The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea

by Annette B. Weiner

This re-examination of the Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea, the people described in Malinowski's classic ethnographic work of the early 20th century, provides a balanced view of the society from a male and female perspective, including coverage of new discoveries about the importance of woman's work and wealth in the society.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, School, History, Asia, Social Science, Textbooks

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 1988

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanna be a Trobriander.

[Jeffrey Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book enough to remember it from college. And I learned so much from it that I was able to lecture my father on the Trobrianders during a long road trip to Arkansas to go fishing.

[Sovatha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easier to read than Malinowski's Argonauts of the Western Pacific and challenged a lot of Malinowski's original findings.

[Sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading for my anthropology course. I really thought this book was interesting because it explored all areas of the Trobriand culture and way of life. I learned a lot about this society!

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic look at how Trobrianders create and sustain individual and collective identities in the face of sorcery, old age, and death. It's interesting to look at people who order their society on the basis of something other than money.

[Be Storie · Rating 5 out of 5]

yams

[Alivia Hartz]

Read for my Cultural Anthropology class!

[Regina Andreassen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am an anthropologist and a sociologist, and I read this book right in the beginning of my degree. I enjoyed it. I thought that although the writing was simple, the book was quite revealing, concise, and assertive.

Now I am doing my PhD and after reading it again my attitude towards it has changed a bit. I still think The Trobrianders of Papua New Guinea is a good ethnography but I also think that is incomplete for there are issues that need further elaboration; for example, Weiner should have given more attention to Kula because that is a crucial aspect of Trobriander Society. At the same time, I believe the way in which the ethnography was written was not particularly inspiring. It is good, however, it lacks passion. At least that is my perception.

Overall, it is a interesting book, easy to read, informative, and engaging. I recommed it to those who are just starting reading ethnographies....

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book! It gave a good, holistic perspective of the Trobriander tribes. I had to read it for my Anthropology class, and it was a good documentary of the people. I only wish it had been a little more spirited in sections, as it read more like a textbook than a woman's experience with a society. But on the whole, a good book.

[Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta es otra etnografía que usamos para nuestros alumnos de secundario. Si bien tiene sus complicaciones, es interesante para trabajar prestigio, poder, género, reciprocidad y para entender cómo un punto de vista diferente puede cambiar los datos que uno prioriza en un grupo social ya investigado por otro antropólogo.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband had to read this book for a class he was taking, and it was laying around so I thought why not. Turns out it was quite interesting. It is amazing how different our cultures really are. Pretty cool book to get you started thinking about life out there other than our own.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in my anthropology course in college. Remember it vividly. It’s all about them YAMS!

[Lavender]

textbook for anthropology/culture and society