Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea (1922)

Argonauts is best remembered for its contributions to ethnographic methodology, which is one of the central themes of the book. As Malinowski reminds us throughout the monograph, particularly in the Introduction, for ethnology to reveal truths about a culture, it must be practiced as a science. This must occur through objective methods, like synoptic tables and charts. This was not enough, however, and Malinowski attempted to also record the mentality of the natives by documenting the typical emotions and attitudes toward aspects of life and society.

Malinowski emphasizes the importance of cultural immersion for valuable scientific ethnography. Prior to his work, most anthropological research was done through secondhand data or at best through limited interaction with the studied people, through rigid interviews and usually through a translator. For Malinowski, this kind of research fed into existing biases, because the ethnographer could choose the aspects of society that most interested him—often the “exotic” or “bizarre”—rather than experiencing the whole of daily life. Malinowski writes about this kind of ethnographer as a “collector” of curios seeking material for a museum, one who sifts through a culture until he finds what he wants rather than patiently seeking the truth through observation.

In contrast, Malinowski lived among his informants for several years and got into the rhythms of their life.