The Sexual Life of Savages in North-Western Melanesia

By Bronisław Malinowski

Book Overview

The Sexual Life of Savages in North Western Melanesia is a book by Bronislaw Malinowski that explores the sexual practices and customs of the Trobriand Islanders, a group of people living in the Western Pacific. The book is based on Malinowski's fieldwork in the Trobriand Islands between 1915 and 1918. The book provides a detailed account of the Trobriand Islanders' sexual practices, including their attitudes towards sex, courtship rituals, marriage customs, and sexual taboos. Malinowski also discusses the role of sexuality in Trobriand society, including its connection to social status, power, and religion. The Sexual Life of Savages in North Western Melanesia is considered a seminal work in the field of anthropology, as it was one of the first studies to focus on the cultural aspects of sexuality. The book is also notable for its use of participant observation, a research method that involves living with and studying a group of people in their natural environment. Overall, The Sexual Life of Savages in North Western Melanesia is a fascinating and informative study of a unique culture's sexual practices and beliefs. It remains an important work in the field of anthropology and is recommended for anyone interested in the study of human sexuality and culture.1929. An ethnographic account of courtship, marriage and family life among the natives of the Trobriand Islands, British New Guinea. From the Preface: The sexual life of savages has long awaited its natural historian. Owing to sex taboos, that weigh at least as much on the civilized as on the savage mind, this subject has always been veiled in mystery. The mystery has been fascinating or somber according to the general attitude to savagery that happened to prevail. Contents: The Relations Between the Sexes in Tribal Life; The Status of Woman in Native Society; Prenuptial Intercourse; The Avenues to Marriage; Marriage; Divorce and the Dissolution of Marriage by Death; Procreation and Pregnancy in Native Belief and Custom; Pregnancy and Childbirth; Customary Forms of License; Love-Making and the Psychology of Erotic Life; The Magic of Love and Beauty; Erotic Dreams and Fantasies; Morals and Manners; and A Savage Myth of Incest.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1417904771
• ISBN13: 9781417904778
• Release Date: January 1970
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
• Length: 732 Pages
• Weight: 2.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

The original case-study

This is considered the first field case-study ever done in the field of Anthropology. With that being said, I do not know if you can criticize the first of it's kind. I personally found it too old to be enjoyable and would only read it again if I had to for a class. Only get this if you are REALLY interested in the origins of anthropology-Otherwise skip it.

Great pictures and text

"The Sexual Life of Savages in ...Melanesia" is a book along the lines of Margaret Mead's 'Coming of Age in Samoa'. But Malinowski concentrates on the sex life alone. Of course, in the modern world, the sexual life of Western society may rival those of Melanesians, but the freedom of young unmarried people to enjoy sex without social disapproval was not common when Malinowski wrote the book. One of the strangest things in the book was that the Melanesians did not connect sex with pregnancy, according to the author. I wonder if they were just taking him for a ride. The pictures are great. B & W, but so real, with grass skirts and bare bosoms.