"Argonauts of the Western Pacific" by Bronisław Malinowski (1922)
A foundational text in anthropology, by Bronisław Malinowski, who is widely regarded as one of the most influential anthropologists.
"Argonauts of the Western Pacific" is an ethnographic study of the Trobriand Islanders, who live in the Kiriwina Islands, part of the Trobriand Islands in Papua New Guinea. The book is particularly famous for its detailed account of the Kula Ring, an elaborate exchange system among the islands.
Before Malinowski, there were dominant assumptions in anthropology that “primitive” societies were inferior or less evolved. Through his empathetic and detailed accounts of societies he studied, Malinowski helped break these assumptions, showing the complexity and richness of non-Western cultures.
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