This book contains the work of seven leading anthropologists on the subject of ritualized homosexuality, and it marks the first time that anthropologists have systematically studied cross-cultural variations in homosexual behavior in a non-Western culture area. The book as a whole indicates that contemporary theories of sex and gender development need revision in light of the Melanesian findings.
Asmat Art features the world renowned woodcarvings of the Asmat, former head-hunters who live in the western half of New Guinea This book presents a full range of Asmat woodcarving art, but emphasizes the rare early shields and figure sculptures. Drums, canoe prowheads and the larger, more dramatic "objects" are also shown. Together with bisj poles, war shields are perhaps the most famous creation of Asmat artists, and these were carved throughout the region. It is in the design and construction of the shields that the variations in style region can most clearly be seen. Figure sculptures, of varying styles, are also well represented here, and a limited number of the huge ceremonial carvings, such as bisj poles and basu suangkus, have also been included. The cultural context in which these items play their part is described in detail in the introductory chapters. But it is not the intention of this book to be an ethnography. The focus is on the art pieces themselves.
The communities of south coast New Guinea were the subject of classic ethnographies, and fresh studies in recent decades have put these rich and complex cultures at the centre of anthropological debates. Flamboyant sexual practices, such as ritual homosexuality, have attracted particular interest. In the first general book on the region, Dr Knauft reaches striking new comparative conclusions through a careful ethnographic analysis of sexuality, the status of women, ritual and cosmology, political economy, and violence among the region's seven major language-culture areas. The findings suggest new Melanesian regional contrasts and provide for a general critique of the way regional comparisons are constructed in anthropology. Theories of practice and political economy as well as post-modern insights are drawn upon to provide a generative theory of indigenous social and symbolic development.
Ethnographic Artifacts: Challenges to a Reflexive Anthropology examines anthropological practice and product, confronting issues of representation and the power of discourse in the lives and practice of both those doing research and of those being researched. Using eight case studies by ethnographers who share extensive research experience in the Pacific, the volume outlines "the trouble with ethnography" so representative of the end of this century, where ethnography itself is perceived as a codification of contested relations. Ethnographic Artifacts takes a unique approach to the social life of ethnography. The editors identify three domains in which ethnographic artifacts are given meaning: as text, as object, and as a historically contrived representation of the community in the public sphere. By allowing that analysis of the life of ethnography is important in all three of these domains, appreciation moves beyond narrow rhetorical and textual concerns. The volume provides a multi-faceted means for the reflexive understanding of the production, distribution, and reception of ethnography. Its goal is not mere documentation but rather the assessment of the ethical dimensions of the discipline's practice in a globalizing world. By melding ethical concerns with reflection on the text and the object itself, Ethnographic Artifacts adds dimension to the now well-established reflexive literature. Contributors: Niko Besnier, Jonathan Friedman, Michael Goldsmith, Sjoerd R. Jaarsma, Grant McCall, Mary N. MacDonald, Judith Macdonald, Toon van Meijl, Marta A. Rohatynskyj.
The series Ethiopic Manuscripts, Texts, and Studies offers, in the first place, catalogues of the Ethiopic Manuscript Imaging Project, whose purpose it is to digitize and catalogue collections of Ethiopic manuscripts in North America and around the world. Beyond this, though, the series offers a venue for monographs, revised dissertations, and texts that explore the rich historical, literary, and artistic traditions of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. From the Series Foreword
"Papua blood" is a documentary eyewitness account taking the reader through the western part of the island of New Guinea. Over an interval spanning three decades the author and photographer Peter Bang descibes his experiences among the indigenous people of West Papua who are threadened by a continuing history of genocide and extinction. "... Exelent written ... from a culture that one day will be gone. The author enlightens and entertains while delivering a deeply engaged statement for West Papua ́s independence ..." - Jorgen Bjerre / journalist, former Chief Editor. Note: This edition in 128 pages is updated with a few black & white photos on the basis of the photographic edition of the book "PAPUA BLOOD - A Photographer ́s Eyewitness Account of West Papua Over 30 Years" by Peter Bang (248 pages, 200 color photos) / published by Remote Frontlines.
This book investigates the performance of economic development under different forms of government, ranging from autocratic states to liberal democracies. Starting with a critical review of the literature on social and economic development, including the works of Frank Knight, Max Weber, Joseph Schumpeter and Peter Drucker, it offers a historical analysis of the expansion of markets, cities and trade in medieval Europe, and the monopolization of trade by the emerging European nation states. The book also presents a case study on the rise and decline of the Dutch Republic, discusses topics such as the disadvantages of the central direction of economic organizations, and federal decentralization as a model for promoting growth and investment, and illustrates how successful companies like Semco and Google are building on centuries-old management principles.
"No area of the world has been viewed by Americans with greater moral disapproval and yet less attention than southern Africa," writes Anthony Lake in the introduction to The "Tar Baby" Option. Feeling that there is much to be learned from an examination of the American response to the Rhodesian problem, he offers a detailed account of America's Southern Rhodesia policy since the Smith government's unilateral declaration of independence from Great Britain in 1965. The book provides information essential to an understanding of the American approach to the current crisis in the region. The author's use of previously undisclosed materials and interviews with U.S. foreign policymakers gives the reader an inside look not only at the Rhodesian question but also at the politics of American foreign policy.
