Knowledge, literacy and media among the Iban of Sarawak. A reply to Maurice Bloch Export

@article{citeulike:5819447, abstract = {Maurice Bloch has rejected Jack Goody\'s \‘autonomous\’ theory of literacy for being deterministic and eurocentric. The Merina of Madagascar, says Bloch, have adapted literacy to local purposes. Rather than altering their (oral) knowledge system, bringing it closer to European models, literacy has actually extended this system. In this article I apply Bloch\'s insight to another Austronesian people: the Iban of Sarawak. While agreeing that his indigenist \‘ideological\’ approach is helpful in some cases (e.g. Christian prayer books that extend pagan notions of ancestry), it can also blind us to the wider realities of developing countries where literacy is both a ubiquitous ideal and an unevenly distributed resource. To overcome the ideological\–autonomous impasse, I suggest (a) closer cooperation between literacy and media anthropology and (b) more geopolitical rigour when comparing social units.}, author = {Postill, John}, citeulike-article-id = {5819447}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=149391}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0964028203000053}, doi = {10.1017/S0964028203000053}, journal = {Social Anthropology}, keywords = {ancestry, austronesian\_people, christian\_prayer, european\_models, jack\_goody, knowledge\_system, literacy, madagascar, maurice\_bloch, media\_anthropology, merina, oral\_knowledge, prayer\_books, sarawak}, number = {01}, pages = {79--99}, posted-at = {2009-09-22 09:40:39}, priority = {5}, title = {Knowledge, literacy and media among the Iban of Sarawak. A reply to Maurice Bloch}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0964028203000053}, volume = {11}, year = {2003} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:5819447 L3 - citeulike-article-id:5819447 N2 - Maurice Bloch has rejected Jack Goody's ‘autonomous’ theory of literacy for being deterministic and eurocentric. The Merina of Madagascar, says Bloch, have adapted literacy to local purposes. Rather than altering their (oral) knowledge system, bringing it closer to European models, literacy has actually extended this system. In this article I apply Bloch's insight to another Austronesian people: the Iban of Sarawak. While agreeing that his indigenist ‘ideological’ approach is helpful in some cases (e.g. Christian prayer books that extend pagan notions of ancestry), it can also blind us to the wider realities of developing countries where literacy is both a ubiquitous ideal and an unevenly distributed resource. To overcome the ideological–autonomous impasse, I suggest (a) closer cooperation between literacy and media anthropology and (b) more geopolitical rigour when comparing social units. IS - 01 JF - Social Anthropology EP - 99 TI - Knowledge, literacy and media among the Iban of Sarawak. A reply to Maurice Bloch VL - 11 SP - 79 KW - ancestry KW - austronesian_people KW - christian_prayer KW - european_models KW - jack_goody KW - knowledge_system KW - literacy KW - madagascar KW - maurice_bloch KW - media_anthropology KW - merina KW - oral_knowledge KW - prayer_books KW - sarawak AU - Postill, John PY - 2003/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0964028203000053 ER -