Böcker av Niko Besnier

This book explores the malaise present in post-colonial Tonga, analyzing the way in which segments of this small-scale society hold on to different understandings of what modernity is, how it should be made relevant to local contexts, and how it should mesh with practices and symbols of tradition.

The first detailed description of the structure of Tuvaluan, one of the least well-documented languages of Polynesia.

Uses an analysis of gossip as political action to develop a holistic understanding of a number of disparate themes, including conflict, power, and agency, morality, emotion, and gender. This title brings together 2 methodological traditions - the microscopic analysis of unelicited interaction and the macroscopic interpretation of social practice.