ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a study of gender and sexuality in Melanesia which has long been structured in terms of the theoretical concerns of anthropology as a discipline. The American anthropologist Mead was similarly inspired by interest in the social functioning of reproduction and kinship relations and aimed to develop a cross-cultural understanding of the social basis for sexual behaviour and customary practices associated with power relations between men and women. Feminist researchers also questioned the idea that relative status should be determined by simply comparing the political roles of men and women in Melanesian societies. Perhaps the most pervasive and visible gender distinction is that pertaining to the sexual division of labour and the social value ascribed to subsistence activities. Critiques of feminist approaches that concentrated on women’s lives and experiences stimulated research into masculinity and new approaches to the study of inequality in Melanesia.
