The Vezo are fishing people of western Madagascar. The identity of the Vezo is not fixed by descent; rather, it is established by what they do. They are people of the sea, distinguished from the farmers around them by their economic specialism. Ethnicity is usually thought to be a consequence of inborn qualities acquired by descent, and Astuti explores the consequences of ascribing ethnic identity with reference to economic activity. Her analysis reveals that only in the cult of the dead does descent become critical, and her argument in this innovative analysis of Vezo kinship is that the people distinguish two models of the person: one determined by the past, and the other defined contextually, in the present.
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Editorial Reviews
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"The book should be read by anyone interested in theories of ethnicity or identity. Enormously suggestive for Malagasy studies, the relevance of Astuti's arguments concerning kinship, descent, and death extend far beyond Madagascar" American Anthropologist
"The book provides an unusual combination of cool analysis with warm description." Michael Lambek, American Anthropologist
"This ethnography illuminates issues of identity which are otherwise lacking in the scholarly literature; the work, therefore, represents an important insight into the ways in which people perceive themselves. Organization is logical and discussion is thorough...Ease of reading and lucidity of discussion as well as the fascinating subject matter make this ethnography perfect for use in an undergraduate course." Religious Studies Review
"The book provides an unusual combination of cool analysis with warm description." Michael Lambek, American Anthropologist
"This ethnography illuminates issues of identity which are otherwise lacking in the scholarly literature; the work, therefore, represents an important insight into the ways in which people perceive themselves. Organization is logical and discussion is thorough...Ease of reading and lucidity of discussion as well as the fascinating subject matter make this ethnography perfect for use in an undergraduate course." Religious Studies Review
Book Description
The Vezo are fishing people of western Madagascar. The identity of the Vezo is not fixed by descent; rather it is established by what they do. Ethnicity is usually thought to be a consequence of inborn qualities acquired by descent, and Dr Astuti explores the consequences of ascribing ethnic identity with reference to economic activity. Her argument in this innovative analysis of Vezo kinship is that the people distinguish two models of the person: one determined by the past, and the other defined contextually, in the present.
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Inside This Book
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This is the study of two different forms of identity, one which is achieved through activities performed in the present, the other which is given as an essence inherited from the past; one which is of a recognizable Austronesian character, for it is transformative, non--primordialist and non-essentialist, the other which bears instead a clear African imprint, for it is rooted in, and determined by, the unchangeable order of descent. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
eight raza, first soro, second soro, one raza, struggle with the sea, cross ritual, final wake, uxorilocal marriage, separating life, one tomb New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
This is the study of two different forms of identity, one which is achieved through activities performed in the present, the other which is given as an essence inherited from the past; one which is of a recognizable Austronesian character, for it is transformative, non--primordialist and non-essentialist, the other which bears instead a clear African imprint, for it is rooted in, and determined by, the unchangeable order of descent. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
eight raza, first soro, second soro, one raza, struggle with the sea, cross ritual, final wake, uxorilocal marriage, separating life, one tomb New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
10
books
cite this book:
See all 10 books citing this book
- Bodies and Persons: Comparative Perspectives from Africa and Melanesia by Michael Lambek in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- After Kinship (New Departures in Anthropology) by Janet Carsten in Back Matter
- Cultures of Relatedness: New Approaches to the Study of Kinship by Janet Carsten in Back Matter
- The Roads of Chinese Childhood: Learning and Identification in Angang (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology) by Charles Stafford in Back Matter
- Lilies Of The Field: Marginal People Who Live For The Moment (Studies in the Ethnographic Imagination) by Sophie Day in Back Matter
See all 10 books citing this book
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