Ways of Baloma Rethinking Magic and Kinship From the Trobriands (Paperback)

Paperback. Bronislaw Malinowskis path-breaking research in the Trobriand Islands shaped much of modern anthropologys disciplinary paradigm. Yet many conundrums remain. For example, Malinowski asserted that baloma spirits of the dead were responsible for procreation but had limited influence on their living descendants in magic and other matters, claims largely unchallenged by subsequent field investigators, until now. Based on extended fieldwork at Omarakana villagehome of the Tabalu Paramount ChiefMark S. Mosko argues instead that these and virtually all contexts of indigenous sociality are conceived as sacrificial reciprocities between the mirror worlds that baloma and humans inhabit. Informed by a synthesis of Stratherns model of dividual personhood and Levy-Bruhls theory of participation, Mosko upends a century of discussion and debate extending from Malinowski to anthropologys other leading thinkers. His account of the intimate interdependencies of humans and spirits in the cosmic generation and coordination of life (momova) and death (kaliga) strikes at the nexus of anthropologys received wisdom, and Ways of Baloma will inevitably lead practitioners and students to reflect anew on the disciplines multifold theories of personhood, ritual agency, and sociality. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…