Hawaiki, Ancestral Polynesia: An Essay in Historical Anthropology - Softcover

Kirch, Patrick Vinton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 052178879X ISBN 13: 9780521788793

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2001

Synopsis

The power of an anthropological approach to long-term history lies in its unique ability to combine diverse evidence, from archaeological artifacts to ethnographic texts and comparative word lists. In this innovative book, Kirch and Green explicitly develop the theoretical underpinnings, as well as the particular methods, for such a historical anthropology. Drawing upon and integrating the approaches of archaeology, comparative ethnography, and historical linguistics, they advance a phylogenetic model for cultural diversification, and apply a triangulation method for historical reconstruction. They illustrate their approach through meticulous application to the history of the Polynesian cultures, and for the first time reconstruct in extensive detail the Ancestral Polynesian culture that flourished in the Polynesian homeland - Hawaiki - some 2,500 years ago. Of great significance for Oceanic studies, Kirch and Green's book will be essential reading for any anthropologist, prehistorian, linguist, or cultural historian concerned with the theory and method of long-term history.

About this title

Product Description

An anthropological approach to long-term history through detailed reconstruction of the Ancestral Polynesian culture, Hawaiki.

Review

"In all, this is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the origins of Polynesian societies. It is also an example of good, solid, culture history methodology at its best, with a nice admixture of ecology and theoretical issues." Journal Canadien D'Archéologie

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 052178879X
• ISBN 13: 9780521788793
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 394