Cultural Alternatives and a Feminist Anthropology

An Analysis of Culturally Constructed Gender Interests in Papua New Guinea
Erscheinungsjahr 1989
ISBN: 978-0-521-37591-7
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 198 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 298 g

The Chambri of Papua New Guinea are well known as being the 'Tchambuli' of Margaret Mead's influential work, Sex and Temperament, in which she described them as a people among whom, in contrast to Western society, women dominated over men. In this book, however, Frederick Errington and Deborah Gewertz re-analyse Mead's data, and present original material of their own, to reveal that Mead misinterpreted the Chambri situation, and that in fact Chambri women neither dominate Chambri men, nor vice versa. They use this reformulated interpretation to discuss the relevance of the Chambri case for the understanding of gender relations in Western society today, showing that male dominance is not inevitable. At the same time, they also use their knowledge of cultural alternatives to clarify Western feminist objectives.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Errington, Frederick K.

Errington, Frederick

Gewertz, Deborah B.

Gewertz, Deborah

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Sozialpsychologie Kulturpsychologie, Ethnopsychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Materielle Kultur, Wirtschaftsethnologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Religionsethnologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Umwelt und Kultur, Kulturökologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Politische Ethnologie, Recht, Organisation, Identität
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziale Gruppen/Soziale Themen Gender Studies, Geschlechtersoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Part I. Cultural Premises: 1. Entropy and the nature of indebtedness; 2. Names and personal identity; 3. The enactment of power; 4. The construction of society; Part II. Social Action: 5. Politics and the relationship between husbands and wives; 6. The mutual dependence of brothers and sisters; 7. Marriage and the confluence of interests; 8. The monetization of social relationships; Conclusion: the significance of cultural alternatives; Notes; References; Index.