Of Marriage, Violence and Sorcery

’The author shows himself to be what we all wish and try to be, a subtle, sensitive, and generous guest of people who in the past had little reason to welcome strangers. Not many ethnographers can bring their hosts to life: a trite phrase, perhaps, but McKnight has done so. This is a deeply scholarly and sophisticated work in the central tradition of Radcliffe-Brown, Evans-Pritchard, Forde, and Fortes. The aim of good ethnography is to understand how people behave and think at the grassroots. David McKnight (known by the elders as the man who asks why) has done this, without pretension, without jargon, and with humour. This book will become a classic ethnography.’ John Middleton, Yale University, USA ’Few scholars have entered as deeply into the world of Australian Aborigines as has David McKnight. He introduces the reader into the everyday world of sorcery and violence with an unmatched mastery. McKnight’s vivid accounts effortlessly intertwine a brilliant analytical understanding. This will surely rank as among the best ethnographies of Aborigines, a classic that will enthral scholar and lay person alike.’ Professor Bruce Kapferer, University of Bergen, Norway and National Humanities Center, Research Triangle, USA ’There is no doubt that this book...provides a rich and valuable ethnographic archive on the Islanders...I read every word of the book with building interest...’ Anthropological Forum ’[The] use of detailed case studies spanning decades (and generations) to elucidate the dynamics, and contradictions, of social and cultural change is the great strength of this fourth volume...the considerable contribution that this volume...makes to the anthropology of Australian Aboriginal people lies in its extraordinarily detailed and historically situated ethnography, which will in my view stand the test of time and provide a fruitful source for re-analysis for future social scientists.’ Australian Journal of Anthropology