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A 'big man', within the context of anthropology, refers to the most influential man in a tribe. His power is achieved through recognition (by skill, wisdom, or material possessions) and is not inherited. He lacks coercive authority and his position is informal and often unstable.

Contents

Big man "system"

Position

See also

References

Notes

Further reading

Big man "system"

The American anthropologist Marshall Sahlins has been a proponent of the big-man phenomenon. In his "Poor Man, Rich Man, Big Man, Chief: Political Types in Melanesia and Polynesia" Sahlins uses analytically constructed ideal-types of hierarchy and equality to compare a larger-scale Polynesian-type hierarchical society of chiefs and sub-chiefs with a Melanesian-type big-man system.^[1]
The latter consists of segmented lineage groups, locally held together by faction-leaders who compete for power in the social structure of horizontally arranged and principally equal groupings (factions). Here, leadership is not ascribed, but rather gained through action and competition "with other ambitious men".

Position

A big-man's position is never secured in an inherited position at the top of a hierarchy, but is always challenged by the different big-men who compete one with another in an on-going process of reciprocity and (re-)distribution of material and political resources. As such the big-man is subject to a transactional order based on his ability to balance the simultaneously opposing pulls of securing his own renown through distributing resources to other big-man groups (thereby spreading the word of his power and abilities) ''and'' redistributing resources to the people of his own faction (thereby keeping them content followers of his able leadership).
The Big Man concept is relatively fluid and formal authority of such figures are very low to nonexistent.

See also

★ Moka exchange

References

Notes

1. Sahlins, Marshall (1963). "Poor Man, Rich Man, Big Man, Chief: Political Types in Melanesia and Polynesia". In ''Comparative Studies in Society and History,'' 5/285-303.

Further reading

★ "The Big Men: Chris Bowler, Fergus Feilden, Ben Smyth, Alex Thomas, and John Zhang." Essay by John Zhang in the 18th issue of ''Scroop''.