Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Mentor (1964), Edition: Revised Edition, Paperback, 176 pages
Description
Based on a wide range of field studies, Sir Raymond Firth discusses the geographical and historical factors that determine the development of racial groups; shows how culture is an out-growth of natural environment; and describes how various societies have solved the economic, technological, social and sexual problems that confront them. The book provides a framework for understanding all human societies and interpreting the changes that take place within them.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Sylak
I would highly recommend this book to anyone even vaguely interested in the subject as it is very easy to digest and absorb all the basic principles laid out within its pages. The book will provide the reader With a whole new outlook on what it means to be a part of the Human race.
Raymond Firth was
The book was designed to educate the common man who, in the UK, may not have fully grasped what these oppressive regimes entailed or why they existed in the first place, especially if living in a relatively liberal country like England which, at that time was far more progressive than America or South Africa.
That is not to say the the UK did not suffer from other passive forms of racism, it certainly was not perfect.
The second chapter has a very nautical theme focusing on Canoe building techniques throughout the South Sea islands to demonstrate how primitive human communities came up with varying inventive solutions to solve the same problem depending on what resources were available to them on islands which may have had diverse and unique natural resources available to the boat builders. This demonstrates that high intelligence and problem solving are not unique to any one social group but exist across the board regardless of race. A rather obvious statement perhaps, but this chapter rebukes the misconception that tribal cultures are less advanced than civilised western communities.
The book is written from a European's point of view, in particular that of the White race, but the theories are well thought out and generally it was hard to dispute the logical conclusions proposed by the author.
Raymond Firth was
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a very far-sighted man for his time. He travelled the planet and witnessed first hand many political and social environments such as the Segregation system in the US and Apartheid The first chapter comments on these issues heavily.The book was designed to educate the common man who, in the UK, may not have fully grasped what these oppressive regimes entailed or why they existed in the first place, especially if living in a relatively liberal country like England which, at that time was far more progressive than America or South Africa.
That is not to say the the UK did not suffer from other passive forms of racism, it certainly was not perfect.
The second chapter has a very nautical theme focusing on Canoe building techniques throughout the South Sea islands to demonstrate how primitive human communities came up with varying inventive solutions to solve the same problem depending on what resources were available to them on islands which may have had diverse and unique natural resources available to the boat builders. This demonstrates that high intelligence and problem solving are not unique to any one social group but exist across the board regardless of race. A rather obvious statement perhaps, but this chapter rebukes the misconception that tribal cultures are less advanced than civilised western communities.
The book is written from a European's point of view, in particular that of the White race, but the theories are well thought out and generally it was hard to dispute the logical conclusions proposed by the author.
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