The Fame of Gawa: A Symbolic Study of Value Transformation in a Massim Society

by Nancy D. Munn

This new edition of the critically acclaimed The Fame of Gawa —originally published in 1986—makes available for the first time this important work in paperback. The Fame of Gawa is concerned with fundamental practices of value creation on Gawa, a small island off the southeast coast of mainland Papua New Guinea, the inhabitants of which participate in the long-distance kula shell exchange ring. Integrating various aspects of the study of society and culture--including the sociocultural construction of space and time, self-other relations and the body, and moral and political problems of hierarchy and equality—Nancy D. Munn shows that it is through achieving fame in the wider inter-island world that the Gawan community asserts its own internal viablity.

Genres: Anthropology

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 26, 1986

Reviews

[Martin Tremcinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I dare to say that this is economic anthropology at its finest! Exciting, inovating and enlightening. Munn's work is demanding at first (and it expects knowledge of the field of economic anthropology), but once you get into it is really rewarding.

[J]

On the topic of relationship of object and self
the more fluid relationship between material and human personhood than western society
a beautiful ethnography , explored the factual relationship that Malinowski that have not emphasized on in accounting the kula exchange in Trobriands.
The idea of spreading the personhood through the object exchange and spread the personhood or self into the landscape , participate in the exchange of object actually is the participation of part of self - Sarro Tutorial recommend

[Tot Rispekti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cryptic philosophical work using almost every philosophic tradition known to man in a very superficial way. Lots of strange neologisms. In addition experimental data poor.