People of the Sea: Identity and Descent among the Vezo of Madagascar

by Rita Astuti

Overview

The Vezo are fishing people of western Madagascar. The identity of the Vezo is not fixed by descent; rather, it is established by what they do. They are people of the sea, distinguished from the farmers around them by their economic specialism. Ethnicity is usually thought to be a consequence of inborn qualities acquired by descent, and Astuti explores the consequences of ascribing ethnic identity with reference to economic activity. Her analysis reveals that only in the cult of the dead does descent become critical, and her argument in this innovative analysis of Vezo kinship is that the people distinguish two models of the person: one determined by the past, and the other defined contextually, in the present.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521433501
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/23/1995
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology , #95
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; 2. Acting Vezo in the present; 3. People without wisdom; 4. Avoiding ties and bonds; 5. Intermezzo; 6. Kinship in the present and in the future; 7. Separating life from death; 8. Working for the dead; 9. Conclusion; Notes; List of references; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"The book should be read by anyone interested in theories of ethnicity or identity. Enormously suggestive for Malagasy studies, the relevance of Astuti's arguments concerning kinship, descent, and death extend far beyond Madagascar" American Anthropologist

"The book provides an unusual combination of cool analysis with warm description." Michael Lambek, American Anthropologist

"This ethnography illuminates issues of identity which are otherwise lacking in the scholarly literature; the work, therefore, represents an important insight into the ways in which people perceive themselves. Organization is logical and discussion is thorough...Ease of reading and lucidity of discussion as well as the fascinating subject matter make this ethnography perfect for use in an undergraduate course." Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher

The Vezo of western Madagascar are known as "the people who struggle with the sea." In their society, individual identity is established through what people do rather than being determined by descent or ethnicity, Astuti says--a way of doing rather than a state of being. But her analysis of Vezo kinship also reveals an opposite form of identity based on descent, which she argues is the identity of the dead. By looking at mortuary rituals that engage the relationship between the living and the dead, she develops a dual model of the Vezo person: one defined in the present, the other determined by the past. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews