Cultures of the Pacific offers a selection of 28 readings representing anthropological research interests & cultural variation in the Pacific. The selections emphasize anthropological significance and relevance rather than substantive and geographical coverage.
The articles are divided into 6 topical areas of major importance:
Culture History
Technology & Economics
Social Life
Politics & Social Control
Religion
Culture Change
Among the selections included are "The Kon-Tiki Myth" by Robert C. Suggs, "The Primitive Economics of the Trobriand Islanders" by Bronislaw Malinowski, and "The Rights of Primitive Peoples" by Margaret Mead. Many of the selections, including 4 previously unpublished papers, have not been readily available to the reader. Editors' introductions to each section indicate the place of the individual contributions in Pacific studies in particular and in anthropology in general. Illustrations & tables complement the text.
Cultures of the Pacific is designed primarily for undergraduate & graduate courses in the anthropology of Pacific peoples & cultures. It will also find application in courses dealing with the cultural geography & history of the Pacific, as well as those concerned with the political science & economic development of the area.