Hierarchy : persistence and transformation in social formations / edited by Knut M. Rio and Olaf H. Smedal.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Rio, Knut Mikjel.

Smedal, Olaf H.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hierarchies--Case studies.

Hierarchies.

Power (Social sciences)--Case studies.

Power (Social sciences).

Elite (Social sciences)--Case studies.

Elite (Social sciences).

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (388 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : Berghahn Books, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Louis Dumont's concept of hierarchy continues to inspire social scientists. Using it as their starting point, the contributors to this volume introduce both fresh empirical material and new theoretical considerations. On the basis of diverse ethnographic contexts in Oceania, Asia, and the Middle East they challenge some current conceptions of hierarchical formations and reassess former debates, both with regard to new theoretical issues and the new world situation-of post-colonial and neo-colonial agendas, ideas of "democratization" and "globalization," and expanding market-economies.

Contents:

Title page-Hierarchy; Contents; Acknowledgements; Ch 1-Hierarchy and its alternatives; Ch 2-Coversion, hierarchy, and cultural change; Ch 3-Gender and value; Ch 4-Can a Hierarchical religion survive without its center?; Ch 5-The headless state in inner Asia; Ch 6-The perfect sovereign; Ch 7-Marriage, rank and politics in Hawaii; Ch 8-Polynesian conceptions of sociality; Ch 9-On the value of the beast or the limit of money; Ch 10-Hierarchy is not inequality-in Polynesia, for instance; Ch 11-Hierarchy and power; Afterword; Notes on contributors; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-80758-839-4

1-282-62746-5

9786612627460

1-84545-883-4

OCLC:

645100777