Adolescence in Pacific Island Societies

by Stephen C. Leavitt, Gilbert Herdt (Editor)

How do adolescents in greatly divergent societies see and experience the world? As the first comparative study of adolescence, this book takes an anthropological approach to understanding adolescence in the rapidly changing area of the Pacific Islands. The contributors explore coming-of-age in the tradition of Margaret the biological basis of teenage rebellion, the role of the adolescent in Pacific Island cultures, and teenagers' influence as agents of change. The essays examine how biology, culture, and adolescence intersect, and how social change affects the adolescent experience. They address the rise of intersex interaction in traditionally segregated communities, the problems of cross-generational differences in education for maintaining traditional authority structures, and the structural effects of personal choice in contracting marriages. Aletta Biersack, University of Oregon; Victoria K. Burbank, University of Western Australia; James S. Chisholm, University of Western Australia; Eileen M. Cantrell; Alan Howard, University of Hawai'i; Maria Lepowsky, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Carol Worthman, Emory University; and the editors.

239 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 1998