Book

Housekeeping among Malay peasants

London School of Economics and Political ScienceLondon • Published In 1943 • Pages: viii, 198 , plates

By: Firth, Rosemary.

Abstract
Rosemary Firth spent eight months in a small fishing village in Kelantan. While her husband investigated the production and distribution of wealth (see No. 4, Firth), she studied the ways in which this wealth was used. The report concentrates on women and their activities, as housekeepers, wives, mothers and wage-earners. (The appendix includes a case history of economic and social relations in a polygamous establishment, showing the jealousy of the older for the younger wife, aggravated by difficulties about the division of income.) The data on household budgets were collected by personal interview from 10 families over periods ranging from 4 to 21 weeks. (Individual family weekly expenditures are included in the appendix.) The types of markets, the products on sale and the methods and amount bought by the individual consumer are included in the study. Ceremonial obligations and the financing and preparation of the feasts are described. The appendix includes a section on cooking and recipes.
Subjects
Settlement patterns
Standard of living
Fishing
Income and demand
Composition of population
Household
Division of labor by gender
Gender status
Gender roles and issues
Eating
Termination of marriage
Diet
Food preparation
Polygamy
Secondary marriages
Mutual aid
Borrowing and lending
culture
Malays
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Asia
Sub Region
Southeast Asia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
B. P. Emerson ; 1955
Field Date
1939-1940
Coverage Date
1939-1943
Coverage Place
Small fishing vlilage in Kelantan
Notes
Rosemary Firth
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
43007850
LCSH
Home economics--Kelantan
Kelantan--Social life and customs