The unravelling of an anthropological puzzle concerning a Polynesian island's social organization clarifies the strength and limitations of the anthropological approach to constructing knowledge.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...one of the most original and thought-provoking ethnographies I have read in some time..." J. Howe in Pacific Studies
"...recommend the book highly as a good anthropological read; the writing is lucid and stylish, and the contents rich and original." Man
"...one of the finest [discussions] in the literature on the relationship between social context and acquisition of knowledge...It raises significant questions about the uses and meaning of the past both to Pukapukans and to ethnographers. There is much to learn from here." Journal of American Folklore
"This ethnographic contribution has a brevity, simplicity, and charm that mask the sophistication, the scholarship, the masterly handling of highly complex material, and the sheer hard work that went into its preparation and writing." Ben Finney, The Contemporary Pacific
"Scholard with special interests in traditional cultures, Polynesian life in particular, will find this a most useful text." Elaine Bradtke in Come-All-Ye
"...recommend the book highly as a good anthropological read; the writing is lucid and stylish, and the contents rich and original." Man
"...one of the finest [discussions] in the literature on the relationship between social context and acquisition of knowledge...It raises significant questions about the uses and meaning of the past both to Pukapukans and to ethnographers. There is much to learn from here." Journal of American Folklore
"This ethnographic contribution has a brevity, simplicity, and charm that mask the sophistication, the scholarship, the masterly handling of highly complex material, and the sheer hard work that went into its preparation and writing." Ben Finney, The Contemporary Pacific
"Scholard with special interests in traditional cultures, Polynesian life in particular, will find this a most useful text." Elaine Bradtke in Come-All-Ye
Book Description
The unravelling of an anthropological puzzle concerning a Polynesian island's social organization clarifies the strength and limitations of the anthropological approach to constructing knowledge.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Borofsky's exquisite insight to Pukapukan life,
By Regina Adams (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Making History: Pukapukan and Anthropological Constructions of Knowledge (Paperback)
In Robert Borofsky's, Making History, there is a fresh look into the lives of pacific islanders. Borofsky exquisitely shows us the pride the Pukapukans take in knowledge of their ways. Pukapukans have specific ways for attaining knowledge as well as for letting you know when your view of that knowledge is wrong. Robert Borofsky has opened a door to an aspect of pacific life that most anthropologists have a tendency of overlooking. While in the process of sharing the ways of Pukapukans, Borofsky raises the question as to, who has the right to speak for whom? Do Anthropologists have the right to go to another country and critique the lifestyle of the people? In this book, Robert Borofsky doesn't answer that question, but, what he does do is give us an unbiased, un-opinionated view of the culture on this island and leaves it up to you to decide the answer to the question. Pukapukans have their own way of doing things and Borofsky portrays their lifestyle clearly and effectively without swaying the reader's opinion to match his. It is an excellent piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to think.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Borofsky's exquiste insight to Pukapukan life,
By Regina Adams (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Making History: Pukapukan and Anthropological Constructions of Knowledge (Paperback)
In Robert Borofsky's, Making History, there is a fresh look into the lives of pacific islanders. Borofsky exquisitely shows us the pride the Pukapukans take in knowledge of their ways. Pukapukans have specific ways for attaining knowledge as well as for letting you know when your view of that knowledge is wrong. Robert Borofsky has opened a door to an aspect of pacific life that most anthropologists have a tendency of overlooking. While in the process of sharing the ways of Pukapukans, Borofsky raises the question as to, who has the right to speak for whom? Do Anthropologists have the right to go to another country and critique the lifestyle of the people? In this book, Robert Borofsky doesn't answer that question, but, what he does do is give us an unbiased, un-opinionated view of the culture on this island and leaves it up to you to decide the answer to the question. Pukapukans have their own way of doing things and Borofsky portrays their lifestyle clearly and effectively without swaying the reader's opinion to match his. It is an excellent piece of work and I would recommend it to anyone who likes to think.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In February 1976 the 'Council of Important People' on Pukapuka, a small Polynesian atoll in the South Pacific, revived what it believed to be a traditional form of social organization. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
naa mea, taro swamps, patrilineal groupings, matrilineal units, village membership, apical ancestor, patrilineal organization, traditional social organization, village reserves, cognatic descent groups, lineage membership, matrilineal organization, status rivalry, patrilineal bias, status rivalries, salvage anthropology, anthropological ways, egalitarian orientation, other atolls, traditional matters, double descent, social alignments, unpublished field notes, island council, knowledgeable informants Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Important People, Motu Uta, Tawa Lalo, Tawa Ngake, Bishop Museum, Ernest Beaglehole, Kau Wowolo, Motu Kotawa, New Zealand, Wua Lulu, Ethnology of Pukapuka, Department of Health, Inactive Personnel Files, London Missionary Society, Theory of Anthropology New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In February 1976 the 'Council of Important People' on Pukapuka, a small Polynesian atoll in the South Pacific, revived what it believed to be a traditional form of social organization. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
naa mea, taro swamps, patrilineal groupings, matrilineal units, village membership, apical ancestor, patrilineal organization, traditional social organization, village reserves, cognatic descent groups, lineage membership, matrilineal organization, status rivalry, patrilineal bias, status rivalries, salvage anthropology, anthropological ways, egalitarian orientation, other atolls, traditional matters, double descent, social alignments, unpublished field notes, island council, knowledgeable informants Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Important People, Motu Uta, Tawa Lalo, Tawa Ngake, Bishop Museum, Ernest Beaglehole, Kau Wowolo, Motu Kotawa, New Zealand, Wua Lulu, Ethnology of Pukapuka, Department of Health, Inactive Personnel Files, London Missionary Society, Theory of Anthropology New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
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19
books
cite this book:
See all 19 books citing this book
- Developments in Polynesian Ethnology by Alan Howard in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- Meaning in Anthropology by Keith H. Basso in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Observers Observed: Essays on Ethnographic Fieldwork (History of Anthropology) by George W. Stocking Jr. in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Ancient Polynesian society by Irving Goldman in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Cultural Models in Language and Thought by Dorothy Holland in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 100 books this book cites
- The Heritage Crusade and the Spoils of History by David Lowenthal in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Ceremonial Animal: A New Portrait of Anthropology by Wendy James in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Archaeologies of the Greek Past: Landscape, Monuments, and Memories (W.B. Stanford Memorial Lectures) by Susan E. Alcock in Back Matter
- A Forest of Time: American Indian Ways of History by Peter Nabokov in Front Matter
- Time, Culture and Identity: An Interpretative Archaeology (Material Cultures) by Julian Thomas in Back Matter
See all 19 books citing this book
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