Papers of Danish anthropologist John Liep (1936-2014), who was known for his research on Rossel Island (or Yela), located in the Louisiade Archipelago, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The collection includes field notes and notebooks, slides, negatives, sound recordings, writings, drawings, and correspondence.
John Liep Papers, 1920-2007 (bulk 1971-1980) (MSS 782)
Extent: 4.3 Linear feet (10 archives boxes, 1 card file box, 3 oversized folders)
John Aage Liep was born September 20, 1936 in Horsens, Denmark. Originally a student of architecture at the University of Copenhagen, Liep switched to social anthropology, completing a master's degree in 1970. He began his field studies on Rossel Island (or Yela) in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea in 1971, often accompanied by his wife, Annette Liep, and their two children. Liep was best known for his studies of Rossel Island economics and social systems. In particular, he described the ranked exchange of shells on the island as displays of distinction and rank, rather than as a monetary system, in contrast to the earlier studies of W.E. Armstrong.
Liep was a lecturer at the University of Copenhagen Institute of Anthropology from 1970 to 1978 and an associate professor from 1979 to 2003, when he became associate professor emeritus. He was also associated with the Australian National University in Canberra for his field studies in Papua New Guinea. In 2009, he completed his Ph.D. dissertation for the University of Copenhagen, which was published as A Papuan Plutocracy: Ranked Exchange on Rossel Island. Liep continued writing and attending conferences until shortly before his death on November 14, 2014.
Papers of Danish anthropologist John Liep (1936-2014), who was known for his research on Rossel Island (or Yela), located in the Louisiade Archipelago, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. The collection includes field notes and notebooks, slides, negatives, sound recordings, writings, drawings, and correspondence. Liep traveled to Rossel Island in 1971-1972, 1973, 1980, and 1989-1990.
Arranged in five series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITINGS, 2) RESEARCH, 3) PHOTOGRAPHS, 4) MAPS AND DRAWINGS, and 5) SOUND RECORDINGS.