Crime and Custom in Savage Society

By Bronisław Malinowski

Book Overview

"Crime and Custom in Savage Society" is a foundational work in legal anthropology that explores the complex systems of law, order, and social obligation within the Trobriand Islands of Melanesia. Written by the pioneering ethnographer Bronislaw Malinowski, this study challenges the then-prevailing notion that indigenous societies lived in a state of either lawless anarchy or blind adherence to custom. Instead, Malinowski demonstrates how social cohesion is maintained through a sophisticated network of reciprocal obligations, economic ties, and religious beliefs.

The work provides a detailed examination of how civil law functions in a society without formal courts or written statutes. By analyzing the daily lives, rituals, and conflicts of the Trobriand people, the author reveals the psychological and social forces that compel individuals to follow traditional rules. "Crime and Custom in Savage Society" remains a vital text for students of sociology and anthropology, offering profound insights into the universal nature of human justice and the structural foundations of community life. It is an essential read for anyone interested in the origins of legal systems and the mechanisms of social control across different cultures.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025578007
• ISBN13: 9781025578002
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

How does "law" work among the natives in Papua New Guinea?

This is a clever book. I am not a professional anthropologist, but I have still profited from reading it. A good piece of science with good observations and intelligent conclusions ages well. Written in the 1920s and based on observations Malinowski has made during WW I in Papua New Guinea, "Crime and Custom in Savage Society" deals with "law" in traditional society. Malinowski is fighting the view that prevailed among anthropologists at that time, which was that people in traditional societies follow the clan rules in a quasi instinctive manner, unable to diverge from the rules. He disagrees and makes his point on the basis of a number of observations that he made while on the Trobidand islands. The islanders did not at all slavishly adhere to the rules of tribal culture. Instead, sometimes they strove to circumvent the laws just as western businessmen sometimes try to evade tax law. The rules are what differs between their societies and ours, and the amount of codification of these rules, but not basic human psychology towards "the law". A multitude of human behaviors in the face of rules and regulations of different types exists in Europe and in Papua New Guinea. I find the conclusions both highly interesting from a cultural point of view and also anti-racist: The natives on the coral islands on the other side of the world show complex human social strategies if confronted with rules and regulations just as we do. Malinowski is considered one of the the first proponents of modern, scientific anthropology. I can definitely see why - he is a sharp observer and puts things intelligently in context. These skills will never go out of fashion in science.