In 2014, the island of Ahamb in Vanuatu became the scene of a startling Christian revival movement led by thirty children with spiritual vision. However, it ended dramatically when two men believed to be sorcerers and responsible for much of the societys problems were hung by persons fearing for the islands future security. Based on twenty months of ethnographic fieldwork on Ahamb between 2010 and 2017, this book investigates how upheavals like the Ahamb revival can emerge to address and sometimes resolve social problems, but also carry risks of exacerbating the same problems they arise to address.
Recenzijos
An outstanding contribution to the scholarly study of the nature and causes of contemporary sorcery and witch panics in Melanesia, and their intersection with the waves of Christian revivalism sweeping through the region. Pacific Affairs
Clearly written, the book reads easily and offers an accessible case study that students and scholars of the Pacific will find useful and informative. It adds to a growing literature on contemporary Melanesian Christianities and older anthropological concerns with social movements everywhere. Oceania
Students and scholars of the Pacific will appreciate this clearly written monograph. It adds to a growing literature on contemporary Christianities, social movements, personhood, and sorcery in postcolonial communities. Bratrud frames the story as one of an anxious balance between peoples hopes and fears. What drives people to desire and animate change in their lives? Lamont Lindstrom, University of Tulsa
It is an amazing story. It is a remarkable book. There is nothing like it out there. Tanya Luhrmann, Stanford University
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
Notes on Text
Introduction: Fear, Hope and Social Movements
Chapter
1. Life and Death
Chapter
2. Love and Land
Chapter
3. The Revival Begins
Chapter
4. Gender and Integrity
Chapter
5. Spiritual War
Chapter
6. Crises and Reconciliations
Chapter
7. Hope, Blame and New Possibility
Conclusion
Appendix
Glossary
References
Index
Tom Bratrud is Associate Professor in Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. He has conducted research in Vanuatu for over ten years and published a number of articles on religion, politics and social life.
