Urban and peri-urban communities : Vanagi Settlement, Central Province; Divinai Village, Milne Bay Province; Kananam Community, Madang Province; Yalu Village and surrounds, Morobe Province

The decades since independence have seen substantial changes in Papua New Guinea’s cultures, economies, politics and ecologies. Certainly many of these changes have been influenced or even dictated by external circumstances beyond the country’s control. Much also reflects the efforts of its governments’ attempts to build a capitalist economy and a sense of national identity and purpose. Nevertheless, the incredible complexity and variety of cultures continues. Where does all this leave the communities of Papua New Guinea? What is the nature of its multitude of different communities? Many communities continue to be partly customary in their way of life—even as they live with the effects of a series of national development goals and plans, and move with and against pressures of modernization and globalization. This volume sets out to map some of that complexity, while drawing attention to a renewing self-consciousness within communities about trying to live across and negotiate many worlds—tribal, traditional and modern. Almost everybody to whom we have spoken has said that something has to be done. We are facing major problems, they said, but many of us are coming together and drawing upon our old strengths as we make changes.