A message from the editors.

Mimica, Jadran ; Williams, Nancy

The first issue of Oceania was published in April 1930. Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, its editor, wrote, 'The chief purpose for which this new journal is inaugurated is to provide a medium for the publication of the results of the researches that are being carried out amongst the native peoples of Australia, New Guinea and Melanesia ... its principal aim the presentation of the results of field research, it is not intended that it shall be a mere manual of observation ... the task of field-worker not only to record facts but also to discover, by appropriate scientific methods, their interpretation, i.e., their meaning and their function ... Oceania will therefore be devoted to the functional study of the cultures of the Oceanic region' (1930:1-3).

In 2012, our primary regional orientation continues to be the peoples of Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia and Insular Southeast Asia, and the central concern of the journal to be papers that are the product of sustained ethnographic research. Our statement of aims acknowledges Oceania's distinguished heritage and our aspirations to realise the full potential for scholarly excellence.

From its inception, Oceania has maintained its distinctive character by publishing ethnographically grounded contributions that have retained both their conceptual and their empirical value despite changing theoretical fashions in academic discourse. From this perspective, Oceania is an unparalleled archive of critical anthropological thought during the past 81 years because an ethnographic dimension has not been subordinated to a theoretical framework. We intend to maintain this character.

While Oceania is the longest continuously published anthropological journal in Australia, in its 82nd year it is entering a new era. This new era is marked by the recent review of editorial arrangements including the Editorships, Advisory Board and Editorial Committee, and the plan to move to Wiley Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd in 2013. Wiley Blackwell will be taking responsibility for the production, distribution, marketing and some administrative support of Oceania, which will free up the Editors and Editorial Committee to focus on enhancing the scholarly quality of the journal. Until this new arrangement, Oceania was a fully self-funded journal, relying on income from subscriptions and online database packages, as well as income from a trust account held with the University of Sydney.

Nancy Williams has joined Jadran Mimica in the co-editorship of Oceania. Neil Maclean has stepped down from the co-Editor role, but remains on the Editorial Committee. We have recently appointed two Book Review Editors, Ute Eickelkamp and Ryan Schram, who are also members of the Editorial Committee. Other new members of the Editorial Committee are Tess Lea, and Mary Patterson. Two long-standing members, Gillian Cowlishaw and Tom Ernst, have now retired from the Committee, and we thank them for many years of dedicated editorial service to the journal. Tigger Wise continues her invaluable work as Editorial Assistant.

We will continue to welcome papers by single authors and also recognise the importance of special issues to the objectives of Oceania. Such issues may deal with themes that are specific to the ethnography of the region or they may highlight the significance of the ethnography of the region to broader debates in anthropology. For details please see Editorial Principles and Policy for Special Issues on outside back cover and at http://sydney.edu.au/arts/publications/oceania