Changing Contexts, Shifting Meanings: Transformations of Cultural Traditions in Oceania ed. by Elfriede Hermann (review)

This edited volume, 'Changing Contexts, Shifting Meanings: Transformations of Cultural Traditions in Oceania,' challenges the notion of tradition as a static and unified concept by demonstrating its dynamic and often contentious nature. Through a collection of 20 contributions, the book explores how traditions in Oceania are constructed, contested, and transformed through early encounters, memories, and global processes. A key insight is that traditions are actively 'made' rather than inherited passively, as seen in analyses of Nan Madol's monumental sites, Tahitian dance for tourism, and Banaban dance performances. The research employs a combination of anthropological and historical perspectives, drawing on archival materials, ethnographic studies, and theoretical frameworks to illustrate the fluidity and adaptability of cultural traditions across time and space.

(Ed.). (2013). Changing Contexts, Shifting Meanings: Transformations of Cultural Traditions in Oceania ed. by Elfriede Hermann (review). The Contemporary Pacific, 25(1), 195–197. https://doi.org/10.1353/cp.2013.0009