Bringing together the theoretical framework of the economoist and the field techniques of the antropologost, Raymond Firth describes here how a Malay fishing economy functions. Now in its second revised edition, Malay Fishermen is a pioneering analysis of production, marketing and distribution in a Malay fishing community, related to community structure and values.
As a general background, the first two chapters of teh book discuss characteristics of Malay rural society, especially in the coastal area, in Kelantan; the main features of Malay marine fishing; and the particular situasion of the fisheries in Kelantan and Terengganu. The body of the book then deals with what is in effect an historical case study in economic anthropology, a community of peasant fishermen analyzed in detail. Finally, Professor Firth gives an accuont on a comparative basic of recent developments in the same community, to bring out some of the underlying social and economic forces that have been at work during the past generation.