What have anthropologists taught us about Melanesia one of anthropologysmost important and intensively studied world regions? In this book ProfessorBruce Knauf... » 

What have anthropologists taught us about Melanesia one of anthropologysmost important and intensively studied world regions? In this book ProfessorBruce Knauft draws together and critically reanalyzes what we know about majorfeatures of Melanesian cultural history warfare and politics gender bodilypractices and spirituality as discerned from more than a century of academicstudy.From Primitive to Postcolonial in Melanesia and Anthropology is arguably themost comprehensive single reassessment of Melanesia as an ethnographic worldarea to have been published in several decades. Written for students as well asprofessional scholars this work further broadens our understanding byanalyzing the history of Melanesian ethnography and relating this history tothe larger relationship between Melanesia as a contemporary world area andanthropology as a field of contemporary human study. «