Constructing gender and local morality: exchange practices in a Javanese village

The concept of exchange has been on the anthropological agenda since Marcel Mauss published his book Essai sur le Don in 1925. The nature of gift-giving and exchange practices has since in different ways been developed and criticised (e.g. Bloch and Perry 1989 Bloch M Parry J 1989 Introduction: money and the morality of exchange In M. Bloch and J. Parry (eds), Money and the morality of exchange Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp. 1–33  [Google Scholar]; Bourdieu 1977 Bourdieu P 1977 Outline of a theory of practice Cambridge Cambridge University Press [Crossref] [Google Scholar]; Derrida 1992 Derrida J 1992 Given time: 1. Counterfeit money Chicago and London University of Chicago Press  [Google Scholar]; Dumont 1986 Dumont L 1986 Marcel Mauss: A science in process of becoming In L. Dumont, Essays on individualism. Modern ideology in anthropological perspective Chicago and London University of Chicago Press pp. 183–201  [Google Scholar]; Levi-Strauss 1950 Levi-Strauss C 1987 Introduction to the work of Marcel Mauss Translated by Felicity Baker London Routledge and Kegan Paul  [Google Scholar]; Sahlins 1974 Sahlins M 1974 Stone age economy London Tavistock Publications  [Google Scholar]). However, exchanges are social practices that continue to puzzle and arouse curiosity within anthropology and related fields. The present article focuses on the vivid exchange practices that form part of social life in Sarijati village in Central Java.2 Sarijati is a pseudonym. this article is based on a research project sponsored by the danish research council for the humanities. fieldwork was carried out in central java in 1996–97 and in 1998. View all notes I will argue that exchanges here make up a social domain that articulates gender ideology and the reasoning of local morality.     

Becoming a camorrista : criminal culture and life choices in Naples

In 1992, Pasquale Galasso, a Camorra superboss, revealed many intricate secrets about the Neapolitan Camorra. This led to revelations from other pentiti (criminals turned state witnesses), allowing an insight for the first time into the Neapolitan Camorra from the insider's point of view. Understanding why individuals join a criminal organization, the Camorra in particular, is one of the questions addressed in this article. Using primary sources and an 'interaction model' based on the interplay of agency and structure, it studies the impact of Neapolitan criminal culture on an individual's life choices in the 1950s, and compares these with the 1980s and 1990s. It concludes that while in the 1950s criminal values were emerging as an ethos and had a somewhat limited impact on individuals, by the 1980s this ethos had become a clear 'subculture', an 'ideology' which had a pervasive influence on the life choices of many young Neapolitans. Nel 1992, Pasquale Galasso, super boss della Camorra, rivelÒ parecchi segreti sulle cosche napoletanc. La sua disponibilitÀ a collaborare spinse altri pentiti a seguire il suo csempio. CiÒ consentì per la prima volta di conoscere in maniera più approfondita la Camorra tramite le rivelazioni di alcuni dei suoi membri. Pertanto, i motivi per cui si sceglie di entrare nella Camorra è una fra le questioni analizzate nel presente articolo. Attraverso l'uso di fonti primarie e di un modello interattivo caratterizzato da una combinazione tra capacitÀ decisionale e struttura organizzativa, l'articolo sviluppa una analisi comparativa sull'impatto di una cultura criminale napoletana nei confronti delle scelte di singoli individui negli anni cinquanta, ottanta e novanta. Le conclusioni di questo studio sottolineano che, sebbene negli anni cinquanta una cultura criminale stava acquisendo un valore etico, essa aveva una influenza minima sulle scelte comportamentali dei singoli soggetti; mentre dagli anni ottanta era ormai divenuta una subcultura, una ideologia che aveva prodotto un impatto notevole sulle scelte di vita di molti giovani napoletani.     

The Haida: A view from 1966

Mary Lee Stearns, Haida Culture in Custody: The Masset Band. Seattle, University of Washington Press, 1981. xiii and 322 pp. Illustrations, maps, bibliography, index. $24.50 cloth.     

The Prophet and the Sorcerer: Becoming a Cunning-Man in Nineteenth-Century Norway

Cunning-folk offering a wide range of mostly supernatural services were a common part of European popular culture until at least the early twentieth century. Still, insight into how they established themselves as people with extraordinary abilities is limited. In this article I approach two of the best-documented cases of nineteenth-century Norwegian cunning-folk. The preacher-prophet, healer, and clairvoyant Knut Rasmussen (‘Vis-Knut’, 1792–1876) and the diviner and sorcerer Eilev Olsen (‘Spå-Eilev’, 1814–91) were ‘living legends’ who attracted clients from all over the country for more than fifty years. A wealth of historical and folkloristic sources allows us a rare glimpse into their early career stages and the dynamics by which two uneducated day labourers managed to become central actors in a local power play. An analysis of the local ‘folk religious fields’ details strategies, practices, and narratives used to cater to different factions, to convey claims of supernatural efficacy, and to create a regional market.     

A dynamic view of law

Judith Hoch‐Smith and Anita Spring, eds. Women in Ritual and Symbolic Roles. New York: Plenum Press, 1978. xv + 289 pp.     

The interpretation of stratified sites: A view from underground

This paper reports on an experiment designed to study the role of trampling in the vertical dispersal of artifacts in the soil, and in the mixing of originally separate sets of materials. The experiment is part of a study of the archaeological stratigraphy and patterns of site use at a large stratified cave in southern France. The experiment was designed to replicate conditions prevailing at the cave. The results strongly suggest caution in the interpretation of living floors and stratified assemblages in sandy deposits.     

Field work: A view from the third world

André Béteille and T. N. Madan, eds. Encounter and Experience. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, 1975. viii + 225 pp. Bibliography. $8.00.