Out of Time: History and Evolution in Anthropological Discourse (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)

169 Pages·1996·16.95 MB·English

by  Nicholas Thomas

OUT OF TIME

OUT OF TIME
History and Evolution in Anthropological
Discourse, Second Edition
Includes New Afterword
NICHOLAS THOMAS
Ann Arbor
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PRESS
Copyright © Nicholas Thomas 1989
Copyright © by the University of Michigan 1996
All rights reserved
Published in the United States of America by
The University of Michigan Press
Manufactured in the United States of America
SPrinted on acid-free paper
1999 1998 1997 1996 4 3 2 1
Copyright © Nicholas Thomas 1989
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise Copyright © by the University of Michigan 1996
without the written permission of the publisher.
All rights reserved
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Thomas, Nicholas, 1928- Published in the United States of America by
Out of time : history and evolution in anthropological discourse /
The University of Michigan Press
Nicholas Thomas. - 2nd ed., includes new afterword.
p. cm. Manufactured in the United States of America
Includes bibliographical references and index. @) Printed on acid-free paper
ISBN 0-472-08377-5 (pbk.)
1. Ethnology-Philosophy. 2. History. 3. Social evolution.
4. Ethnology-Polynesia. 5. Polynesia-History. I. Title.
1999 1998 1997 1996 4 3 2 1
GN345.2.T48 1996
306'.01-dc20 96-13807
CIP
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise
without the written permission of the publisher.
A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library.
Thomas, Nicholas, 1928-
0ut of time : history and evolution in anthropological discourse I
Nicholas Thomas. - 2nd ed., includes new afterword.
p. em.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-472-08377-5 (pbk.)
I. Ethnology-Philosophy. 2. History. 3. Social evolution.
4. Ethnology-Polynesia. 5. Polynesia-History. I. Title.
GN345.2.T48 1996
306'. 0 1--dc20 96-13807
CIP
for Margaret Jolly

I feel the earth move under my feet.
I feel the tumbling down tumbling down
Einstein on the beach (1976)

Contents
Acknowledgements page xi
Introduction 1
1 History and anthropological discourse 9
2 Radcliffe-Brown, Geertz and the foundations of modern
anthropology 18
3 The background to Polynesian anthropology 29
4 An evolutionary argument and its sources 35
5 Untying evidence, rethinking transformations 51
6 Travellers philosophical and unphilosophical 69
7 Evolution of another sort: regional systems theory and the
Pacific 86
8 Histories structured and unstructured 102
9 The look of events 117
Afterword to the second edition 123
Notes 129
Bibliography 143
Index 153