Oedipus in the Trobriands

Oedipus in the Trobriands is a 1982 book about the Oedipus complex by the anthropologist Melford Spiro, in which the author criticizes the research of the anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski on the Trobriand Islanders. The work received positive reviews, and Spiro's criticism of Malinowski was compared to Derek Freeman's criticism of Margaret Mead in Margaret Mead and Samoa (1983).

Oedipus in the Trobriands
Cover of the first edition, showing an illustration adapted from an engraving in New Guinea by L. M. D'Albertis
AuthorMelford Spiro
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectOedipus complex
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
Publication date
1982
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages200
ISBN978-1560006275

Summary

Spiro discusses the Oedipus complex and controversies over it that have involved psychoanalysts and anthropologists. He notes that there is already a vast literature on the topic, which in his view shows that it has a "persistent claim on the interest of those who are concerned with understanding the human condition."[1] Influenced by psychoanalysis, he attempts to refute Malinowski's skepticism about the applicability of Sigmund Freud's ideas to the Trobriand Islanders, using Malinowski's own materials.[2]

Publication history

Oedipus in the Trobriands was published in 1982 by University of Chicago Press.[3]

Reception

Oedipus in the Trobriands received positive reviews from C. R. Badcock in the British Journal of Sociology and John S. Matthiasson in the Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology.[4][5] Badcock compared Spiro's criticism of Malinowski in Oedipus in the Trobriands to anthropologist Freeman's criticism of Mead in Margaret Mead and Samoa (1983), crediting Spiro with exposing the "glaring contradictions, obvious fallacies and supported assertions" in Malinowski's work. Badcock wrote that while Spiro's conclusions would come as a surprise to many anthropologists, Spiro fully authenticated them. Badcock praised Spiro's discussion of the "universality of the Oedipus complex".[4] Matthiasson called Oedipus in the Trobriands "tightly reasoned" and an "important book" that forces the reader to re-examine Malinowski's position on the Oedipus complex, and a "brilliant exercise in both methodology and theory construction." He praised Spiro's "re-working of Malinowski's own data on the Trobrianders to reach contrary conclusions", and wrote that Spiro presents "a theory of cultural integration which goes far beyond Malinowski's functionalism", but predicted that Oedipus in the Trobriands would be controversial.[5]

Ruth Solie gave Oedipus in the Trobriands a mixed review in Library Journal, writing that while the book "will appeal to those interested in incest and psychological universals, interpreting the unconscious meanings of symbolic forms is a delicate, and often controversial, task."[6] Other reviews of the book include those by Mary Hawkins in Mankind,[7] Richard L. Brubaker in History of Religions,[8] K. O. L. Burridge in Pacific Affairs,[9] the anthropologist Gilbert Herdt in American Anthropologist,[10] Annette B. Weiner in American Ethnologist,[11] and H. A. Powell in Man.[12]

The historian Peter Gay called Oedipus in the Trobriands "brilliant".[2] The anthropologist Donald Brown compared the book to Margaret Mead and Samoa and the linguist Ekkehart Malotki's Hopi Time (1983). He suggested that these books form part of a larger reaction against "anthropological relativism". He described Spiro's arguments as persuasive, and credited him with showing many deficiencies in Malinowski's reasoning. According to Brown, Weiner, although critical of Spiro, nevertheless concluded that his arguments for the universality of the Oedipus complex appear convincing.[13]

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See also

References
  1. Spiro 1982, p. ix.
  2. Gay 1995, p. 766.
  3. Spiro 1982, p. iv.
  4. Badcock 1983, pp. 606–607.
  5. Matthiasson 1984, pp. 233–235.
  6. Solie 1983, pp. 82–85.
  7. Hawkins 1983, pp. 152–153.
  8. Brubaker 1984, p. 218.
  9. Burridge 1985, pp. 371–373.
  10. Herdt 1985, pp. 205–207.
  11. Weiner 1985, pp. 758–762.
  12. Powell 1986, pp. 380–381.
  13. Brown 1991, pp. 9–10, 35, 38.

Bibliography
Books
Journals
  • Badcock, C. R. (1983). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". British Journal of Sociology. 34 (4).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Brubaker, Richard L. (1984). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". History of Religions. 24.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Burridge, K. O. L. (1984). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". Pacific Affairs. 57.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Hawkins, Mary (1983). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". Mankind. 14.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Herdt, Gilbert H. (1985). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". American Anthropologist. 87: 205–207. doi:10.1525/aa.1985.87.1.02a00740.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Matthiasson, John S. (1984). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology. 21.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Powell, H. A. (1986). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". Man. 21.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Solie, Ruth (1983). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". Library Journal. 108 (3).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
  • Weiner, Annette B. (1984). "Oedipus in the Trobriands (Book Review)". American Ethnologist. 12.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)  – via EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (subscription required)
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