How Do "Indigenous" People Think: Taking Captain Cook as an Example

Author: (USA) Sahlins, M. (Author), translated by Zhang Hongming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: One outstanding feature of this book is that the appendix occupies nearly one-third of the entire volume, primarily providing detailed discussions on various English and Hawaiian documents related to the 18th century and beyond. This arrangement highlights the importance of "evidence-based arguments" in academic debates. The interpretation of a text is akin to listening to multiple stories, gradually revealing all aspects of Cook's encounters in Hawaii and allowing readers to piece together a complete narrative, thereby reflecting the cultural landscape of Hawaii. It is a rare and valuable research presentation. This book is part of the "Social and Cultural Series."
This work represents the pinnacle of renowned anthropologist Sahlins' extensive ethnographic research on the people of Hawaii. It is a specialized book that any individual with a genuine interest in anthropology and history should read. In the book, Sahlins raises intriguing questions, such as whether Western scholars can truly represent the ideas of non-Western peoples and whether the Hawaiian natives genuinely mistook Captain Cook from Britain for their deity Lono during his third Pacific expedition in 1779. The entire books a fascinating discussion around these issues, while also featuring a sharp debate between the author and another prominent anthropologist, Obeyesekera, on differing opinions regarding the same topic.