Why read The Banana Tree at the Gate?

Book cover of The Banana Tree at the Gate: A History of Marginal Peoples and Global Markets in Borneo

Book description

The "Hikayat Banjar," a native court chronicle from Borneo, characterizes the irresistibility of natural resource wealth to outsiders as "the banana tree at the gate." Michael R. Dove employs this phrase as a root metaphor to frame the history of resource relations between the indigenous peoples of Borneo and the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Banana Tree at the Gate as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Carol J. Pierce Colfer

Author

This book builds on Dove’s longstanding involvement in research on Borneo and his in-depth knowledge of the history of agricultural and nontimber forest products there. His work shows how the people of Borneo have long been involved in international trade, alternately expanding and contracting their attention to rice production as other opportunities (high prices, high demand) wax and wane. His insights contributed to my own research, showing how longstanding and ubiquitous the international involvement I have seen has been.

From Carol's list on Indonesian life and policy.