Marriage and Mandatory Abortion Among the 17th-Century Siraya

This is an excellent piece of historical ethnography. Masaharu Asian Ethnology a well- researched and elegantly written slim volume Boomgaard Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde Fortunately, this important monograph has been reissued and is now readily available to those interested. Jacobs, The China JournalA detailed ethnographic description of the Siraya, the Austronesian inhabitants of pre-Dutch southwestern Taiwan, and the practice of mandated abortion for all young wives. By placing Siraya customs of marriage, pregnancy taboos, and massage abortion in historical and cultural context, this monograph provides new solutions to the puzzle of Siraya mandatory abortion.