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Social Science Cultural

Truly Human

Indigeneity and Indigenous Resurgence on Formosa

by (author) Scott E. Simon

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Apr 2023
Category
Cultural, Spirituality, Asian Studies
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487547332
    Publish Date
    Apr 2023
    List Price
    $108.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781487545864
    Publish Date
    Apr 2023
    List Price
    $38.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487546014
    Publish Date
    Apr 2023
    List Price
    $38.95

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Description

The Sediq and Truku Indigenous peoples on the mountainous island of Formosa – today called Taiwan – say that their ancestors emerged in the beginning of time from Pusu Qhuni, a tree-covered boulder in the highlands. Living in the mountain-forests, they observed the sacred law of Gaya, seeking equilibrium with other humans, the spirits, animals, and plants. They developed a politics in which each community preserved its autonomy and sharing was valued more highly than personal accumulation of goods or power. These lifeworlds were shattered by colonialism, capitalist development, and cultural imperialism in the twentieth century.

 

Based on two decades of ethnographic field research, Truly Human portrays these peoples’ lifeworlds, teachings, political struggles for recognition, and relations with non-human animals. Taking seriously their ontological claims that Gaya offers moral guidance to all humans, Scott E. Simon reflects on what this particular form of Indigenous resurgence reveals about human rights, sovereignty, and the good of all kind. Truly Human contributes to a decolonizing anthropology at a time when all humans need Indigenous land-based teachings more than ever.

About the author

Scott E. Simon is a professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa.

Scott E. Simon's profile page