Social Order and the Exchange of Liquor: A Theory of Drinking among Australian Aborigines
- 1 July 1979
- journal article
- research article
- Published by University of Chicago Press in Journal of Anthropological Research
- Vol. 35 (2) , 208-224
- https://doi.org/10.1086/jar.35.2.3629975
Abstract
In contrast to the traditional "social problems" approach, this paper argues that drinking among contemporary Australian Aborigines is a major way they construct their social relationships with each other. In particular, sharing liquor is a means of establishing credit and of marking an individual's personal productivity and affluence. Credit (in the form of domestic resources) is necessary in order for Aborigines to counter the long-term uncertainties in their ability to generate income. Hence, drinking is a crucial part of the way Aborigines rationally adapt to current circumstances.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Alcohol and the Identity Struggle: Some Effects of Economic Change on Interpersonal RelationsAmerican Anthropologist, 1973