Tahitians: Mind and experience in the Society Islands

by Robert I. Levy

This seminal work in several fields—person-centered anthropology, comparative psychology, and social history—documents the inner life of the Tahitians with sensitivity and insight. At the same time Levy reveals the ways in which private and public worlds interact. Tahitians is an ethnography focused on private but culturally organized behavior resulting in a wealth of material for the understanding of the interaction among historical, cultural, and personal spheres.

"This is a unique addition to anthropological literature.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

547 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1973

Reviews

[Bob Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex, Self and Society in the South Seas

World War II had relatively little influence on the culture of Tahiti and the surrounding islands of French Polynesia, unlike its effect on much of Melanesia and Micronesia, further west and north. Rather, major changes began in the early 1960s, when France decided to conduct nuclear tests in the area. This decision, with massive transfers of money, technology, and personnel, had "an explosive effect" on Tahitian culture. Levy conducted the research for this book just as the new period was opening, from 1961 to 1964. Thus, we can say that no matter how good it is, TAHITIANS is now a historical document. Nevertheless it is an excellent psycho-portrait of a people at a certain point in history, a portrait that utilizes earlier histories and descriptions from the moment of European contact in 1767.

TAHITIANS is a work of psychological anthropology, one of the best I have ever seen. It is a work about Tahitian culture and personality formation that delves into a myriad aspects of life from childbirth, the widespread adoption common in all Polynesian societies, homosexuality, and leadership qualities to religion, moral behavior, and dreams. Language plays a big part in the description---over 200 Tahitian words are used, sometimes frequently, in order to describe relationships and feelings more exactly. Many fascinating insights on Tahitian culture in general can be gleaned from his numerous passages on language. Levy's writing is clear and simple throughout, though a few passages were a little too `field-specific' to psychology for a layman like myself. At over five hundred pages, the book is nothing if not comprehensive, but Levy did sacrifice analysis for the sake of presenting all his data. The analysis appears throughout, but sometimes does not have a clear direction. The author maintains a modest tone, often retiring from a discussion inconclusively. For example, he tackles older anthropological concerns about the difference between the `content' and `process' of thought which led previous generations of scholars to write of the "primitive mind". While his answers are good, and strictly stem from what he found in his own work, they do not answer those concerns. [Perhaps impossible, perhaps such a tack would be conducive to racist thinking in a racism-plagued world.] Another section on `guilt cultures' vs. `shame cultures' is also rather inconclusive. It might have been more useful to sidestep these old, oft-debated issues [now half a century or more out of date] to concentrate on his subjects, the villagers of Huahine island and the urban dwellers in a section of Papeete, the formerly sleepy capital of Tahiti. The lack of a strong summary is the weakest point about TAHITIANS; such an amazingly vivid description just fizzles out.

I have read another book in this field---"All the Mothers are One" by Stanley Kurtz--- about India. Kurtz' book is entirely based on analysis of other writers' theories and building some new ones. He did no field work himself. Levy's book, written entirely on extensive field work and interviews, is just the opposite, yet both are extremely useful works for students wishing to delve further into psychological studies of other cultures. Teachers looking for good books to use in courses touching on psychological anthropology or Pacific Studies have come to the right place. TAHITIANS is an overlooked classic that deserves to be read by a much wider audience than has been the case.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Levy's purpose was to describe "what it felt like" to be a traditional Tahitian and he achieves this somewhat. You get a feeling for childhood and adolescence, but much less for adulthood (particularly for men's work.) The traditional culture here is plainly dying, and his informants seem to realize it, but there is little discussion of this. The book was most interesting to me for its "psychological" approach to culture -- ways in which our basic socializing experiences are reflected in dreams, fears, religious beliefs.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most sensitive anthropological account of village life in Tahiti. Will take you to another world.