In the Absence of the Gift

By adopting ideas like “development,” members of a Papua New Guinean community find themselves continuously negotiating what can be expected of a relative or a community member. Nearly half the people born on the remote Mbuke Islands become teachers, businessmen, or bureaucrats in urban centers, while those who stay at home ask migrant relatives “What about me?” This detailed ethnography sheds light on remittance motivations and documents how terms like “community” can be useful in places otherwise permeated by kinship. As the state withdraws, Mbuke people explore what social ends might be reached through involvement with the cash economy.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1. Historical Roots for a Singaut Economy
Chapter 2. Visible While Away: Concepts of Vision in Exchange Practices
Chapter 3. The Power of Words: Curses and Blessings of Relatives
Chapter 4. It’s never tomorrow: Debt, Selfishness and the Contest of Obligation
Chapter 5. Historical Roots for Community as Level of Organization and as a Concept
Chapter 6. …to benefit the community: Value and the Member of Community
Chapter 7. All Things Considered: Organized Action as Appearances of Social Totalities

Conclusion

References
Index