Collective Action, Mutual Aid, and Wetland Agriculture in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. (17th January 2019)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Collective Action, Mutual Aid, and Wetland Agriculture in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. (17th January 2019)
- Main Title:
- Collective Action, Mutual Aid, and Wetland Agriculture in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea
- Authors:
- Denham, Tim
- Abstract:
- Abstract : Much archaeological and historical theory of societal development characterises societies that are reliant on hydraulic agro-ecosystems as maintaining high levels of socio-political control and centralisation (Wittfogel 1957). In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, large-scale and extensive wetland agricultural practices date from several thousand years ago up to the present. These extensive drainage networks are the product of collective, community-based action and are co-ordinated by the persuasive influence of relatively weak and egalitarian political leaders, big-men (Strathern 1971). Here the New Guinea evidence is used to critique evolutionary models of societal development and associated concepts of human nature to develop a mutualistic perspective on the past. These ideas are pertinent to contemporary highland societies, many of which aggressively maintain their independence from each other and the Papua New Guinea state. Their agricultural history continues as a living tradition into the present.
- Is Part Of:
- Journal of contemporary archaeology. Volume 5:Number 2(2018)
- Journal:
- Journal of contemporary archaeology
- Issue:
- Volume 5:Number 2(2018)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 5, Issue 2 (2018)
- Year:
- 2018
- Volume:
- 5
- Issue:
- 2
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2018-0005-0002-0000
- Page Start:
- 259
- Page End:
- 267
- Publication Date:
- 2019-01-17
- Subjects:
- wetland drainage -- p kropotkin -- collective action -- new guinea
Archaeology -- Periodicals
Civilization -- Periodicals
Sociology -- Periodicals
930.1 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.equinoxpub.com/journals/index.php/JCA ↗
- DOI:
- 10.1558/jca.33339 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2051-3429
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store
- Ingest File:
- 12824.xml