These nine papers present research done on very different subjects but all related to social inequalities. In Japan, the three papers look at: the social status of doctors in the 17th to 19th-century Edo period; the inherited power of curses in a northern village; and "sports books" and their influence in the exalting power of individual effort. The papers on East Asia include a consideration of: lineage influence in an area of the Pearl River delta; of social prestige continuation by membership of associations in a rural area of Korea. In Southeast Asia, the subjects explored are: the stratification of members of women's community activities in a suburban kampong in Jakarta; also in security efforts in Bali; and in the informal porterage occupation in Hanoi. Bibliography and index.