Achievement, Ascription, and Mana: A Step beyond Binary Opposition in Studying Leadership in Oceania
Francois‐Xavier Faucounau
Abstract:This paper critiques the recent use of Marshall Sahlins' model, which opposes big men to chiefs to establish a contrast between Austronesian and Non-Austronesian communities in Oceania. By reviewing Sahlins' model and drawing upon Oceania-wide ethnographic work, I argue that the two opposed paradigms underlying Sahlins' model of leadership, namely achievement and ascription, are in fact entangled in practices and in ideologies. I contend that the cooccurrence of 'achievement' and 'ascription' is widely support… Show more
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