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Book Cover
E-book
Author Hezel, Francis X

Title The new shape of old island cultures : a half century of social change in Micronesia / Francis X. Hezel
Published Honolulu : University of Hawaiʻi Press, ©2001

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Description 1 online resource (xi, 198 pages) : illustrations, map
Contents Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Family -- 2. Land -- 3. Gender Roles -- 4. Birth -- 5. Marriage -- 6. Death -- 7. Sexuality -- 8. Political Authority -- 9. Population and Migration -- Summing Up -- Notes -- References -- Index -- About the Author
Summary The years since World War II have brought unprecedented social change to Micronesia. Now, drawing on more than four decades of experience living and working in the region, Francis X. Hezel assesses the most striking changes to have swept over the islands in the past fifty years. His careful and comprehensive reading of Micronesian anthropology and history allows him to present insights into patterns of change touching the lives of not only Micronesians but people in other parts of the Pacific as well. The broad range of topics covered include family structure, land, gender roles, cultural treatment of life events (birth, marriage, death), sexuality, political authority, and demography and migration. Hezel argues that the primary engine of social change in Micronesia has been the dramatic shift from subsistence fishing and gardening to salaried employment in a cash economy. He makes the case that this fundamental change has fragmented the extended family, changed the way land is viewed, revolutionized gender roles, and paved the way for an ethics of individualism
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-192) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Social change -- Micronesia
SOCIAL SCIENCE -- General.
Manners and customs
Social change
Social conditions
Alltagskultur
Sozialer Wandel
Sociale verandering.
Changement social -- Micronésie.
SUBJECT Micronesia -- Social conditions
Micronesia -- Social life and customs
Subject Micronesia
Mikronesien
Micronésie -- Conditions sociales.
Micronésie -- Moeurs et coutumes.
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780824843762
0824843762