these materials for Dr. Robert Dentan's talk, which was on 19April09. Riverside-Salem Program for Sunday, April 19, 2009
By Robert K. Dentan Dr. Dentan, professor emeritus of anthropology at UB, will talk about what he learned in half a dozen years living with Senoi Semai of western Malaysia, who are widely thought to be the least violent people in the world. The fact that they are not pious, pacifist, or professional peaceniks suggests some possible tactical re-thinking by advocates of peace. Dentan’s publications focused on nonviolence include “Cautious, Alert, Polite and Elusive: The Semai of Central Peninsular Malaysia,” in Keeping the Peace by Graham Kemp and Douglas Fry, New York, Routledge (2004); “Recent Studies on Violence: What’s In and What’s Out,” Reviews in Anthropology 37 (2008); Overwhelming Terror: Love, Peace,Fear and Violence among Semai of Malaysia, Boulder, CO: Rowman and Littlefield (2008). Ironically, his writing has given him a reputation as an expert on violence. All programs
at our Environmental Cottage, 3449 West River Road, Grand Island,
are from 4-6 p.m. on Sundays, with pot-luck dinner following, unless
otherwise indicated. Directions from Buffalo: I-190 N over S Grand
Island bridge to Exit 19, "Whitehaven Road." Left/west
on Whitehaven about 2.2 miles to West River Road. Right/north on
West River about 9/10 mile to cabin in woodsy area. Parking along
road (one side, usually median side, in winter, please). By Robert Knox Dentan Publisher: Rowman
& Littlefield Publishers, Inc. (November 28, 2008) Review: This powerful ethnography of a people believed to be the least violent in the world explores how they maintain peaceful relations even under the most dire circumstances. Robert Knox Dentan, the world's foremost scholar of Semai, brings its members vividly to life. His book includes translations of their poetry, dramatized accounts of particular events, and extensive quotations from a wide range of individuals. In a clear, gripping, sometimes novelistic style, Dentan introduces the reader to tortured Nakhoda; beautiful, stubborn Kliy; witty, ironic Grcaangsmother; doomed Rmpent; brutal, alienated Juni; and other memorable Semai. The book opens with the horrific circumstances that the author argues gave rise to Semai peaceability, continues by illuminating their adaptation to those circumstances, and closes by sketching the eventual decline of that adaptation under the pressures of globalization. Unlike many behavioral scientists, Dentan argues that the Semai approach to conflict is a successful Darwinian adaptation. A recurring theme is the importance of psychological "surrender" to maintaining this adaptation. Throughout, the author highlights the mechanisms and costs of peace, underscoring their relevance to everyday life in all societies. Students and scholars of peace studies, conflict resolution, ethnography, and Southeast Asia will find this unique work an invaluable and compelling study. About
the Author:
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