Night-time and Sleep in Asia and the West: Exploring the Dark Side of Life (Anthropology of Asia Series)

Ideas and practices concerning sleep and night-time are constantly changing and widely varied in different cultures and societies. What we do during the day and night is the result of much political struggle. Trade unions, political parties, entrepreneurs, leaders and schools boards, all have an interest in questions of timing for the opening and closing of shops, the starting hours of schools and factories, and the number of hours people have to work and sleep. By drawing together comparative case studies from countries in both Asia and Europe, Night-time and Sleep in Asia and the West allows the reader to track the differences in the cultural importance given to the night, and to compare the ways in which the challenges and opportunities of modernity have been played out in the East and the West. Anthropology Book Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Contributors 9 Foreword 11 Preface and acknowledgements 13 1 Introduction 15 Strangers in the urban night 16 Diecentrism in urban studies 20 Studying the night 22 Studying sleep 24 Into the world of sleep 25 Sleeping cultures 30 Note 35 Bibliography 36 2 Sleeping time in early Chinese literature 39 Medical writing: sleep as a natural phenomenon 40 Political writing: sleep as a socially relevant phenomenon 43 Daoist writing: sleep as a counter-conception 53 Summary 55 Notes 56 Bibliography 58 3 Discourse of mid-day napping 61 Mid-day napping in China and the start of a discourse 62 The great discourse of mid-day napping 66 New turns in the continuous discourse 71 The Chinese discourse in the light of comparison 76 Bibliography 79 Books and articles 79 Newspapers and magazines 80 4 Negotiating sleep patterns in Japan 82 Nocturnal sleep in pre-modern Japan 84 Daytime sleep 89 Modernising sleep patterns 92 ‘The short-sleep method that makes you smart’ 97 Conclusion 100 Notes 101 Bibliography 102 5 Sleep without a home 105 Sleep and homelessness: ethnographic research 105 Research and methods 106 Sleeping rough, addiction and mental illness 109 Obstacles of the welfare state 112 Obstacles to shelter in practice: Richard, a case in point 114 The magnetic appeal of sleeping outside: social ties in the urban environment 117 Between fatigue and ‘half-sleep’ 120 Conclusion 124 Bibliography 125 6 Sleep and night-time combat in contemporary armed forces 127 A note on methodology 128 The night, technology and continuous operations 128 Sleep and night-time combat 129 Why not enough sleep? 131 ‘Sleep logistics’ 133 The Sleep Management Manual 133 The ‘Sleep Management System’ 134 Timetables, predictability and individual ‘differences’ 135 Bodies, minds and machines 137 Killing and the limits of the body 141 Conclusion 142 Acknowledgements 143 Bibliography 143 7 ‘The Mirk Shades O’Nicht’ 147 Edinburgh: duality and the shadow 148 Edinburgh: fact, fiction and the night 153 Glasgow: eradicating the shadow 157 Glasgow: night missions and urban explorers 161 Conclusion 165 Acknowledgements 166 Notes 166 Bibliography 167 8 Night-time and deviant behaviour 170 The changing night scene: nightspots 171 The mobile phone 173 Mobile youth 175 Mobile clubs 177 Karaoke box 178 Convenience stores 180 Changing attitudes 182 Individualism 183 Changing norms 186 Changing societal views of youth 188 Conclusion 189 Acknowledgements 189 Notes 189 Bibliography 189 Books and articles 189 Newspapers and magazines 191 9 Between day and night 193 Lighting 194 Schedules 195 Night and day 198 Nightlife 199 Bohemian nights 201 Evening raga 203 Kinds of cities; kinds of time 209 Conclusion: between day and night in Bombay 211 Bibliography 212 10 ‘What Time Do You Call This?’ 214 Towards a politics of the night 216 The nineteenth-century city night 218 The problems of pleasure 220 Nights in the present-day city 222 Control in the present-day city 223 Judges of normality 228 ‘Creatures of the night’ 229 Conclusion 232 Bibliography 236 Index 239 The phenomena of sleep and the concept of night-time are experiences that most people take for granted as a natural part of their daily lives. However, both ideas and practices concerning sleeping and night-time are constantly changing and widely differ between cultures and societies. Night-time and Sleep in Asia and the Westtraces the many different associations attached to the night as well as highlighting the diverse sleep patterns and attitudes towards sleep between cultures. Drawing on case studies from China, Japan, India and Europe the contributors address: * Notions of sleep and sleeping time in pre-Buddhist Chinese texts * The concept of the 'mid-day nap' * Historical developments of sleep patterns determined by socio-economic changes * The role of sleep in the life of the homeless and the military * The relationship between fear and sleep * Night-time behavior of the young in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries This book suggests that far from beingnatural phenomena, sleep and night-time are sites of political struggle between groups as distinct as religious leaders, school boards and political parties. The essays here provide an important resource for students of Asian and Cultural Studies and will also appeal to hte general reader interested in such a rarely studied everyday event Night-time And Sleep In Asia And The West Traces The Many Different Associations Attached To The Night As Well As Highlighting The Diverse Sleep Patterns And Attitudes Towards Sleep Between Cultures. This Book Suggests That Far From Being Natural Phenomena, Sleep And Night-time Are Sites Of Political Struggle Between Groups As Distinct As Religious Leaders, School Boards And Political Parties. The Essays Here Provide An Important Resource For Students Of Asia And Cultural Studies And Will Also Appeal To The General Reader Interested In Such A Rarely Studied Everyday Event.--jacket. Foreword / Josef Kreiner -- 1. Introduction: Into The Night And The World Of Sleep / Brigitte Steger And Lodewijk Brunt -- 2. Sleeping Time In Early Chinese Literature / Antje Richter -- 3. Discourse Of Mid-day Napping: A Political Windsock In Contemporary China / Li Yi. Edited By Brigitte Steger And Lodewijk Brunt. Papers Originally Presented At The Workshop, The Dark Side Of Life In Asia And The West: Night-time And The Time To Sleep, Which Was Held In Vienna In 2001. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.