Research Catalog

Title

Making sense of Micronesia : the logic of Pacific island culture / Francis X. Hezel, S.J.

Author

Hezel, Francis X.

Publication

Honolulu : University of Hawaiʻi Press, [2013]

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xii, 182 pages : illustrations, maps; 23 cm

Summary

This is a collection of essays based on the experiences of the author’s 40 years in Micronesia. Why are islanders so lavishly generous with food and material possessions but so guarded with information? Why do these people, unfailingly polite for the most part, laugh openly when others embarrass themselves? What does a smile mean to an islander? What might a sudden lapse into silence signify? Making Sense of Micronesia is intended for westerners who find themselves in contact with Micronesians - as teachers, social workers, health-care providers, or simply as friends - and are puzzled by their island ways. It is for anyone struggling to make sense of cultural exchanges they don’t quite understand. The author focuses on: the importance of the social map; the tension between the individual and social identity; the ways in which wealth and knowledge are used; the huge importance of respect; emotional expression and its restraints; island ways of handling both conflict and intimacy; and the real but indirect power of women.--From book jacket.

Uniform Title

Project Muse UPCC books

Subject

• Micronesia > Social life and customs
• Micronesia > Civilization

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

The personal touch -- Forging an identity -- The limits of the individual -- The place of wealth -- The uses of information -- Deciphering the unspoken -- Showing respect -- The matter of sex -- The real power of women -- Love and its expression -- Coping with conflict -- Handling uncertainty and loss.

ISBN

• 9780824836610 (cloth : alk. paper)
• 0824836618 (cloth : alk. paper)

LCCN

• ^^2012028879
• 40022208939

OCLC

• 802103163
• SCSB-12865882

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library