Becoming Tongan : an ethnography of childhood in the Kingdom of Tonga
Date
1991
Authors
Kavapalu, Helen
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Abstract
Child socialisation in Tonga is examined in this thesis from the perspective of the
hierarchical relations that are a pervasive feature of Tongan social life. Social
competence in Tonga is, to a great extent, the ability to behave according to one’s
social status in any given context. This thesis discusses the kinds of knowledge that
enable children to develop this ability, including the cultural values of ‘love’, respect
and obedience, and the concepts and roles associated with kinship and gender. The
primary ways in which this knowledge is acquired are also analysed, and include
observation and imitation, language socialisation, play, punishment, and the
socialisation of emotion. The thesis also explores the notion of personhood in
Tonga, particularly in relation to the chief/commoner distinction.
In order to contextualise this analysis of socialisation, broader aspects of the
ethnography of childhood in Tonga are also addressed. Attitudes to marriage and
reproduction, the beliefs and practices associated with pregnancy and birth, and the
physical care of infants are discussed. The details of children’s everyday lives are
described: their work, play, schooling, health and nutrition. Throughout the thesis
the process of social change is considered, and its impact on Tongans’ perceptions of
their ‘cultural identity’ is assessed.
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Thesis (PhD)
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