The fact that the Akha peoples live along the Burmese border in both China and Thailand allowed Sturgeon (geography, Simon Fraser U.) an opportunity for a comparative study of how border dynamics and cross-border relationships have shaped Akha access to resources and land use. She interrogates the impact of state policies for ethnic minorities, forests, and land use on the already plastic land management practices of the Akha. She also considers the influence of proximity to Burma on local power relations and how Akha land use practices mediate political relations at various scales and across the border. This is a paperback reprint of the 2005 hard cover edition. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)