Development has too often failed to deliver on its promises to poor nations. The policies imposed from above by international agencies and state bodies have frequently not met the needs and aspirations of ordinary people. Development agencies have been searching for sometime for alternative approaches. One of those being pioneered is indigenous knowledge, which aims to make local voices heard more effectively. However while it is increasingly acknowledged in development contexts, it is yet to be validated and accepted by anthropologists. It is self-evident to any anthropologist that effective...

Looking at issues of zoological classification, hunting of wild animals and management of domesticated ones, notably pigs, this book asks how natural parameters affect people's livelihood strategies and their relations with animals and the wider environment. To Western eyes, the farming and foraging practices of the Wola New Guinea highlanders seem counter-productive. Attitudes to hunting are puzzling in their tolerance of low returns, while zoological taxonomies appear fractious and slippery. Closer inspection of Wola practices, however, enables a greater understanding of their underlying...

This book offers a clear and absorbing account of social change in Melanesia since the arrival of Europeans, covering the colonial period and the history of the new postcolonial states. It discusses economic and technological change, urbanization, the development of the modern state--and the often violent reactions to these dramatic transformations. The book also considers the dilemmas of development that threaten the environment.

This book offers a clear and absorbing account of social change in Melanesia since the arrival of Europeans, covering the colonial period and the history of the new postcolonial states. It discusses economic and technological change, urbanization, the development of the modern state--and the often violent reactions to these dramatic transformations. The book also considers the dilemmas of development that threaten the environment.

Managing Animals in New Guinea analyzes the place of animals in the lives of New Guinea Highlanders. Looking at issues of zoological classification, hunting of wild animals and management of domesticated ones, notably pigs, it asks how natural parameters affect people's livelihood strategies and their relations with animals and the wider environment.