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In the absence of the gift : new forms of value and personhood in a Papua New Guinea community
- Author / Creator
- Available as
- Online
- Summary
-
"By adopting ideas like 'development,' members of a Papua New Guinean community find themselves continuously negotiating what can be expected of a relative or a community member. Nearly half the pe...
"By adopting ideas like 'development,' members of a Papua New Guinean community find themselves continuously negotiating what can be expected of a relative or a community member. Nearly half the people born on the remote Mbuke Islands become teachers, businessmen, or bureaucrats in urban centers, while those who stay at home ask migrant relatives 'What about me?' This detailed ethnography sheds light on remittance motivations and documents how terms like 'community' can be useful in places otherwise permeated by kinship. As the state withdraws, Mbuke people explore what social ends might be reached through involvement with the cash economy"--Provided by publisher.
Details
- Creator
- by Anders Emil Rasmussen
- Format
- Books
- Language
- English
- Publication
-
- First edition
- New York ; Oxford : Berghahn Books, 2015
- Physical Details
-
- 1 online resource (210 p.)
- ISBNs
- 9781782387817, 1782387811, 178238782X, 9781782387824
- OCLC
- ocn925782493
- Description based upon print version of record.
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- English
- Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Figures and Tables -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1 The Historical Roots of a Singaut Economy -- 2 Visible While Away -- 3 The Power of Words -- 4 It’s Never Tomorrow -- 5 The Historical Roots of Community as a Level of Organization and as a Concept -- 6 To Benefit the Community -- 7 All Things Considered -- Conclusion -- References -- Index
Subjects
- Ethnology -- Papua New Guinea.
- Community life -- Papua New Guinea.
- Kinship -- Papua New Guinea.
- Social values -- Papua New Guinea.
- Identity (Psychology) -- Papua New Guinea.
- Individuality -- Papua New Guinea.
- Papua New Guinea -- Social life and customs.
- Papua New Guinea -- Ethnic relations.
- Papua New Guinea -- Emigration and immigration -- Social aspects.
- Papua New Guinea -- Economic conditions.