Population, Reproduction and Fertility in Melanesia

Published by Berghahn Books 2005

Population, Reproduction and Fertility in Melanesia

Edited by: Stanley Ulijaszek

Volume 8 in the series Fertility, Reproduction and Sexuality: Social and Cultural Perspectives

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780857455581

Overview
Contents

About this book

Human biological fertility was considered a important issue to anthropologists and colonial administrators in the first part of the 20th century, as a dramatic decline in population was observed in many regions. However, the total demise of Melanesian populations predicted by some never happened; on the contrary, a rapid population increase took place for the second part of the 20th century. This volume explores relationships between human fertility and reproduction, subsistence systems, the symbolic use of ideas of fertility and reproduction in linking landscape to individuals and populations, in Melanesian societies, past and present. It thus offers an important contribution to our understanding of the implications of social and economic change for reproduction and fertility in the broadest sense.

Author / Editor information

Stanley Ulijaszek is a Professor of Human Ecology at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford. He co-authored Nutritional Anthropology (1993) and wrote Human Energetics in Biological Anthropology (1995), and is editor of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Growth and Development (1998). He is co-editor of Homo. Journal of Human Comparative Biology and book review editor of the Journal of Biosocial Science.

Reviews

NOMINATED FOR THE 2007 BOOK PRIZE BY THE COUNCIL ON ANTHROPOLOGY AND REPRODUCTION (AAA)

“…provides a significant contribution to our knowledge of changes in fertility through its well-described historical and demographic sections, which in anthropological studies of reproduction are usually missing or lacking in depth… [The volume] successfully display[s] the richness of fertility concepts, practices and solutions in the Melanesian area and their relevance for unmasking some of the historical and contemporary myths on kinship demographic changes.” • Bijdragen. Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	v
List of Figures and Tables Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Contributors Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
Introduction: Population Change, Social Reproduction and Local Understandings of Fertility in Melanesia Stanley J. Ulijaszek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Fertility and the Depopulation of Melanesia: Childlessness, Abortion and Introduced Disease in Simbo and Ontong Java, Solomon Islands Tim Bayliss-Smith Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
2. The Impacts of Colonialism on Health and Fertility: Western New Britain 1884–1940 C. Gosden Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	53
3. Purari Population Decline and Resurgence across the Twentieth Century Stanley J. Ulijaszek Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	67
4. Migration and Fertility of a Small Island Population in Manus: a Long-term Analysis of its Sedentes and Migrants Yuji Ataka and Ryutaro Ohtsuka Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	90
5. Fertility and Social Reproduction in the Strickland-Bosavi 110 Region Monica Minnegal and Peter D. Dwyer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	110
6. ‘Emptiness’ and Complementarity in Suau Reproductive Strategies Melissa Demian Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	136
7. Cognitive Aspects of Fertility and Reproduction in Lak, New Ireland Sean Kingston Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8. History Embodied: Authenticating the Past in the New Guinea Highlands Michael O’Hanlon Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	182
9. Variations on a Theme: Fertility, Sexuality and Masculinity in Highland New Guinea Pascale Bonnemère Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
10. Fertility among the Anga of Papua New Guinea: a Conspicuous Absence Pierre Lemonnier Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	218
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	239

Language: English
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 256
Keywords: Medical Anthropology; Gender Studies and Sexuality

eBook

Published: December 1, 2005
ISBN: 9780857455581