ABSTRACT
It is a paradox that while specialization or the division of labor is important to any understanding of the high productivity found in industrialized societies of the West, the kind of specialization which takes place in peasant and primitive societies is often responsible for a “roundabout-ness” in production and distribution that detracts from the efficient use of resources. The question to consider therefore is not that of “specialization” versus “non-specialization, “ but whether or not a society is organized in such a way as to contribute to increased productivity of human effort. It is important to examine the types of specialization found in Khanh Hau in this context, in addition to any purely descriptive value the topic may have.
