Dissertation Research: Demographic Variation and Social Organization among the Iban of West Kalimantan, Indonesia

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This project supports the dissertation research of an anthropology graduate student from Arizona State University, studying the demographic variation in a tribal society in Indonesia. Six local societies will be studied to answer questions about the effects of demographic variables on marriage choice and the resultant patterns of residence and behavior. The project will test the hypothesis that choice of spouses will vary between communities with local population size and distribution as well as age structure, sex ratios and family size. Previous studies of the effects of marriage choices and preferential mating rules did not record detailed demographic data, so the interaction between demographic processes and marriage rules could not be intensively studied. Methods include participant observation, structured interviews, and in-depth interviews with family heads. Most demographic research is on large scale societies, yet basic data from simple societies is important to test theories of human demographic function and social evolution. This research will also be valuable to decision makers interested in family planning in the tropic world.