Bøger af Bronislaw Malinowski

Scientific Theory of Culture and Other Essays

When it was first published (in 1967, posthumously), Bronislaw Malinowski's diary, covering the period of his fieldwork in 1914-1915 and 1917-1918 in New Guinea and the Trobriand Islands, set off a storm of controversy.Many anthropologists felt that the publication of the diary-which Raymond Firth describes as "this revealing, egocentric, obsessional document"-was a profound disservice to the memory of one of the giant figures in the history of anthropology. Almost certainly never intended to be published, Malinowski's diary was intensely personal and brutally honest. He kept it, he said, "as a means of self-analysis." Reviews ranged from "it is to the discredit of all concerned that the diary has now been committed to print" to "fascinating reading."Twenty years have passed, and Raymond Firth suggests that the book has moved over to a more central place in the literature of anthropological reflection. In 1967, Clifford Geertz felt that the "gross, tiresome" diary revealed Malinowski as "a crabbed, self-preoccupied, hypochondriacal narcissist, whose fellow-feeling for the people he lived with was limited in the extreme." But in 1988, Geertz referred to the diary as a "backstage masterpiece of anthropology, our The Double Helix." Similarly in 1987, James Clifford called it "a crucial document for the history of anthropology."

The main question of our age is how we live our lives

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

The main question of our age is how we live our lives

Bronislaw Malinowski achieved international recognition as the founder of "functionalism" in social anthropology, based on his studies of Melanesian society on the Trobriand Islands off New Guinea. His Crime and Custom in Savage Society is now one of the classic works of modern anthropology. In his book, Malinowski describes and analyzes the ways in which Trobriand Islanders structure and maintain the social and economic order of their tribe. This is essential reading for anyone interested in anthropology.

While much has been written about the work of Malinowski, little is known about his personal life. These letters, available for the first time, offer an insight of the man - not just as teacher and scientist but as a husband, father and friend.

This volume presents the diary of one of the great anthropologists at a crucial time in his career. Malinowski's major works grew out of his findings on field trips to New Guinea and North Melanesia from 1914-1918. His journals cover a considerable part of that period of pioneer research.

This volume is a reassessment of Malinowski's work by a group of his former pupils and colleagues. A frank evaluation, not a eulogy, it examines the real and lasting importance of Malinowski's contribution to a range of subjects.

The concluding part of "Coral Gardens and Their Magic" provides a linguistic commentary to the ethnography on agriculture. Malinowski gives a full description of the language of the Trobrianders as an aspect of culture.

This volume discusses aspects of small scale societies, including the study of the mental processes, as well as indigenous economics and law.

Presents both a summing up and a reformulation of Malinowski's functional theory of culture.

In Sex and Repression in Savage Society Malinowski applies his experiences on the Trobriand Islands to the study of sexuality, and the attendant issues of eroticism, obscenity, incest, oppression, power and parenthood.

While much has been written about the work of Malinowski, little is known about his personal life. These letters, available for the first time, offer an insight of the man not just as teacher and scientist but as a husband, father and friend.