Creative Performance and Social Change: The Hawaiian Cultural Revolution As Dramatic Transformation

Abstract

The dynamics of social change is to a large extent problematic in anthropological theory, particularly within the context of the Hawaiian cultural revolution, for here social change was rapidly accomplished in a short period of time. The Hawaiian cultural revolution has been utilized as a special case whereby macro-level theories of social change have been tested. By using Cohen's notion of creative performance as dramatic transformation and Turner's social drama as analytic framework, this paper located the dynamics of social change at the micro-level i.e., in the purposeful activity of individuals.