My primary fieldwork in the Pacific has been as a rainforest ethnographer of the Gebusi people of Papua New Guinea's Western Province, where I have studied since the 1980s and most recently in 2017. In addition to my several books and many articles about Gebusi, I have published on various comparative and thematic aspects of Melanesian societies and their representation over time, including political economy and exchange;, social and cultural change; indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices -- including; ritual, shamanism, and sorcery; Christianity; violence; and gender. I have also published on various general issues in anthropological theory and on critical theories of modernity, and I have additionally conducted project work and engaged anthropology in East and West Africa, the Himalayas, Mongolia, and Myanmar. My book "The Gebusi: Lives Transformed in a Rainforest World" is now in its 4th edition. Gebusi field research on sociocultural change, conflict and conflict management, exchange, politics & governance, and gender was conducted in 2016 and 2017 (with co-researcher Dr. Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke). This is now being written up and considered in broader perspective. A fuller statement of my interests and work can be found at .

My academic affiliation is with Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA, where I am Samuel C. Dobbs Professor of Anthropology.

Anthropological Fieldwork, Christianisation, Conflict Management, Cultural Change, Gender, Kinship And Marriage, Ritual, Sexuality, Sorcery, Violence

Anthropology

Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania (ASAO)
European Society for Oceanists (ESfO)

Melanesia

20th century
21st century
Anticipatory