Dealing with Inequality : Analysing Gender Relations in Melanesia and Beyond

This 1987 volume sets out not to dispose of the question of 'equality' between the sexes, but rather to examine how to debate it. It comprises ten essays by anthropologists who discuss the nature of social inequality between the sexes in societies they know through fieldwork, mostly in Melanesia.

The question of 'equality' between the sexes has long been of long-standing interest among anthropologists. Originally published in 1987, this volume sets out not to dispose of the question, but rather to examine how to debate it. It recognises that inequality as a theoretical and practical concern is rooted in Western ideas and concepts, but also that there are palpable differences in power relations existing between men and women in non-Western societies that are otherwise, in world terms, 'egalitarian', and that these need to be accounted for. This volume comprises ten essays by anthropologists who discuss the nature of social inequality between the sexes in societies they know through first-hand fieldwork, mostly, though not exclusively, in Melanesia. This regional focus gives an important coherence to the volume, and highlights the different analytical strategies that the contributors employ for accounting gender inequality. The volume will be provocative reading for anthropologists.