A Far Away Familiar Place: An Anthropologist Returns to Papua New Guinea is for readers seeking an excursion deep into little-known terrain but allergic to the wide-eyed superfi ciality of ordinary travel literature. Author Michael French Smith savors the sometimes gritty romance of his travels to an island village far from roads, electricity, telephone service, and the Internet, but puts to rest the cliche of "Stone Age" Papua New Guinea. He also gives the lie to stereotypes of anthropologists as either machete-wielding swashbucklers or detached observers turning real people into abstractions. Smith uses his anthropological expertise subtly, to illuminate Papua New Guinean lives, to nudge readers to look more closely at ideas they take for granted, and to take a wry look at his own experiences as an anthropologist.

About the Author
Michael French Smith helps organizations promote health, prosperity, and social justice in the U.S. and around the world through Michael French Smith Consulting.


Book Information
ISBN 9780824853440
Author Michael French Smith
Format Paperback
Page Count 248
Imprint University of Hawai'i Press
Publisher University of Hawai'i Press
Weight(grams) 415g