Mallinowski essentials of the kula reading PDF

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notes on Malinowski's reading "essentials of the Kula" - detailed, useful for writing a report...

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Malinowski: Essentials of the Kula Should social anthropology be a science in search of laws, or an art in search of patterns/ interpretation? Compare Radcliffe- Brown’s structural functionalism with Malinowski structural functionalism How would you describe Malinowski’s functionalism Cricisms of the theoretical approach TRYING TO OBTAIN A CLEAR AND VIVID IDEA OF WHAT THE KULA VALUABLES ARE TO THE NATIVES Kula- form of exchange/ trade, carried on by communities within small tribal communities TWO PRINCIPLE OBJECTS OF EXCHANGE Long necklaces of a red shell- Soulava Opposite direction- white shell bracelets- mwali Every movement of the kula is fixed, set of traditional rules/ ritual ceremonieshappens periodically not on the spur of the moment Arm shells (mwali) are obtained by breaking off the top and the narrow end of a big, cone shaped shell and then polishing the remaining ring.

The Kula ring- a cyclical exchange among powerful men in the Kulan islands, a shell. “An extremely big and complex institution, both in its geographical extent and in the manifoldness of its component pursuits”. Items should be reciprocated by an item of equiv. value but bargaining is not acceptable. Those that engage in exchange have one or more trading partners, once has formed, lasts for life. Elite level, men carve elaborate canoes, highly valuable gifts- no one can keep them as they must be passed on. Every man in the Kula, receives one mwali and one soulava and then has to hand it to their partners “Partnership between two men is a permanent and lifelong affair” Kula- complex—“welds together a considerable number of tribes and it embraces a vast complex of activities, interconnected and playing one another, forms one organic whole”. Research done in ethnographic fieldwork- qualitative data and generalised inferences

General definition of the Kula will serve as a diagram in further detailed descriptions Kula is concerned with the exchange of wealth and utilities which means it is an economic institution

Why are these objects valued so much? What purpose do they serve? Similar to the Kula- crown jewels—how many different kings and queens wore them; some had been taken to London from Scotland (Edinburgh castle) Many ceremonial objects are nothing but overgrown objects of use- others are used on festive occasions but play no part in ceremonies, serve as decoration only‘objects of parade’ A number of the articles act as instruments of a magical or religious rite‘ceremonials’ Kula valuables are ceremonial objects Kula- special economic relationship- never keep the article for no longer than a year or two Kula is a ceremonial gift which has to be repaid by an equivalent gift WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? “VAST, INTER- TRIBAL NET OF RELATIONSHIPS”- Mallinowsi 1922:92) at a local level, works to create power relationships prevents conflict allows other forms of exchange Sociology of the exchange- Kula transactions can be done between partners Commoner within the trobriand islands and within the Kula exchange would only have a few partners so less wealth as less arm shells whereas a chief would have many partners, more wealthier within the economic institution. How would you describe Malinowski’s functionalism The fact that Kula serves a purpose means it has a function and therefore functions society As a functionalist rejects ideas that you have to do in depth research and instead likes to view society as an ‘organic whole’. Criticisms: - Reductionist (functionalist (Malinowski) would say that the family for example is needed for feeding the family whereas a structural functionalist would say there is more meaning- so Malinowski views the kula as the function would be for an economic exchange). - Lacking structure

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Concept of culture remains vague...