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Maurice Godelier

Anthropology

Maurice Godelier is a French anthropologist, born in Cambrai in 1934, known as one of the earliest advocates of incorporating Marxist theory into anthropology. He founded a program in economic anthropology in France in 1963 and conducted extensive fieldwork among the Baruya people of Papua New Guinea from the 1960s through the 1980s, examining gender inequality and systems of power in his influential book The Making of Great Men (1982) and later exploring gift-economy theory in The Enigma of the Gift (1996). He has served as director of studies at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, founded and directed its Center for Research and Documentation on Oceania from 1995 to 1999, and served as president of the Societe des oceanistes from 2013 to 2015.

Facts
Birth DateSourced to the subject's own account
1934-02-28 1
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account
1934 1
BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account
Cambrai, France 1
Nationality / CultureSourced to the subject's own account
French 1
Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own account
He is known for his field work among the Baruya in Papua New Guinea from the 1960s to the 1980s, and became one of the earliest advocates of Marxism's incorporation into anthropology. 1
Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own account
The Making of Great Men (1982) 1
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Maurice Godelier
Wikipedia
  • Lead section
    Maurice Godelier (born 28 February 1934) is a French anthropologist. He is known for his field work among the Baruya in Papua New Guinea from the 1960s to the 1980s, and became one of the earliest advocates of Marxism's incorporation into anthropology.
  • Early life and education section
    Maurice Godelier was born on 28 February 1934 to a poor family in provincial France in the commune Cambrai.
  • Selected publications section
    La production des grands hommes. Pouvoir et domination masculine chez les Baruya de Nouvelle Guinée, Ed. Fayard (1982). (The Making of Great Men. Male domination and Power among the New Guinea Baruya, Cambridge University Press, 1986).
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