General Resources

General References on the Pacific Islands
Serials Featuring South Pacific Material

General References

• In general, the most comprehensive, though dated, bibliography is:

Taylor, C. R. H. 1965. A Pacific Bibliography. 2nd Edition. London, Oxford University Press.

[UNSW Call No. S572.993/5C]

• Another, more recent, and with annotations, is:

Jackson, Miles M. (ed.). 1986. Pacific Island Studies. A Survey of the Literature. London, Greenwood Press.

[UNSW Call No. SREF990/58]

• A handy, compact introduction to the states and territories of the South Pacific can be found in:

Pacific Islands Year Book Vol. 11 (1972) to Vol. 17 (1994)

[UNSW Call No. S919.05/1]

• The most comprehensive studies of the South Pacific as a whole are to be found in:

Crocombe, Ron. 1990. The New South Pacific. An Introduction. Suva, The University of the South Pacific.

[UNSW Call No. S919/35B]

Howells, William. 1973. The Pacific Islanders. New York, Charles Scribner's Sons.

[UNSW Call No. S572.899/1]

Mamak, Alexander & McCall, Grant (eds.), 1978. Paradise postponed. Essays on research and development in the South Pacific. London & Sydney, Pergamon Press.

[UNSW Call No. S300.72096/1]

McCall, Grant (General Editor). 1990. Sydney talk. Australia in the South Pacific. Kensington, Centre for South Pacific Studies.

[UNSW Call No. S303.48294095/1]

Oliver, Douglas L. 1988, Oceania: The native cultures of Australia and the Pacific Islands, Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press. Two volumes.

[UNSW Call No. S306.099/3/(1&2)]

• The most authoritative compendia on the archaeology of the region are:

Bellwood, Peter. 1978. Man's conquest of the Pacific. The Prehistory of Southeast Asia and Oceania. Auckland, Collins.

Bellwood, Peter, James Fox & Darrell Tryon (eds.). 1995. The austronesians. Historical and comparative perspectives. Canberra, Department of Anthropology, Research School of Asian & Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

Fox, James J. (ed.). 1996. The heritage of traditional agriculture among the western Austronesians. Canberra, Department of Anthropology, Research School of Asian & Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

Fox, James J. & Clifford Sather (eds). 1996. Origins. Ancestry and alliance exploration in Austronesian ethnography. Canberra, Department of Anthropology, Research School of Asian & Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

Kirch, Patrick V. & Roger C. Green. 1987. "History, phylogeny and evolution in Polynesia". Current Anthropology 28: 431-56.

Pacific Science Congress (ed.). 1990. Pacific production systems. Approaches to economic prehistory. XV Pacific Science Congress, Dunedin, New Zealand. Occasional Papers in Prehistory Nº 18. Canberra, Department of Prehistory, Research School of Asian & Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

Spriggs, Matthew (ed.). 1993. A community of culture. The people and prehistory of the Pacific. Occasional Papers in Prehistory Nº 21. Canberra, Department of Prehistory, Research School of Asian & Pacific Studies, Australian National University.

Terrell, John. 1986. Prehistory in the Pacific Islands. A Study of Variation in Language, Customs and Human Biology. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Thorne, A. G. 1989. Man on the rim: the peopling of the Pacific. North Ryde, Angus & Robertson. [Available as both a book and an eleven part television series].

• In order to help you to understand how to analyse traditional social organisation in Oceania, there are two rival explanations for pre-European Polynesian social organisation:

Goldman, Irving. 1970. Ancient Polynesian Society. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

[UNSW Call No. S301.2996/3]

Sahlins, Marshall. 1958. Social stratification in Polynesia. Seattle University of Washington Press.

[UNSW Call No. S572.996/11]

A consolidated theory of clanship that can be applied throughout the region is:

Kirchhoff, Paul. 1959, "The principles of clanship in human society", In Morton H. Fried (ed), Readings in Anthropology. Volume 2: Cultural Anthropology. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell, Pp. 259-270.

• Other references include:

Boon, James A. 1982. Other Tribes, other scribes. Symbolic anthropology in the comparative study of cultures, histories, religions and texts. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Chapman, Murray. 1985. Mobility and identity in the island Pacific. A Special Issue of Pacific Viewpoint, Volume 26, Nº 1 (April).

Clifford, James & George E. Marcus (eds.) 1986. Writing Culture. The Poetics and Politics of Ethnography. Berkeley, The University of California Press.

Crocombe, Ron. 1989. The South Pacific. An Introduction. Fifth Revised Edition. Suva, Institute of Pacific Studies.

Dening, Greg. 1988. History's Anthropology. The Death of William Gooch. Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania Special Publication Nº 2. Lanham, University Press of America.

Dening, Greg. 1980. Islands and Beaches. Discourse on a Silent Land: Marquesas 1774-1880. Carlton, Melbourne University Press.

Forster, Colin. 1996. France and Botany Bay. The lure of a penal colony. Carlton South, Melbourne University Press.

Friedman, Jonathan. 1988. "No history is an island. A review essay". Critique of Anthropology 8 (Nº 3, Winter): 7-39.

Giddens, Anthony. 1984. The Constitution of Society. Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge, Polity Press.
[NB: Not about the Pacific Islands, but an excellent for a theoretical understanding of the relationship between anthropology, history and the contemporary Pacific Islands].

Grijp, Paul van der. 1993. Politics, tradition and change in the Pacific. Special Issue of Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde Vol. 149 (4): 635-834.

Hiery, Hermann. 1995. The neglected war: The German South Pacific and the influence of World War I. Honolulu, University of Hawai'i Press.

Holmes, Lowell D. 1986. Quest for The Real Samoa. The Mead/Freeman Controversy & Beyond. South Hadley, Mass, Bergin & Garvey.

Hooper, Antony & Judith Huntsman (eds.) 1985. Transformation of Polynesian culture (Memoire of the Polynesian Society 45). Auckland, The Polynesian Society.

Howard, Alan & Robert Borofsky (eds.). 1989. Development in Polynesian Ethnology. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press.

Howe, K. R., Robert C. Kiste & Brij V. Lal (eds.). 1994. Tides of history. The Pacific Islands in the twentieth century. Sydney, Allen & Unwin.

Jackson, Miles M. (ed.). 1986. Pacific Island studies: A survey of the literature. London: Greenwood Press.

Mageo, Jeannette Marie & Alan Howard (eds.). 1996. Spirits in culture, history and mind. New York, Routledge.

Marcus, George E. & Michael M. J. Fischer. 1986. Anthropology as Cultural Critique. An Experimental Moment in the Human Sciences. Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.

Marshall, Mac et al (eds.). 1989. Culture, kin and cognition in Oceania. Essays in honor of Ward H. Goodenough. Washington, American Anthropological Association.

McCall, Grant. & A. Mamak (eds.). 1978. Paradise Postponed. Sydney, Pergamon.

Meanjin 49 (Number 4, 1990), "Imagining the Pacific" (Special Issue).

Meanjin 53 (Number 4, 1994), "In Oceania" (Special Issue).

Meijl, Toon van and Paul van der Grijp (eds.), European imagery and colonial history in the Pacific. Nijmegen Studies in Development and Cultural Change Nº 19. Saarbrücken, Verlag für Entwicklungspolitik Breitenbach GmbH.

Oliver, Douglas L. 1989. Oceania. The Native Cultures of Australia and the Pacific Islands. Vols. 1 & 2. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press.

Otto, Ton (ed.). 1993. Pacific Islands trajectories. Five personal views. An Occasional Paper of the Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University in association with The Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Patton, Mark. 1996. Island in time. Island sociogeography and mediterranean prehistory. New York, Routledge.
[NB: This book is not about the Pacific Islands, but those in the Mediterranean and is useful for comparative purposes].

Peake, Martin. 1991. Pacific people and society. Pacific in the 20th Century. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Quanchi, Max. 1991. Pacific people and change. Pacific in the 20th Century. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Sahlins, Marshall. 1985. Islands of History. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Sahlins, Marshall. 1988. "Deserted islands of history". Critique of Anthropology 8 (Nº 3, Winter): 41-51.

Scarr, Deryck. 1990. The History of the Pacific Islands. Kingdoms of the Reefs. South Melbourne, The Macmillan Company.

Siikala, Jukka. 1982. Culture & conflict in tropical Polynesia. A study of traditional religion, Christianity and nativistic movements. FF Communications Nº. 233. Helsinki, Academia Scientiarum Fennica.

Terrell, John. 1986. Prehistory in the Pacific Islands. A study in variation in language, customs and human biology. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Thomas, Nicholas. 1994. Colonialism's culture: Anthropology, travel and government. Melbourne, University of Melbourne Press.

Tryon, Darrell T. et al (eds). 1995. Comparative Austronesian dictionary. An introduction to Austronesian studies. Trends in Linguistics Documentatin 10. Berlin, Mouton de Gruyter.

Waddell, Eric, Vijay Naidu et al (eds.). 1993. A new oceania. Rediscovering our sea of islands. Suva, School of Social & Economic Development, The University of the South Pacific in association with Beake House.

top ^

Serials Featuring South Pacific Material

American Anthropologist Vol. 1 (1888) to 2 (1889) and New Series, Vol. 1 (1892) +

Contains research, book and film reviews and reviews of research. There are cumulative indices issued at roughly ten year intervals. The "AA" is one of the most prestigious in the field.
[UNSW Call No. S572.06]

Centre for South Pacific Studies Newsletter Vol. 1 (1985) +

This publication comes from the Centre, located here at UNSW. It publishes short notes about new publications and activities concerned with the South Pacific.
[UNSW Call No. S378.94405]

Comparative Studies in Society & History Vol. 1 (1958-1959) +

This is an excellent, wide-ranging journal, published in Cambridge, with many articles of interest in the fields of anthropology, history and sociology.
[UNSW Call No. S906]

Current Anthropology Vol. 3 (1962) +

Sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, this is a world-wide journal of anthropological research, published in the USA, but edited in the UK. It contains high quality summary articles and extensive bibliographies. Unique in the field, major articles are followed by expert commentaries, with the author having the right of final reply.
[UNSW Call No. SQ572.05]

Ethnology Vol. 1 (1962) +

Published by the Department of Anthropology, University of Pittsburgh, this quarterly contains good articles on a number of subjects and from a number of ethnographic areas. It has a special interest in the "Human Relations Area Files", an ambitious project which attempts systematically to compare hundreds of societies according to universal codes.
[UNSW Call No. S572.06]

Human Organization Vol. 11 (1952) +

This is the Journal of the (American) Society for Applied Anthropology, and contains articles dealing mainly with development studies, applied anthropology, field experiences and the ethnography of education. The articles are usually short, well-written and often for a non-specialist audience.
[UNSW Call No. SQ301.05]

Journal of Anthropological Research Vol. 29 (1973) +

This publication began life as the "Southwestern Journal of Anthropology" and you will find that title on most of the issues in the collection. Articles are of very high quality and cover all ethnographic and theoretical areas.
[UNSW Call No. S301.205]

Journal of Pacific History Vol. 1 (1966) +

Published by the Department of Pacific and Southeast Asian History, Research School of Pacific & Asian Studies, at The Australian National University, "JPH" deals with the history of the (mainly South) Pacific, including both pre-contact and more contemporary events. The book reviews and annual bibliography are useful especially to anyone wishing to specialise in this area.
[UNSW Call No. S990.5]

Journal of Pacific Studies Vol. 1 (1975) +

Produced by the School of Social & Economic Development of the University of the South Pacific, this contains articles on the history, politics and sociology of the South Pacific.
[UNSW Call No. SQ990.05]

Journal of the Polynesian Society Vol. 1 (1892) - Vol. 50 (1941); Vol. 75 (1966) +

This New Zealand published journal is an absolute must for anyone seeking to study a Polynesian topic. The articles vary in quality, those of the interested amateur to other by professionals. The articles tend to be long and highly focused. There is a small book review section. Coverage includes both pre-contact and contemporary Polynesian cultures.
[UNSW Call No. S996.05]

Man Various from old series; New Series (N.S.) Vol. 1 (1966) +

Issued quarterly, this is the Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, located in London. It is a prestigious source of articles and book reviews on a range of ethnographic and theoretical topics.
[UNSW Call No. S572.05]

Mankind Vol. 1 (1931-1935) +; from 1990, TAJA

Published three times per year, this is the second oldest journal in anthropology in Australia. It is produced by the Anthropological Society of New South Wales, the editor being in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney. The ethnographic concentration is on Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a good book review section, specialising on Australian work.
[UNSW Call No. S572.99406]

New Zealand Journal of History Vol. 1 (1967) +

This quarterly journal contains useful articles on not only Maaori studies, but also more general Pacific topics.
[UNSW Call No. S572.99406]

Oceania Vol. 1 (1930-1931) +

This quarterly journal comes out of The University of Sydney's "Oceania Publications", an institution separate in funding from the Department of Anthropology of that institution. The articles mostly deal with Aboriginal and Melanesian topics, with a small book review section.
[UNSW Call No. S572.99406]

Pacific Affairs Vol. 1 (1928) +

Articles here are about mainly contemporary features of the Pacific, South, rim and basin, from a political science point of view.
[UNSW Call No. S915.06]

Pacific Forum 1963, 1966 only

Political topics formed the main basis of this publication.
[UNSW Call No. S990.05]

Pacific Historical Review Vol. 25 (1956) +

This is an historical journal, not especially specialising in the South Pacific Islands, but more broadly based.
[UNSW Call No. S976.06]

Pacific History Bibliography (1979) +

This publication comes with the Journal of Pacific History, and is compiled by that editorial board. The bibliography includes books, articles and pamphlets, with occasional references to higher degree theses. Now called, Pacific History Bibliography & Comment. (from 1981).
[UNSW Call No. SREF990.5]

Pacific Islands Monthly Vol. 1 (1930-1931) +

"PIM" has been a feature (for Europeans) of the South Pacific since before World War II. Sometimes known as "the Planter's Bible", this publication seeks to be the news commentary magazine of the South Pacific. Since 1988, it has been published in Fiji.
[UNSW Call No. SQ996.05]

Pacific Islands Studies & Notes Vol. 1 (1971) +

A wide-ranging publication featuring a number of interesting articles for students of the South Pacific.
[UNSW Call No. SREF919.05]

Pacific Islands Yearbook (1935, 1942-3,1956) +

This publication has been produced by Pacific Islands Monthly for some time. It attempts to bring together vital facts for student, traveller and business persons interested in the South Pacific. The 16th Edition is published in 1989.
[UNSW Call No. SREF 919.05]

South Pacific Bibliography (1981) +

A good source of bibliographic information, this publication comes from the "Pacific Collection" of the library at The University of the South Pacific.
[UNSW Call No. SREF919.005]

South Pacific Bulletin Vol. 1, No. 4 (1951) +

Though no longer published, there are still a number of useful articles to be found in this journal, which was produced by the South Pacific Commission.
[UNSW Call No. SQ993.06]

South Pacific Commission Annual Report (1961) +

Useful details of the Commission's operations, but otherwise of limited utility. Only held until 1980.
[UNSW Call No. S996.105]

South Pacific Forum Vol. 1 (1984) +

This small publication is produced by the Sociological Society of the University of the South Pacific, in Suva, and contains book reviews and articles on the political economy of the South Pacific.
[UNSW Call No. S996.005]

TAJA. The Australian Journal of Anthropology Vol. 1 (1990) +; formerly, Mankind

Published three times per year, this is the second oldest journal in anthropology in Australia. It is produced by the Anthropological Society of New South Wales, the editor being in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Sydney. The ethnographic concentration is on Southeast Asia and the Pacific, with a good book review section, specialising on Australian work.
[UNSW Call No. S572.99406]

top ^

Home