Foreword to ANUTA: Social Structure of a Polynesian Island, 1981
In 1971, Raymond Firth suggested Anuta, a Polynesian island in the Solomon Islands, as a location... more In 1971, Raymond Firth suggested Anuta, a Polynesian island in the Solomon Islands, as a location for my doctoral research. I spent about a year on Anuta in 1972 -- 73 and, in 1981, published a book on Anutan kinship and social structure. Raymond (by then, SIR Raymond) kindly agreed to write a foreword to the monograph. In retrospect, I am impressed at his modesty and' generosity, even complimenting me on correcting some of his own ethnographic errors! Sir Raymond passed in 2002.This is his forward to my book.
Ten miles into a planned 30-mile bike ride, my rear tire exploded. The wheel was shattered, and I... more Ten miles into a planned 30-mile bike ride, my rear tire exploded. The wheel was shattered, and I had a significant injury. Over the next hour, two dozen passers-by stopped to offer empathy and assistance. None of them knew me. They were men and women, black and white, and represented a variety of backgrounds. They saw someone in potential need of help, and they interrupted their established plans to lend a hand.
Much national debate in recent months has focused on the fact of human diversity and how we ought... more Much national debate in recent months has focused on the fact of human diversity and how we ought to deal with it. Florida has become a bellwether for efforts to suppress awareness of the many ways of being human. Meanwhile, my state of Ohio is trying to do Florida one better. Last week, Ohio's Senate passed SB 83, limiting what faculty can teach or say at public colleges and universities (as well as private institutions that receive state funding). The bill is so draconian that even the Ohio State University Board of Trustees has condemned it. The Inter-University Council has made comparable points in a letter to state senator Jerry Cirino. Hundreds of witnesses testified against SB 83 during public hearings, and many others have offered parallel critiques in a variety of venues.
This is an op ed. that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal in October 1998, in response to a com... more This is an op ed. that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal in October 1998, in response to a commentary by Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe. Jacoby, in essence, argued that Native Americans are better off for having been introduced to "civilization" by European colonizers. Here, I present the other side, emphasizing the complexity of Native American societies and European interactions with them.
This is a description of my experience in Port Moresby, Buka, and the Solomon Islands in 2000. I ... more This is a description of my experience in Port Moresby, Buka, and the Solomon Islands in 2000. I was supposed to visit Anuta, a Polynesian outlier in the Solomons, with my son. However, that was during "The Tension," and the battle lines at the time were near the Honiara airport. Therefore, flights were canceled, and we spent time instead in PNG with old acquaintances from Nukumanu Atoll. Eventually, the fighting eased, the airport opened, and I was able to travel (by myself) to the Solomons. But the lull was temporary, and I found myself doing fieldwork in a war zone.
This is an account of what it's like to travel on a cargo ship in the Solomon Islands. It was wr... more This is an account of what it's like to travel on a cargo ship in the Solomon Islands. It was written for my kayak club newsletter, Keel Haulers Kanews, in 2000 and published in January 2001.
Language can affect the way we think about important issues and all too often we use words withou... more Language can affect the way we think about important issues and all too often we use words without considering what they convey. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of politics. The right-wing extremists presently in control of one of our major political parties are anything but conservative.
ntroduction: Leadership and Change in the Western Pacific: Essays in Honor of Sir Raymond Firth, 1996
This is the introduction to a 1996 festschrift for Sir Raymond Firth in recognition of his 90th b... more This is the introduction to a 1996 festschrift for Sir Raymond Firth in recognition of his 90th birthday.
Foreword to ANUTA: Social Structure of a Polynesian Island, 1981
In 1971, Raymond Firth suggested Anuta, a Polynesian island in the Solomon Islands, as a location... more In 1971, Raymond Firth suggested Anuta, a Polynesian island in the Solomon Islands, as a location for my doctoral research. I spent about a year on Anuta in 1972 -- 73 and, in 1981, published a book on Anutan kinship and social structure. Raymond (by then, SIR Raymond) kindly agreed to write a foreword to the monograph. In retrospect, I am impressed at his modesty and' generosity, even complimenting me on correcting some of his own ethnographic errors! Sir Raymond passed in 2002.This is his forward to my book.
Ten miles into a planned 30-mile bike ride, my rear tire exploded. The wheel was shattered, and I... more Ten miles into a planned 30-mile bike ride, my rear tire exploded. The wheel was shattered, and I had a significant injury. Over the next hour, two dozen passers-by stopped to offer empathy and assistance. None of them knew me. They were men and women, black and white, and represented a variety of backgrounds. They saw someone in potential need of help, and they interrupted their established plans to lend a hand.
Much national debate in recent months has focused on the fact of human diversity and how we ought... more Much national debate in recent months has focused on the fact of human diversity and how we ought to deal with it. Florida has become a bellwether for efforts to suppress awareness of the many ways of being human. Meanwhile, my state of Ohio is trying to do Florida one better. Last week, Ohio's Senate passed SB 83, limiting what faculty can teach or say at public colleges and universities (as well as private institutions that receive state funding). The bill is so draconian that even the Ohio State University Board of Trustees has condemned it. The Inter-University Council has made comparable points in a letter to state senator Jerry Cirino. Hundreds of witnesses testified against SB 83 during public hearings, and many others have offered parallel critiques in a variety of venues.
This is an op ed. that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal in October 1998, in response to a com... more This is an op ed. that appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal in October 1998, in response to a commentary by Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe. Jacoby, in essence, argued that Native Americans are better off for having been introduced to "civilization" by European colonizers. Here, I present the other side, emphasizing the complexity of Native American societies and European interactions with them.
This is a description of my experience in Port Moresby, Buka, and the Solomon Islands in 2000. I ... more This is a description of my experience in Port Moresby, Buka, and the Solomon Islands in 2000. I was supposed to visit Anuta, a Polynesian outlier in the Solomons, with my son. However, that was during "The Tension," and the battle lines at the time were near the Honiara airport. Therefore, flights were canceled, and we spent time instead in PNG with old acquaintances from Nukumanu Atoll. Eventually, the fighting eased, the airport opened, and I was able to travel (by myself) to the Solomons. But the lull was temporary, and I found myself doing fieldwork in a war zone.
This is an account of what it's like to travel on a cargo ship in the Solomon Islands. It was wr... more This is an account of what it's like to travel on a cargo ship in the Solomon Islands. It was written for my kayak club newsletter, Keel Haulers Kanews, in 2000 and published in January 2001.
Language can affect the way we think about important issues and all too often we use words withou... more Language can affect the way we think about important issues and all too often we use words without considering what they convey. Nowhere is this more true than in the world of politics. The right-wing extremists presently in control of one of our major political parties are anything but conservative.
ntroduction: Leadership and Change in the Western Pacific: Essays in Honor of Sir Raymond Firth, 1996
This is the introduction to a 1996 festschrift for Sir Raymond Firth in recognition of his 90th b... more This is the introduction to a 1996 festschrift for Sir Raymond Firth in recognition of his 90th birthday.
This is an op ed in The Portager, a widely read news venue in northeastern Ohio. It addresses the... more This is an op ed in The Portager, a widely read news venue in northeastern Ohio. It addresses the importance of welcoming and seriously considering a diversity of viewpoints on difficult issues.
This is a 1995 op ed I wrote for the Akron Beacon Journal in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City b... more This is a 1995 op ed I wrote for the Akron Beacon Journal in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing. It focuses on the tone of political discourse that had contributed to such events. I recently reread the piece and, despite the change in protagonists' names, I was stuck by how little has altered over the past 30 years. For that reason, I was moved to post it today.
Sister Lilian Takua Maeva was a remarkable person. During her short life, she touched thousands o... more Sister Lilian Takua Maeva was a remarkable person. During her short life, she touched thousands of people throughout the Solomons and overseas. She was an important person on her home island and in the Church of Melanesia. She was one of the most influential women in Solomon Islands history.
Last month was a whirlwind! Open heart surgery. Double bypass operation. Six days in the hospital... more Last month was a whirlwind! Open heart surgery. Double bypass operation. Six days in the hospital. Forced inactivity, while trying to fulfill commitments to students and colleagues at the end of the semester. I've never experienced anything remotely like it.
The conflict in Gaza has already taken thousands of lives, with no end in sight. The war will con... more The conflict in Gaza has already taken thousands of lives, with no end in sight. The war will continue to escalate and, in the end, engulf us all unless those on both sides understand how the world looks to their opponents and address their legitimate concerns.
For the first half of August, my wife and I visited our son and his family, who live in Prague. W... more For the first half of August, my wife and I visited our son and his family, who live in Prague. We spent three days in Česky Krumlov, long the center of noble rule for Southern Bohemia. On the third day, our son rented two canoes from an outfitter in Rožmberk nad Vltavou (“Rosenberg on the Vltava”), and we spent the day paddling downstream to Český Krumlov. The article shares my reflections as a US Whitewater paddler on rivers in the Czech Republic.
Op ed exploring the balance between "the right to bear arms" and promoting public safety through ... more Op ed exploring the balance between "the right to bear arms" and promoting public safety through reasonable gun control.
This is an op ed column describing the experience of whitewater kayaking on a creek in western Pe... more This is an op ed column describing the experience of whitewater kayaking on a creek in western Pennsylvania at flood stage and reflections on the attractions--social, emotional, and spiritual--of river running.
The historic relationship between anthropology and colonialism has been well established, particu... more The historic relationship between anthropology and colonialism has been well established, particularly for British anthropologists working in Africa (Asad 1976; Kuper 1983; Hobsbawm and Ranger 1983) and for American anthropologists working in North America (Hallowell 1960; Stocking 1968). As Asad (1973) has pointed out, anthropology as a discipline was born and flourished in the colonial era, a context of unequal power relationships between the West and the Third World. Anthropological studies have traditionally been conducted on colonized peoples by and for the more powerful Europeans. Recent re-examinations of the role of anthropologists in colonial encounters have become central to discussions in diverse forums, ranging from postmodern critical reflections on the process of "othering" (e.g., Clifford and Marcus 1986; Clifford 1988; Marcus and Fischer 1986; Geertz 1988), to statements on ethics and debates within the field of applied anthropology (e.g., Rynkiewich and Spradley 1976; Cassell and Jacobs 1987). The case of American anthropologists' involvement in the colonial administration of Micronesia is unusual in several ways. First is its relative lateness. Initiated at the close of World War II, this was a time when American anthropology had already been well established as a discipline. The Boasian paradigm stressing the need for objective, professional fieldwork and the principle of cultural relativity was firmly in place. The postwar period was also a time when many other colonized nations were beginning to achieve their independence from colonial powers and were themselves beginning to challenge the relationship between anthropology and colonialism. The American postwar acquisition of Micronesia, a territory consisting of more than 2,000 islands in an area equal in size to the continental United States, makes this one of the latest, largest, and longest-held colonial acquisitions in the modern world. (Belau voted to end this relationship only in 1993.) It also makes the United States the world's largest remaining overseas territorial power. Second, the Micronesian case is distinctive in terms of the numbers of researchers involved. Indeed, more American anthropologists are estimated to have studied Micronesia during the wartime-postwar era than any other area of the world in the history of the discipline. The number of anthropologists involved takes on additional significance when it is recognized that they were among the few civilians allowed entrance into Micronesia by the United States government during the early postwar period. Finally, most anthropological efforts were directly instigated and sponsored by the United States government. Although academic freedom was generally assured to researchers, nonetheless many research topics funded were those regarded as important by the government, and it was often expected that practical results would be communicated in ways that would benefit the administration. Furthermore, during the later Interior administration of the Trust Territory, staff and district anthropologists were hired in an explicitly advisory capacity for the administration of Micronesia. This article critically examines the role of American anthropologists in this colonial encounter in Micronesia. It investigates the question of the use of anthropology in advancing the American colonial agenda (Feinberg 1994), but moves away from the simplistic assumption that anthropology was a reflection of, or handmaiden for, the colonial regime (Asad 1973). The issue is not nearly as simple as it might at first seem. The results of a recent Wenner-Gren symposium point out that colonialism was never monolithic or omnipotent (Cooper and Stoler 1990). Rather, there were competing agendas, strategies, and doubts among colonizers and between them and the colonized. This ongoing dialectic shows colonization to be a problematic, contested, and continually changing process (e.g., Comaroff 1990). …
Richard Feinberg and Richard Scaglion (eds.)
"Polynesia" includes thousands of islands, most of... more Richard Feinberg and Richard Scaglion (eds.) "Polynesia" includes thousands of islands, most of them arranged in a rough triangle bounded by Hawai'i, Easter Island, and New Zealand. Outside the Polynesian Triangle, in areas commonly designated Micronesia and Melanesia, lie about two dozen islands, most of them small and widely separated, whose inhabitants speak Polynesian languages and share other characteristics with triangle Polynesians. These islands are collectively termed the Polynesian outliers. The great Polynesian centers endured major change before trained observers had an opportunity to record their lifeways. In contrast, owing largely to their remote location, the outliers were spared much of the trauma suffered by their larger and more accessible neighbors, making them particularly interesting for anthropologists, and critical for the comparative study of Polynesia. Who are these peoples? Where did they originate, and how did they come to settle in these remote islands? What is their relationship to the better-known Polynesian societies? Can they, in some way, be thought of as representing Polynesian society before it became permanently altered by contact with Europeans? This volume explores these and other questions and provides the first synthetic, comparative treatment of these unique islands.
Beeline Alumni Edition. Martin Van Buren High School Alumni Alliance, 2016
Speech on behalf of Mario Savio, leader of UC, Berkeley's 1964 Free Speech Movement, on occasion ... more Speech on behalf of Mario Savio, leader of UC, Berkeley's 1964 Free Speech Movement, on occasion of his induction into the Martin van Buren High School Hall of Fame. Summarizes Mario's biography, his contributions to the student movement of the 1960s, and his part in the struggle for social justice.
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Books by Rick Feinberg
Vltava”), and we spent the day paddling downstream to Český Krumlov. The article shares my reflections as a US Whitewater paddler on rivers in the Czech Republic.
"Polynesia" includes thousands of islands, most of them arranged in a rough triangle bounded by Hawai'i, Easter Island, and New Zealand. Outside the Polynesian Triangle, in areas commonly designated Micronesia and Melanesia, lie about two dozen islands, most of them small and widely separated, whose inhabitants speak Polynesian languages and share other characteristics with triangle Polynesians. These islands are collectively termed the Polynesian outliers. The great Polynesian centers endured major change before trained observers had an opportunity to record their lifeways. In contrast, owing largely to their remote location, the outliers were spared much of the trauma suffered by their larger and more accessible neighbors, making them particularly interesting for anthropologists, and critical for the comparative study of Polynesia. Who are these peoples? Where did they originate, and how did they come to settle in these remote islands? What is their relationship to the better-known Polynesian societies? Can they, in some way, be thought of as representing Polynesian society before it became permanently altered by contact with Europeans? This volume explores these and other questions and provides the first synthetic, comparative treatment of these unique islands.