Sex and Repression in Savage Society
For my classical ethnographic review I chose Bronislaw Malinowski's Sex and Repression in Savage Society. The book is Malinowski's critique of psycho-analysis, in particular Freud's Oedipus Complex, and is one of the first participant observation studies done in Anthropology. He deals with two problems: the differences in what constitutes the family among different cultures of savages and how does the constitution of family influence myth, legends, fairy tales, and forms of social organization among these same savages.

Malinowski spent time on the Trobriard Islands during World War One, observing how the peoples custom and learning their language. He compares and contrasts their matrilineal society with the patrilineal societies of Europe at the time to flush out their differences in child raising, sexual practices, and forms of sexual taboo as they relate to both males and females but the larger families and clans. He then uses the analysis of their concepts of sex and family to explain its effect on the formation of their cultural practices and forms of repression.

Psycho-analysis plays a major role in the theoretical component of his book. While Freud and other psychologists were arguing that the Oedipus Complex was a fundamental phenomenon in the development of the family within human culture. Malinowski tries to correct a mistake in the assumption that this takes place across all culture but instead is "dependant on the structure and upon the culture of a society". Clearly this book is not meant for laymans but is unique and interesting critique on a major school of thought within in Western European academia. It was also one of the earliest anthropological works that was not considered "arm-chair" anthropology, Malinowski was actually in the field interacting with his subjects.

I found the way the Malinowski presented himself in the book to be somewhat distant, he makes reference only when he is discussing another academics theory or point of view. There is very little mention of his actual experiences with the tribes on the Trobriard Islands but is instead described in a vague third person perspective. You assume he experienced what he is talking about but because he does not place himself within spatial environments within his writing it left me wondering not only what his feelings were about this savages but also how he felt about his own society. When comparing and contrasting societies in the first section he described a great deal of the different aspects of upper class, middle class and peasant society in Europe but never really mentions where his experiences were within European culture. Although after reading Behar I guess that's not surprising, removing the ethnographer from the shadows is only now becoming acceptable.

Even though I wish I could have known more about Malinowski's personal experiences I found his comparison of sexual experiences and social repression in the two societies to be very interesting. One thing about the comparison that is only now important is that its not only looking at a way of life in tribe of savages that is probably long since changed with the eventual cultural encroachment felt around the world but his description of the European society would be a good study of how the culture once was but is now changed.