"Naming Systems and Naming Relations in Austronesi​a/Oceania"

organizers: Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)

and Lamont Lindstrom (University of Tulsa, USA)

Discussant: Dan Jorgensen (University of Western Ontario, Canada)

 

“Names” are a ubiquitous feature of human societies and naming is an act embedded in  many activities, yet both are under-theorized. Anthropologists had shown interest in issues of names and naming at least dating back to “Notes and Queries on Anthropology” (1892) and descriptions of names and naming practices can be seen scattered in various ethnographies over time. More recently, Levi-Stratuss’ discussion of classification systems and later agent-oriented approaches focus on how and what things can be done with names.  In the Pacific, the issue of names and the evolution of "titles" appear deeply connected. In 1981, ASAO held a formal session on “Personal Names and Naming Practices", organized by Bradd Shore who approached the naming problem as “an extended set of reflections on the implications of naming forms and processes for differentiating hierarchical and institutional complex societies found throughout Oceania.”  Building on what has been done in the past and continuing interest in the issue, this session explores 1) how naming systems and naming relations can extend our understanding of Austronesia/Oceania; 2) the relationships among names, self, identity, adoption and social values; and 3) what changing naming practices reveal about reconfigurations of person and identity in the contemporary world. 

 

Abstracts should be sent to the organizers by 15 Oct. 2011 for consideration.

 

Details:

Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University) knhui.ku at gmail.com

Institute of Anthropology, No. 101, Sec.II, Kuang-fu Rd. Hsin-chu, 30013 Taiwan

886-35742827

Lamont Lindstrom (University of Tulsa) lamont-lindstrom at utulsa.edu

Department of Anthropology, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa, (Harwell Hall 2nd Floor)
(918) 631-2348

Discussant: Dan Jorgensen (University of Western Ontario) dwj at uwo.ca

Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON
Canada N6A 5C2

Tel: 519 661-3430

 http://www.asao.org

 

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ASAO 2012 informal session: [UPDATE}

Naming Systems and Naming Relations in Austronesia/ Oceania

organizers: Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)

Lamont Lindstrom (University of Tulsa, USA)

Discussant: Dan Jorgensen (University of Western Ontario, Canada)

 

“Names” are a ubiquitous feature of human societies and naming is an act embedded in many activities, yet both are under-theorized. Anthropologists have shown interest in issues of names and naming at least since “Notes and Queries on Anthropology” (1892) and descriptions of names and naming practices are scattered in various subsequent ethnographies. More recently, Levi-Strauss’ discussion of classification systems and later agent-oriented approaches focus on how and what things can be done with names. In the Pacific, the issue of names and the evolution of "titles" appear deeply connected. In 1981, ASAO held a formal session on “Personal Names and Naming Practices", organized by Bradd Shore, who approached the naming problem as “an extended set of reflections on the implications of naming forms and processes for differentiating hierarchical and institutional complex societies found throughout Oceania.” Building on what has been done in the past and on continuing interest in the issue, this session explores 1) how naming systems and naming relations can extend our understanding of Austronesia/Oceania; 2) the relationships among names, self, identity, adoption and social values; and 3) what changing naming practices reveal about reconfigurations of person and identity in the contemporary world.

 

Confirmed participants and titles are:

Lamont Lindstrom (University of Tulsa, USA)

“Nomination and Social Reproduction”

Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)

“Names, Value and Hierarchy among Austronesian-speaking Paiwan”

Jay Bouton Crain (Emeritus, California State University, USA)

“Idé Inul? :Who are your names?”

Isabelle Leblic (Ethnologue au CNRS-LACITO, France)

“The spirit of the name: Naming and personal Identity of the Paicî Kanak People (Ponérihouen, New Caledonia)”

Doris Bacalzo (Universität Luzern, Switzerland)

"Naming in Transcultural Kinship among the Wampar, Papua New Guinea"

Don Gardner (ANU, Australia)

“Names, naming and engagement: being qua being for Mian (of Sandaun Province, PNG)”

 

The following people have also expressed interest in joining at a later stage: Laurent Dousset, Denis Monnerie, Astrid Anderson, Mac Marshall, Jürg Wassmann and Jayl Langub.

 

Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University) kunhui.ku@gmail.com

Institute of Anthropology, No. 101, Sec.II, Kuang-fu Rd. Hsin-chu, 30013 Taiwan

Lamont Lindstrom, University of Tulsa, Department of Anthropology, 800 South Tucker Drive, Tulsa OK, USA; ph: (918) 631-2348, lamont-lindstrom@utulsa.edu

Dan Jorgensen, University of Western Ontario, Department of Anthropology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON Canada N6A 5C2, Tel: 519-661-3430; dwj@uwo.ca

http://www.asao.org

 

Naming Systems and Naming Relations in Austronesia/Oceania"  Session Report

organizers: Ku Kun-hui (National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan)

and Lamont Lindstrom (University of Tulsa, USA)

Discussant: Dan Jorgensen (University of Western Ontario, Canada)

Fourteen people attended the Naming session on Friday morning and nine of these agreed to commit to the working session next year.  The session started with the presentations by those who signed up on the program before October 2011, except for Professor Jay Crain who was absent due to health issues.  The presentations ranged from sketches of ideas to semi-formulated papers in various ethnographic settings.

These were enriched by observations from those in the audience who also had personal experiences with local names, naming practices and the social obligations that came with them. The topics include the following: nomination and social reproduction/social structure; naming and personal transformation; ancestral names and identity; naming practices and changing identity; names and personhood; names and socio-cultural values. Discussion also included how theories of names and naming can engage in vital topics in the Pacific (e.g., adoption, siblingship, house society and names in diasporic settings etc).  We continue to invite interested parties to submit a ten-page draft paper to organizers by 1 Aug. for inclusion in the Sep newsletter.

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