Homicide Reduction among the Gebusi of Papua New Guinea-A Proposal for Primary Field Research

• Authors: Bruce M. Knauft, Emory University; Anne-Sylvie Malbrancke, École des hautes études en sciences sociales
• Journal Title: HAL Open Science
• Publisher: Center for Direct Science Communication | 2017-08-30
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Subjects: History, African; Sociology, Criminology and Penology
• Keywords: Gebusi violence; conflict management; homicide; crime reduction; Papua New Guinea; ethnography; pre-colonial; colonial

Abstract

The present report describes the activities and results of primary research in 2017 on Gebusi violence and conflict management funded by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation as a follow up to research separately funded by HFG in 2016 (see previous 2016 final project HFG report). The project investigates the causes of homicide reduction among Gebusi of Papua New Guinea, who the PI documented to have one of the highest rates of homicide ethnographically known during the precolonial, colonial, and early postcolonial periods (Knauft 1985a, 2013) – following which there has been a now-confirmed reduction of homicide to zero, since 1989. The presently-described research was undertaken successfully in May-July 2017. Unforeseen circumstances included an intense La Niña cloudy and rainy season that reduced solar power and computer use in the field to a minimum along with other challenges that included closure of the nearest airstrip at Nomad; failure of all outside communications; difficulty of arranging flights in or out of the area at the beginning and end of fieldwork (there are no roads); deterioration of supplies stored locally in 2016; and various health difficulties. Despite these issues, fieldwork was completed very successfully, with dramatic new developments both reinforcing and extending the preliminary project results obtained in 2016.