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Exchanging the Past
Twenty years ago, the Gebusi of the lowland Papua New Guinea rainforest had one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Bruce M. Knauft found then that the killings stemmed from violent scapegoating of suspected sorcerers. But by the time he returned in 1998, homicide rates had plummeted, and Gebusi had largely disavowed vengeance against sorcerers in favor of modern schools, discos, markets, and Christianity. In this book, Knauft explores the Gebusi's encounter with modern institutions and highlights what their experience tells us more generally about the interaction between local peoples and global forces. As desire for material goods grew among Gebusi, Knauft shows that they became more accepting of and subordinated by Christian churches, community schools,and government officials in their attempt to benefit from them—a process Knauft terms "recessive agency." But the Gebusi also respond actively to modernity, creating new forms of feasting, performance, and music that meld traditional practices with Western ones, all of which Knauft documents in this fascinating study.
Exchanging the Past
Twenty years ago, the Gebusi of the lowland Papua New Guinea rainforest had one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Bruce M. Knauft found then that the killings stemmed from violent scapegoating of suspected sorcerers. But by the time he returned in 1998, homicide rates had plummeted, and Gebusi had largely disavowed vengeance against sorcerers in favor of modern schools, discos, markets, and Christianity. In this book, Knauft explores the Gebusi's encounter with modern institutions and highlights what their experience tells us more generally about the interaction between local peoples and global forces. As desire for material goods grew among Gebusi, Knauft shows that they became more accepting of and subordinated by Christian churches, community schools,and government officials in their attempt to benefit from them—a process Knauft terms "recessive agency." But the Gebusi also respond actively to modernity, creating new forms of feasting, performance, and music that meld traditional practices with Western ones, all of which Knauft documents in this fascinating study.
From Primitive to Postcolonial in Melanesia and Anthropology
A prominent scholar surveys the special place of Melanesia in our understanding of human cultural variation
Genealogies for the Present in Cultural Anthropology
In the wake of tensions between modern and postmodern sensibilities, what larger directions now emerge in cultural anthropology? In this major work, Bruce Knauft takes stock of important recent initiatives in cultural and critical theory. By combining critical reviews and ethnographic engagements with fresh readings of major figures and approaches, the work develops a larger vantage point for considering the dispersing influence of practice theories, postmodernism, cultural studies, postcolonial studies, modern/post-positive feminism, and multicultural criticisms.
Critically Modern
"Critically Modern makes a critical intervention in one of the great debates of the moment. It offers a variety of rich and fascinating empirical analyses of 'modern' phenomena from diverse societies, and contributes a powerful (and largely missing) voice to the growing literature on globalization and modernity outside anthropology." —Charles Piot "In these essays theory and ethnography are presented in ways that make them mutually enriching. The volume should appeal to scholars across the entire range of disciplines that deal with modernity and/or globalization." —Edward LiPuma Are there multiple ways of being "modern" in the world today? How do people in various parts of the world beco...
The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World
Written specifically for students, this ethnography provides an engaging, real-life account of the transition from a traditional to a modern culture. It uses vibrant, poignant stories and examples to connect developments among Gebusi to topics widely discussed in anthropology courses, including comparative aspect of subsistence, kinship, politics, religion, gender, ethnicity, nationalism, and applied anthropology. When first studied by Bruce Knauft, the Gebusi of Papua New Guinea conducted ritual dances and spirit séances, practiced alternative sexual customs, and endured a high rate of violence. By the late 1990s, Gebusi had converted to Christianity and actively pursued market activity, s...
South Coast New Guinea Cultures
South coast New Guinea has long been a focus of ethnographic attention, with its varied cultures, its reputation for flamboyant sexual practices, and its traditions of headhunting. Dr. Knauft examines previous ethnographic material to reanalyze the region's seven major language-culture areas, covering a range of topics including sexuality, social inequality, the status of women, religion, politics and violence. Ethnographically rich and theoretically sophisticated, this book will be essential reading for all those interested in Melanesia, and should be read by anyone concerned with the problems of cultural comparison.
The Gebusi
This version of The Gebusi is different enough from previous editions to be not just an updated but a significantly reframed work in relation to front-burner issues in cultural anthropology. These include reflexive awareness in ethnographic writing; gender relations and the subordination of women; postcoloniality; race and ethnicity; and the challenges of government and corruption.Based on fieldwork in 2016 and 2017, this latest edition of The Gebusi blends many new developments with those of the past. Poignant descriptions and reflections by young French cofieldworker Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke complement Knauft's main account-and provide a rich dialogue across subject position and gender in et...
Nation Making
Examines the process of nation making in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu
Language Shift and Cultural Reproduction
This book, first published in 1992, is an anthropological study of language and cultural change among the people of Gapun, a small community in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea.
