Bronislaw Malinowski first studied the Trobriand Islands in the early 20th century. Annette Weiner’s later restudy in the Trobriand Islands revealed that Malinowski had overlooked women's roles in exchanges. What did Weiner find?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Weiner documented that Trobriand women were central to the production and ceremonial exchange of banana‑fiber skirts, a system Malinowski had largely ignored.

Relevant knowledge points and concepts:
- Malinowski’s classic account emphasized the male Kula exchange of shell valuables (mwali — shell armbands — and soulava — shell necklaces) as the key social economy in the Trobriands.
- Annette Weiner’s restudy corrected this male-centered view by showing parallel, gendered systems of exchange: men’s public Kula ring and women’s exchanges of banana‑fiber skirts and mats that carried social, economic, and ritual value.
- Concepts: gendered spheres of production/exchange, inalienable possessions, and the cultural value of gendered goods.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. Malinowski described the famous Kula — an inter-island exchange of shell armbands and necklaces — and interpreted exchange largely through male activities.
2. Weiner returned and collected evidence that women produced and circulated banana‑fiber skirts (and other textile goods) in formalized exchange networks tied to lineage, marriage, and ritual.
3. She showed these exchanges were elaborate, public, and integral to status and wealth distribution, not marginal household tasks.
4. Therefore, the overlooked domain was women’s exchange of banana‑fiber skirts, which paralleled and complemented men’s shell exchanges in social significance.

Why the correct answer is correct:
Weiner’s landmark contribution was precisely identifying the banana‑fiber skirt exchange as a major, formalized economic and ceremonial activity conducted by women — refuting the idea that exchange was primarily male.

Why the other options are incorrect:
- “Shell armbands and necklaces” describes the male Kula that Malinowski had already documented, not what Weiner newly emphasized for women.
- “Women played a limited role” contradicts Weiner’s findings that women’s exchanges were elaborate and central.
- “Both women and men played complementary roles in the exchange of foods” misstates Weiner’s focus; her emphasis was on gendered ceremonial goods (skirts and mats), not simply complementary food exchanges.

Conclusion: This explanation supports and confirms the correct answer: that women participated in elaborate economic exchanges of banana fiber skirts.

Bronislaw Malinowski first studied the Trobriand Islands in the early 20th century. Annette Weiner’s later restudy in the Trobriand Islands revealed that Malinowski had overlooked women's roles in exchanges. What did Weiner find? 单项选择题

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