Book Reviews 1093

attacks such absurd interpretations of this observation by others as Speiser’s assertion that this is a sign of a “phlegmatic” people and Linton and Wingert’s equally unwar- ranted statement, “One is tempted to interpret this style as the outgrowth of a culture where static, inherited rights oppress and restrain the active forces of man’s nature” (pp. 192-93). Yet Bodrogi himself lapses into some questionable statements when he attributes some aspects of the style to the “ . . . binding force of tradition and a restric- tion of artistic representation . . . ” and the “ . . . compelling force of traditional taste and the power of habit” (p. 183). In the first place we know absolutely nothing of style change or the lack thereof through time. It is merely assumed here that it is “static” over time, because it evokes a “static” emotional response in the viewer and it was rather homogeneous over the area a t the time when the collections were made. Secondly, granted Tami Island style shows less variation and individualistic expression than, say, the art styles to be found in eastern New Britain, for a researcher outspokenly interested in the relationship of art to its social and cultural contexts to explain some facets of this homogeneity as being due to the binding and compelling forces of tradi- tion is to substitute worn metaphors for an interesting observation and a problem to be studied and explained.

No effort has been spared in illustrating this handsome volume. There are two maps for initial geographical orientation, and placed along the inner margins and in full-page layouts over two hundred figures have been located so as to follow the text. About one-fourth of these figures are attractive line or white-on-terra cotta drawings (by Endre Zsigmond) and the rest are black and white photographs (by J6zsef Fran- ciscy) of exceptional quality. At the back are eight full-page plates of color photographs (by Zsuzsa Fhbry) and more fine drawings. Each of the objects illustrated is fully described in an appendix. The translation into English (by h a Rhcz) reads well despite a few obvious mistakes such as the use of “axe” and “pumpkin” where “adz” and “gourd” are clearly indicated and references to the late Dr. Gladys A. Reichard as “he.” Obviously, no work of this kind could be completely satisfactory to art his- torians and critics as well 4s all kinds of anthropologists, but Art in North-East New Guinea is a definitive study of a single style and an elegant book that is to be greatly admired from a number of points of view.

Crime and Aggression in Changing Ceylon: A Sociological Analysis of Homicide, Suicide, and Ecoltomic Crime. ARTHUR LEWIS WOOD. (Transactions of the American Philo- sophical Society, New Series, Volume 51, part 8.) Philadelphia: The American Philosophical Society, 1961. 132 pp., 7 appendices, 11 figures, indices, 2 maps, references, 54 tables. $3.00.

Reviewed by BRYCE RYAN, University of Miami

During the past two decades there has been a substantial shift among American sociologists to escape the culture bound limitations set by research on American insti- tutions and social problems. Professor Wood’s study is a stimulating attempt to under- stand criminal behavior, especially homicide and suicide, in an Asian nation and to improve thereby the sociology of deviance generally. If he has not produced a definitive work on Ceylonese criminal aggression, let us recall that even in well-researched United States the roots of crime have not been fully and neatly exposed. The present study is a sound contribution, not in the sense of a neatly designed demonstration but in its thoughtful and painstaking exploration of a difficult problem in a difficult setting. Throughout, Ceylonese aggression is recognized as deviance understandable within

1094 A merican A nlhropologist [64, 19621

its own cultural and social habitat. The author is, in this sense, a sound relativist and functionalist.

Early chapters provide a social and cultural setting against which the data on crime are to be understood. Here are summarized the historical and institutional pat- terns of the island, including law and social control. The author then deals successively with: the ecology of crime and suicide, incidents of crime and suicide, the socio-eco- nomic status of deviants, their social orientations and moral outlook, and finally, in a summation chapter, the “sociology of deviance in Ceylon.” Data are derived from several types of sources in addition to official statistics. In cooperation with the Ceylon police, a special survey was effected in which persons having been formally accused of crimes were interviewed and data also gathered on victims. A more intensive ap- proach was made in several Low Country Sinhalese Villages, although here too struc- tured and quantitative techniques were utilized chiefly. Several tantalizingly incom- plete case incidents of homicide and suicide are presented.

Professor Wood’s analysis leads him to place great emphasis upon the status struc- ture and status aspirations for understanding aggression in Ceylon. He observes that Ira significant aetiological factor in deviance is not objective status, but subjectively defined status relative to aspirations” (p. 100). His explanatory theory might have gained by more systematic assessment of its relationship to Straw’s studies in Sinhalese personality structure. Professor Wood is well aware that his research offers no full answers, and he recommends that his work be followed by more intimate and less quantitative approaches. Unquestionably, he has uncovered important leads upon which other scholars may build.

Structurally, the monograph has certain shortcomings. I t is not well edited. The case incidents are teasers, some of which are not well integrated with issues. In a monograph on crime, i t seems unreasonable that nearly the first half of the text be devoted to description of the Ceylon milieu. This reader a t least was impatient for crime long before the author had completed his actually quite good survey of Ceylon society and culture. Had this material, much of which is relevant to the theory, been ingested in the meaty crime treatment itself, the report would have been more co- hesive.

Caste Ranking and Community Strwture in Five Regions of I d a and Pakistan. M c K u MARRIOTT. (Deccan College Monograph Series, No. 23.) Poona: Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute, 1960. 75 pp., bibliography, 7 figures, 4 tables.

Reviewed by ALAN R. BEALS, Slanjord University Studies of India’s caste system have, for the most part, been made in a data collect-

ing mood. Analysis has rarely led to much more than low order generalizations con- cerning the functioning or operation of caste in particular communities. Theoretically significant questions concerning the factors which might influence the size and number of castes present, the number of distinct rankings into which the castes may be placed, or the patterns of interaction among castes have rarely been asked.

Although McKim Marriott’s study of caste ranking is in the nature of a preliminary exploration of these matters, it should serve the purpose of leading others away from the sterile enumeration of caste customs towards some hard thinking about why com- munity structures in India are the way they are. In his approach to this problem, Marriott confines himself almost entirely to the problem of explaining the elaboration of caste ranking. Elaboration is defined as the number of ranks into which the same number of castes is placed by the consensus of members of the community.

Rs. 51-.