In the Absence of the Gift : : New Forms of Value and Personhood in a Papua New Guinea Community / / Anders Emil Rasmussen.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Berghahn Books Complete eBook-Package 2014-2015
• VerfasserIn: Rasmussen, Anders Emil,
• Place / Publishing House: New York; , Oxford : : Berghahn Books, , [2015]; ©2015
• Year of Publication: 2015
• Language: English
• Series: Pacific Perspectives: Studies of the European Society for Oceanists ; 5
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (210 p.)
• Other title: Frontmatter --; Contents --; List of Figures and Tables --; Acknowledgements --; Introduction --; 1 The Historical Roots of a Singaut Economy --; 2 Visible While Away --; 3 The Power of Words --; 4 It’s Never Tomorrow --; 5 The Historical Roots of Community as a Level of Organization and as a Concept --; 6 To Benefit the Community --; 7 All Things Considered --; Conclusion --; References --; Index
• Format: Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
• ISBN: 9781782387824; 9783110998238
• DOI: 10.1515/9781782387824?locatt=mode:legacy
• Access: restricted access
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Anders Emil Rasmussen.

By adopting ideas like “development,” members of a Papua New Guinean community find themselves continuously negotiating what can be expected of a relative or a community member. Nearly half the people born on the remote Mbuke Islands become teachers, businessmen, or bureaucrats in urban centers, while those who stay at home ask migrant relatives “What about me?” This detailed ethnography sheds light on remittance motivations and documents how terms like “community” can be useful in places otherwise permeated by kinship. As the state withdraws, Mbuke people explore what social ends might be reached through involvement with the cash economy.