The Social Relations of Contemporary Food Production in FourMicronesian Societies

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This project involves a comparative study of social and economic factors affecting food production in four Micronesian societies. Cultural anthropologists will study interactions among food production, consumption, and exchange within households in two female farming societies (Yap and Palau) and two male farming societies (Kosrae and Marshall Islands). Communities within each of the four societies vary with respect to level of food production, economic and political articulation with the world system, the importance of cash, and the degree of urbanization. Data will include in-depth interviews as well as community surveys of social and economic behavior. Case history materials on household activities will be collected from a sample of households. Formal analyses of the relations between attitudes, goals, and economic behavior will be done. This research is important because adequate food production in local communities is a cause of concern in much of the world, and a comparative study like this one will advance our understanding of the social and cultural causes of variations in food production.