Partial Connections

This article explores the concept of "partial connections" as a way of understanding the relationship between Melanesian and Western forms of sociality. Harrison and Strathern argue against the tendency to view Melanesian societies through the lens of Western kinship models, which often emphasize boundedness and exclusivity. Instead, they propose that Melanesian social relations are characterized by a fluidity and partiality that defy easy categorization. Drawing on ethnographic examples, they demonstrate how persons are constructed through a multiplicity of overlapping and often contradictory connections, rather than through fixed positions within a kinship system. The authors challenge anthropological assumptions about the universality of kinship as a primary organizing principle and suggest that "partial connections" offer a more nuanced and accurate way of understanding the complexities of social life in Melanesia and beyond

Business · Advanced Combinatorial Mathematics · Computer Science · History and Developments in Astronomy · History and Theory of Mathematics