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Lorenz G. Löffler

This page lists the complete «œuvre» of Dr. Lorenz G. Löffler, Professor emeritus, Dept. of Social Anthropology, University of Zurich. Several of the publications can be downloaded.

Lorenz was my professor and mentor while I worked at the Dept. as Asst. Professor in the early 1990s (“I” am Lars T. Soeftestad, the owner and manager of Supras Consult). It gives me great pleasure to be able to provide this service to a person and an anthropologist that I hold in great esteem.

Brigitte and Lorenz Löffler

In early 2007 I paid a very pleasant visit to Brigitte and Lorenz (see these images). While discussing the situation in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in Bangladesh, where Lorenz has done fieldwork among the Mru, he mentioned some interesting facts. There is a new generation of indigenous activists and researchers in the CHT that are interested in accessing and using the available ethnographic and anthropological literature on their region and its people. These people have serious difficulties locating some of his publications on CHT, partly because they are published several years back, and partly because they are in German. Furthermore, they would be interested in translating the German-language publications relating to the CHT into English. At the same time, Lorenz said, the available lists of his publications contain mistakes and are incomplete. It occurred to me that I could help with this, and I suggested that I make his writings available on one of my websites, an offer that he enthusiastically accepted. Personally, this makes a lot of sense, since I have been working on issues related to indigenous peoples, human rights and development since the late 1970s, and also because I lived in Bangladesh for several years in the 1980s and have worked there since, and I know the CHT and the situation there quite well.

And so it was that we began collaborating on realizing this idea. Over time the idea grew upon us, and as a result Lorenz’ complete production – including published and unpublished material – (a few items need some work before they can be included) is now available, as follows:

  1. The complete list of publications is available (PDF).
  2. Several publications can be downloaded as pdf files (see below).

Publications

Note: The publications are listed chronologically according to the year iin which they were first published or else written. Further details about each publication is available in the list of publications (see link above).

  1. Das Webermädchen. Sinologica III, 3 (1953): 210-13. [access]
    Comment: English title: “The weaver girl.”
  2. Das zeremonielle Ballspiel im Raum Hinterindiens. Paideuma 6, 2 (1955): 86-91. [access]
    Comment: English title: “The ceremonial ballgame in the realm of Indochina.”
  3. Bambus. Lebensgrundlage eines hinterindischen Bergvolkes. Die Umschau in Wissenschaft und Technik 58, 24 (1958): 755-57. [access]
    Comment: English title: “Bamboo. Subsistence basis for a people in Indochina.”
  4. Bodenbedarf und Ertragsfaktor im Brandrodungsbau. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 11-17. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Tribus, 1960. English title: “Soil need and productive factors in swidden cultivation.”
  5. L’Alliance asymétrique chez les Mru (Pakistan oriental). In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 121-32. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in L’Homme, 1960. English title: “Asymmetric alliances among the Mru.”
  6. A diachronic view of Burmese kinship terminologies. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 195-204. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Proceedings of the VII International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences, 1960.
  7. Chakma und Sak. Ethnolinguistische Beiträge zur Geschichte eines Kulturvolkes. Internationales Archiv für Ethnographie 50, 1 (1964): 72-115. [access]
    Comment: English title: “Chakma and Sak. Ethnolinguistic contributions to the history of a people.”
  8. “Einführung” zum Ananga Ranga des Kalyana Malla. Liebe im Orient 2 (1964): 7-15. [access]
    Comment: English title: “Introduction” to the “Ananga Ranga of the Kalyana Malla.”
  9. Descent, alliance, and lineation. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 157-93. [access]
    Comment: Written in 1967, later revised.
  10. Beast, bird and fish – An essay in South-East Asian symbolism. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 241-56. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Folk religion and the worldview in the Southwestern Pacific, 1968.
  11. Kinship and locality in section systems: A reconsideration. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 133-55. [access]
    Comment: Prepared for Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research’s Symposium no. 46 “Kinship and locality,” 1969. Revised later.
  12. Grundzüge der Meritökonomie. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 19-25. [access]
    Comment: Probevorlesung, University of Heidelberg, 1970. English title: “Principles of merit economy.”
  13. Akkulturation und Emanzipation. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 381-92. [access]
    Comment: Antrittsvorlesung, University of Zurich, 1972. English title: “Acculturation and emancipation.”
  14. Inzest und Exogamie. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 341-60. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Homo, 1972. English title: “Incest and exogamy.”
  15. Von Vögeln und Jungfrauen. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 257-69. [access]
    Comment: Written 1972, rev. 2001. English title: “On birds and virgins.”
  16. Die Entwicklungsproblematik aus ethnologischer Sicht. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 393-407. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Entwicklungsprobleme interdisciplinär, 1976. English title: “The problem of development from the point of view of anthropology.”
  17. Einige Thesen aus ethnologischer Sicht. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 55-59. [access]
    Comment: Lecture, ETH Zurich, 1976. English title: “Some theses as seen from anthropology.”
  18. Bevölkerungswachstum und Systeme sozialer Sicherung. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 27-53. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Curare, 1979, reprinted in Curare, 2002. English title: “Population growth and systems of social security.”
  19. Die Stellung der Frau als ethnologische Problematik. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 271-304. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Geschlechtsrollen und Arbeitsteilung, 1979. English title: “The position of women as an anthropological issue.”
  20. Natur, Kultur und Bevölkerunsentwicklung. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 61-70. [access]
    Comment: Public lecture, Ethnographic Museum, University of Zurich, 1987. English title: “Nature, culture and population development.”
  21. Bodenrechte in den Chittagong Hill Tracts. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 423-33. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Geographica Helvetica, 1988. English title: “Land rights in Chittagong Hill Tracts.”
  22. Zur politischen Ökonomie der geschlechtlischen Statusdifferenzierung. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 305-40. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Die Vielfalt der Kultur: Ethnologische Aspekte von Verwandtschaft, Kunst und Weltauffassung, 1990. English title: “On the political economy of gender status differentiation.”
  23. Zur Frage Ethnischer Widerstandsbewegungen. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 409-10. [access]
    Comment: Thesenpapir, 1991. English title: “On the question of ethnic resistance movements.”
  24. Male bias in models of asymmetric kinship terminology. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 205-36. [access]
    Comment: Paper presented at conference on “Kinship in Asia,” 1992.
  25. Wieso ist Inzest tabu? In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 361-76. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in Inzest und sexueller Missbrauch. Beratung und Therapie, 1993. English title: “Why is incest taboo?”
  26. Ethnicity and democracy. The case of Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 411-22. [access]
    Comment: Paper presented at XVI World Congress of the International Political Science Association, 1994.
  27. Land rights as instruments of social transformation. The case of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh). In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 435-45. [access]
    Comment: Previously publ. in IWGIA Document 85, 1995.
  28. People’s rights and rulers’ power. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 447-61. [access]
    Comment: Written 1999. Previously publ. in Jumpada. News Bulletin of the World Chakma Organisation, 2002.
  29. Peasant adaptivity and the power of the market. A long term study. In Aussaaten. Ethnologische Schriften, 2002, 71-117. [access]

Unpublished manuscripts

(material to be added)


Dr. Loeffler's contact information

Email
Tel./Fax: +41 (71) 460 2625
Cell: +41 (79) 402 2629
Postal address: Holzgassweg 2, CH-8590 Romanshorn, Switzerland.


Links

Links to key indigenous NGOs and like-minded organizations that work in and/or on the Chittagong Hill Tracts in various capacities are available.


Acknowledgements

Several persons have provided important help in putting together the list of publications. They include: Mr. Mong Nu Cing (Rangamati, Bandarban, Bangladesh), Mr. HUZIWARA Keisuke (Kyoto, Japan), Mr. Menpöng (Bangladesh), Mr. Zir Kung Shahu (Bangladesh), and Mr. Sakya Talukdar (Guwahati, Assam, India) (further names to be added).