The Law of Primitive Man: A Study in Comparative Legal Dynamics

Hoebel, E. Adamson

ISBN 10: 0674517008 / ISBN 13: 9780674517004

Published by Harvard University Press, 1954

About this Item

Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships USPS Media Mail.

Seller Inventory # OTV.0674517008.VG

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Law of Primitive Man: A Study in Comparative Legal Dynamics
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 1954
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674517008
• ISBN 13: 9780674517004
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: very_good

About this title

Synopsis

A classic work in the anthropology of law, this book offered one of the first ambitiously conceived analyses of the fundamental rights and duties that are treated as law among nonliterate peoples (labeled "primitive" at the time of the original publication). The heart of the book is a description and analysis of the law of five societies: the Eskimo; the Ifugao of northern Luzon in the Philippines; the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne tribes of the western plains of the United States; the Trobriand Islanders of the southwest Pacific; and the Ashanti of western Africa. Hoebel's lucid analysis reveals the variety and complexity of these societies' political and legal institutions. It emphasizes their use of due process in adjudication and enforcement and highlights the importance of general explicit standards of conduct in these societies. In offering these detailed case studies of societies studied by other anthropologists, and in outlining an influential approach to the subject, it remains an illuminating book for both scholars and students.

About the Author

E. Adamson Hoebel (1925–1983) was Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, and author of The Cheyenne Way: Conflict and Case Law in Primitive Jurisprudence.