„Encounters and Transformations: Papua New Guinea in Past and Present”

Dozent/in	Dr. des. Willem Edward Church
Veranstaltungsart	Proseminar
Code	HS251440
Semester	Herbstsemester 2025
Durchführender Fachbereich	Ethnologie
Studienstufe	Bachelor
Termin/e	wöchentlich (Mo), ab 15.09.2025, 14:15 - 16:00 Uhr, 3.B55
Umfang	2 Semesterwochenstunden
Turnus	wöchentlich
Inhalt	Papua New Guinea (PNG) is often imagined as one of the last frontiers of first contact, where colonial patrols, missionaries, and traders encountered societies previously unknown to the outside world. But what happened to these communities after first contact? How have kinship, governance, and social organization persisted or changed in response to colonialism, resource extraction, and globalization? This course explores PNG as a case study of both historical transformation and social continuity, pairing colonial-era accounts of first encounters with contemporary ethnographies of the same regions. Over the course, we will read Bill Gammage’s The Sky Travelers, an account of the last great Australian patrol in the PNG highlands. As we follow the patrol’s journey, we examine recent ethnographic studies of the same regions and themes, tracing how leadership, land tenure, kinship, and law have changed over time. Beyond PNG itself, this course offers students an entry point into broader debates about postcolonial statehood, indigenous governance, extractive industries, and legal pluralism in the Global South. Students will develop skills in historical and ethnographic analysis, learning how to critically assess both colonial records and modern social research. No prior knowledge of PNG is required.
Sprache	Englisch
Anmeldung	***Important*** In order to acquire credits, it is mandatory to register for the course via the UniPortal. Registration opens two weeks before and ends two weeks after the start of the semester. Registrations and cancellations are no longer possible after this period. The exact registration dates can be found here: http://www.unilu.ch/ksf/semesterdaten
Abschlussform / Credits	Aktive Teilnahme / 4 Credits
Hörer-/innen	Ja
Kontakt	willem.church@doz.unilu.ch
Literatur	Course Structure and Readings: A complete reading list will be provided one week before the semester begins. However, familiarity with the class themes will greatly enhance students’ ability to critically analyze the ideas we will engage with throughout the course. The core text for the course is: Bill Gammage’s: The Sky Travellers: Journeys in New Guinea 1938–1939