Talking it Through
Responses to Sorcery and Witchcraft Beliefs and Practices in Melanesia
Edited by: Miranda Forsyth
, Richard Eves Please read Conditions of use before downloading the formats.
Description
Sorcery and witchcraft practices and beliefs are pervasive across Melanesia. They are in part created by, and give rise to, a wide variety of poor social and developmental outcomes. These include uneven economic development, low public health, lack of social cohesion, crime, fear and insecurity. A further very visible problem is the attacks on men and women who are accused of being practitioners of witchcraft or sorcery, which can lead to serious bodily harm, banishment and sometimes death. Today, many communities, individuals, church organisations and policymakers in Melanesia and internationally are exploring ways to overcome the negative social outcomes associated with witchcraft and sorcery practices and beliefs. This book brings together a collection of chapters written by a diverse range of authors, both Melanesian and non-Melanesian, providing crucial insights both into how these practices and beliefs are playing out in contemporary Melanesia, and also the types of interventions that are being trialled or debated to address the problems associated with them.
Details
- ISBN (print):
- 9781925021561
- ISBN (online):
- 9781925021578
- Publication date:
- May 2015
- Imprint:
- ANU Press
- DOI:
- http://doi.org/10.22459/TIT.05.2015
- Series:
- Pacific Series
- Disciplines:
- Arts & Humanities: Cultural Studies, Philosophy & Religion; Law; Social Sciences: Anthropology, Development Studies
- Countries:
- Pacific: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu
PDF Chapters
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- Preliminary pages (PDF, 101KB)
- Contents (PDF, 111KB)
- Foreword: Sorcery- and Witchcraft-Related Killings in Papua New Guinea (PDF, 141KB) – Gairo Onagi
- The Problems and Victims of Sorcery and Witchcraft Practices and Beliefs in Melanesia: An Introduction (PDF, 137KB) – Miranda Forsyth and Richard Eves
Part 1: Social, Economic and Cultural Dimensions to the Belief in Witchcraft and Sorcery
- The Spread of Sorcery Killing and its Social Implications (PDF, 124KB) – Jack Urame doi
- Sorcery, Christianity and the Decline of Medical Services (PDF, 577KB) – John Cox and Georgina Phillips doi
- Witchcraft, Sorcery, Violence: Matrilineal and Decolonial Reflections (PDF, 165KB) – Salmah Eva-Lina Lawrence doi
- Sorcery and Witchcraft as a Negative Force on Economic and Social Development in Solomon Islands (PDF, 744KB) – Lawrence Foana’ota doi
- Huli Customary Beliefs and Tribal Laws about Witches and Witch Spirits (PDF, 153KB) – John Himugu doi
- Talking Sanguma: The Social Process of Discernment of Evil in Two Sepik Societies (PDF, 189KB) – Patrick F. Gesch doi
- The Haus Man Cleansing at Nahu Rawa (PDF, 537KB) – Patrick F. Gesch and Jonathan Julius doi
- ‘The Land Will Eat You’: Land and Sorcery in North Efate, Vanuatu (PDF, 2.0MB) – Siobhan McDonnell doi
- Sorcery, Poison and Politics: Strategies of Self-Positioning in South Malekula, Vanuatu (PDF, 142KB) – Laurent Dousset doi
Part 2: Legal Dimensions to the Belief in Witchcraft and Sorcery
- The Courts, the Churches, the Witches and their Killers (PDF, 136KB) – Christine Stewart doi
- The Western Legal Response to Sorcery in Colonial Papua New Guinea (PDF, 137KB) – Mel Keenan doi
- A Pluralist Response to the Regulation of Sorcery and Witchcraft in Melanesia (PDF, 174KB) – Miranda Forsyth doi
- Sorcery- and Witchcraft-Related Killings in Papua New Guinea: The Criminal Justice System Response (PDF, 190KB) – Ravunamu Auka, Barbara Gore and Pealiwan Rebecca Koralyo doi
- Sorcery Violence in Bougainville Through the Lens of Human Rights Law: A Critical View (PDF, 3.4MB) – Mark Evenhuis doi
- The Belief in Sorcery in Solomon Islands (PDF, 143KB) – Philip Kanairara and Derek Futaiasi doi
Part 3: Positive Directions in Overcoming Violence
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