Description
Book SynopsisAll culture, particularly that of non-literate traditions, is constantly being recreated, and in the process also undergoes changes. In this book, Fredrik Barth examines the changes that have taken place in the secret cosmological lore transmitted in male initiation ceremonies among the Mountain Ok of Inner New Guinea, and offers a new way of explaining how cultural change occurs. Professor Barth focuses in particular on accounting for the local variations in cosmological traditions that exist among the Ok people, who otherwise share similar material and ecological conditions, and similar languages. Rejecting existing anthropological theory as inadequate for explaining this, Professor Barth constructs a new model of the mechanisms of change, based on his close empirical observation of the processes of cultural transmission. This model emphasises the role of individual creativity in cultural reproduction and change, and maintains that cosmologies can be adequately understood only if the
Trade Review"Barth provides significant theoretical insight into the nature of traditional and cultural variation. His focus on the mechanisms of communication and their effects on cultural symbols and the distribution of knowledge opens up a promising direction for future research." William H. McKellin, Pacific Affairs
Table of ContentsForeword Jack Goody; Map; 1. The problem; 2. An attempt at systematic comparison: descent and ideas of conception; 3. The possible interrelations of sub-traditions: reading sequence from distribution; 4. The context for events of change; 5. The results of process - variations in connotation; 6. Secret thoughts and understandings; 7. The stepwise articulation of a vision; 8. Experience and concept formation; 9. The insights pursued by Ok thinkers; 10. General and comparative perspectives; 11. Some reflections on theory and method; Bibliography; Index.
