Tracing journeys of Cantonese migrants along the West River and its tributaries, this book describes the circulation of people through one of the world’s great river systems between the late sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Steven B. Miles examines the relationship between diaspora and empire in an upriver frontier, and the role of migration in sustaining families and lineages in the homeland of what would become a global diaspora. Based on archival research and multisite fieldwork, this innovative history of mobility explores a set of diasporic practices ranging from the manipulation of household registration requirements to the maintenance of split families. Many of the institutions and practices that facilitated overseas migration were not adaptations of tradition to transnational modernity; rather, they emerged in the early modern era within the context of riverine migration. Likewise, the extension and consolidation of empire required not only unidirectional frontier settlement and sedentarization of indigenous populations. It was also responsible for the regular circulation between homeland and frontier of people who drove imperial expansion—even while turning imperial aims toward their own purposes of socioeconomic advancement.

In Roo Borson’s new watershed collection, it is as though language were being taught to increase its powers of concentration, to hearken simultaneously to the fully impinged-upon senses, the reflecting mind with its griefs and yearnings, the heart with its burden of live memory. Always “the line bends as the river bends,” a quick ever-adjusting music that carries in its current those cherished, perishable, details of eye and ear, mid-life reflections on loss and home, the subtle shifts in season suddenly made strange and re-awakened. Recurrently, probingly, the line returns to the place of poetry in our lives. In the spirit of Basho’s famous journey to the far north, Borson’s “short journey” reminds us of the role of poetry in shaping and deepening our engagement with the world.

The author takes us on an unexpected journey "up" the Danube, where we encounter a remarkable and unfamiliar world

A powerful, raw and eloquent memoir about the abuse former First Nations chief Edmund Metatawabin endured in residential school in the 1960s, the resulting trauma, and the spirit he rediscovered within himself and his community through traditional spirituality and knowledge. After being separated from his family at age 7, Metatawabin was assigned a number and stripped of his Indigenous identity. At his residential school--one of the worst in Canada--he was physically and emotionally abused, and was sexually abused by one of the staff. Leaving high school, he turned to alcohol to forget the trauma. He later left behind his wife and family, and fled to Edmonton, where he joined a First Nations support group that helped him come to terms with his addiction and face his PTSD. By listening to elders' wisdom, he learned how to live an authentic First Nations life within a modern context, thereby restoring what had been taken from him years earlier. Metatawabin has worked tirelessly to bring traditional knowledge to the next generation of Indigenous youth and leaders, as a counsellor at the University of Alberta, Chief in his Fort Albany community, and today as a youth worker, First Nations spiritual leader and activist. His work championing Indigenous knowledge, sovereignty and rights spans several decades and has won him awards and national recognition. His story gives a personal face to the problems that beset First Nations communities and fresh solutions, and untangles the complex dynamics that sparked the Idle No More movement. Haunting and brave, Up Ghost River is a necessary step toward our collective healing.

In this brilliant mix of political journalism and travel writing, Helen Winternitz and fellow journalist Timothy Phelps witness what few Westerners have: life in the ecologically rich but financially impoverished American-backed dictatorship of Zaire, the former Belgian Congo.

In Opportunity in Crisis, an exploration of the late Qing Cantonese migration along the West River, Steven B. Miles situates the Cantonese upriver and overseas migration within the same framework, thus reconceiving the late Qing as an age of Cantonese diasporic expansion rather than one of state decline.

"Much more than a blood-and-guts thriller...An insightful, moving, and sensitive look at what the war did to a country, its people, and its enemies." - Orlando Sentinel Former army homicide investigator Paul Brenner has just gotten used to the early retirement forced on him after the disastrous end of his last case when his old commanding officer asks him to return for one final mission: investigate a murder that took place in wartime Vietnam thirty years before. Brenner reluctantly accepts out of curiosity and loyalty...and maybe a touch of boredom. He won't be bored for long. Back in Vietnam, Brenner meets expatriate Susan Weber, a woman as exotic, sensual, and dangerous as the nation of her voluntary exile. Brenner is plunged into a world of corruption, lethal double cross, and haunted memories-as he's suddenly thrust back into a war that neither he nor his country ever really stopped fighting.

Discover Myanmar with the most incisive and entertaining guidebook on the market. Whether you plan to see Yangon's colonial architecture and absorbing markets, explore Bagan's astonishing profusion of ancient temples or trek to the Golden Rock at Kyaiktiyo, The Rough Guide to Myanmar will show you the ideal places to sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way. Inside The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma) - Independent, trusted reviews written in Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and insight, to help you get the most out of your visit, with options to suit every budget. - Full-colour maps throughout - find your way amid Mandalay's bustling streets or between Mrauk U's fortress-like temples without needing to get online. - Stunning, inspirational images - Itineraries - carefully planned routes to help you organize your trip. - Detailed regional coverage - whether off the beaten track or in more mainstream tourist destinations, this travel guide has in-depth practical advice for every step of the way. Areas covered include: Bagan, Yangon, Mandalay, Hpa-an, Kalaw, Mrauk U, Maylamyine, Naypyitaw, Myeik Archipelago, Dawei.Attractions include: Kyaiktiyo (Golden Rock), Taung Kalat (Mount Popa), Shwe OO Min Cave, Gokteik Viaduct, Ngapali Beach, Inle Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda, Ngwe Saung, Shwezigon Pagoda, Shwesandaw Pagoda. - Basics - essential pre-departure practical information including getting there, local transport, accommodation, food and drink,health, the media, festivals and events, outdoor activities and sports, responsible travel, culture and etiquette, shopping, travelling with children, travel essentials and more. - Background information - a Contexts chapter devoted to history, books, Myanmar's ethnic groups, Burmese Buddhism and traditional beliefs, Burmese architecture plus a handy language section and glossary. Make the Most of Your Time on Earth with the Rough Guide to Myanmar

Stories depict a way-of-life of the Hispanic culture of South Texas where superstition still rules the lives of many. La Llorona scans the waters of the Rio Grande looking for her children; little Duendes create a ruckus to gain attention; the Grim Reaper skulks about the corridors of the big house biding its time; ghosts guarding treasure inhabit back yards and the brushlands along the Rio Grande; Sasquatch sloshes along on the shores of South Padre in freezing weather on an Easter weekend, and snakes love mothers’ milk and menstrual blood. Experience with ghosts or other supernatural phenomena is as prevalent today in South Texas as it has been for hundreds of years.