Argonauts of the Western Pacific [Paperback]

Bronislaw Malinowski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1984 | ISBN-10: 0881330841 | ISBN-13: 978-0881330847

The founding document of economic anthropology! Bronislaw Malinowski, one of the all-time great anthropologists of the world, had a talent for bringing together in single comprehension the warm reality of human living with the cool abstractions of science. His pages have become an almost indispensable link between the knowing of exotic and remote people with theoretical knowledge about humankind. This volume--originally published in 1922--can be considered the founding document of economic anthropology, and remains the best one to read. It emphasizes the great significance of primitive economics by singling out the notable exchange system of the Trobriand Islands for special consideration. Although the main theme is economic, constant reference is made in this milestone of anthropological research and interpretation to social organization, life and meaning, the power of magic, and to mythology and folklore.

Editorial Reviews

Review

`Not only ethnographers and economists will delight in this book. The author's infinitely careful scientific method makes the material he has collected so completely trustworthy ... we commend it to all.' - The Spectator --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Titles of related interest from Waveland Press: Bohannan-van der Elst, Asking and Listening: Ethnography as Personal Adaptation (ISBN 9780881339871); Malinowski, Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays (ISBN 9780881336573); and Pomponio, Seagulls Don't Fly Into the Bush: Cultural Identity and Development in Melanesia (ISBN 9781577661542).

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Waveland Pr Inc (March 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881330841
• ISBN-13: 978-0881330847
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,388 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > History > Australia & Oceania > Papua New Guinea

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic, January 6, 2002

By 

W. Wedenoja (Springfield, MO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Argonauts of the Western Pacific (Paperback)

This is a real classic in the history of anthropology, published in 1922, and unlike another classic from the same decade, Coming of Age in Samoa, it has worn well, too. This is where modern ethnography begins. Malinowski tells us how to do ethnography, in no uncertain terms, as he explains Trobriand kula expeditions. I found it to be a delightful read and I was continually amazed at the intellectual sophistication of his work, given its age. I believe I learned more about ethnography from this book than from any other I have ever read, and I have been a professional anthropologist for 30 years. It is, I must warn you, a long book, and I doubt that many will be willing to read it from stem to stern, but I think every anthropologist should study the introduction at least. It is perhaps the "sacred charter" for the ethnographic project, complete with felicitous phrases such as the "ethnographer's magic," "the imponderabilia of actual life," "the native's point of view," and "the hold life has." In addition, it is certainly essential reading for anyone interested in magic, because it is as much about magic as it is about kula exchange.

I assigned this book to a junior-level college class in ethnography, but they weren't as pleased with it as I was. Many of the students understood the importance of the book, but most also found it tedious, dull, repetitive, hard to follow, and definitely too long.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential work in this history of anthropology, January 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Argonauts of the Western Pacific (Paperback)

Don't be misled by the occasional discouraged student, this is an important work that must be read by someone seeking to understand the nature and history of the social sciences.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Kindle Edition price, August 14, 2011

By 

Lisini - See all my reviews

This review is from: Argonauts of the Western Pacific (Kindle Edition)

I really can't see why the digital edition must cost way more than the paperback!

Not to mention the rental option.

It is a counter trend, since all kindle editions are usually less expensive than the paper ones.

I already have the book, and buying an e-book would have saved me miles and miles from going back home and get it to read it before a university deadline. A plane ticket would cost me less than buying the 80$ edition!

Ridiculous.

Not to mention the fact that "Argonauts of the Western Pacific" is not Sir James Frazer's, it's Bronislaw Malinowski's.

And obviously the few stars ARE FOR THE PRODUCT and its display, not for Malinowski's masterpiece (FIVE STARS)