Winner of the 2013 ICAS Book Prize (Social Sciences)The “Tahiti†that most people imagine - white-sand beaches; turquoise lagoons; and beautiful women - is a product of 18th century European romanticism and persists today as the bedrock of Tahiti’s tourism industry. This postcard image; however; masks a different reality. The dreams and desires that the tourism industry promotes distract from the medical nightmares and environmental destruction caused by France’s 30-year nuclear testing program in French Polynesia. Tahitians see the burying of a bomb in their land as deeply offensive. For Tahitians; the land abounds with ancestral fertility; and genealogical identity; and is a source of physical and spiritual nourishment. These imagined and lived perspectives seem incompatible; yet are intricately intertwined in the political economy.Tahiti Beyond the Postcard engages with questions about the subtle but ubiquitous ways in which power entangles itself in place-related ways. Miriam Kahn uses interpretive frameworks of both Tahitian and European scholars; drawing upon ethnographic details that include ancient chants; picture postcards; antinuclear protests; popular song lyrics; and the legacy of Paul Gauguin’s art; to provide fresh perspectives on colonialism; tourism; imagery; and the anthropology of place.
#461745 in Books 1999-01-01Original language:SpanishPDF # 1 9.01 x .51 x 6.05l; .54 #File Name: 029278161X160 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ...By Tetsu SlayerReally interesting and intriguing. I needed it for school and we only ended up reading 1-2 chapters but I kept going with it. It was going to take longer to ship out but I messaged the sellers and they shipped it quickly and I got it the next week!!! They were really understanding.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerReally great book. Needed it for my history class0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great ContradictionBy Cassie BanksThis book is beautiful and eye-opening. The history is real and so are the double standards. For example; in Mexico goddesses have been worshiped; and the mother figure is the most graceful and sweet; but women in society are treated as less than men and weak. How did this happen and how can it be stopped? This book will teach you about what it means to be a woman and Mexican. I recommend it for anyone who might be even a bit curious.
