Island Networks: Communication, Kinship, and Classification Structures in Oceania

Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences

by Per Hage, Frank Harary

Contrary to common perception and belief, most island societies of the Pacific were not isolated, but were connected to other island societies by relations of kinship and marriage, trade and tribute, language and history. Using network models from graph theory the authors analyze the formation of island empires, dialect groups, economic and political centers; the evolution and devolution of social stratification; and the development of kinship terminologies, marriage systems and descent groups.

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996