The Power of Mary in Papua New Guinea

Anna-Karina Hermkens

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

    Abstract

    In this extract from her ethnographic account of devotion to the Virgin Mary in Papua New Guinea, Anna-Karina Hermkens illustrate many of the general principles outlined by Jo Hendry in the previous text. As she shows, the figure of Mary, and the powers ascribed to her, have taken many forms at different times and in different places, and they have occasioned controversy within the Roman Catholic Church. Hermken's analysis powerfully shows how Mary in Papua New Guinea becomes a figure of on-the-spot protection, especially for women, in the face of their specific experience of domestic violence, rape, HIV/AIDS and war. She also points to contradictions inherent in this global-local axis: how, for example, Mary's local powers as a protector of women are in tension with her globally emphasised qualities of submission and acceptance.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationIntroductory Readings In Anthropology
    EditorsHilary Callan, Brian Street, Simon Underdown
    Place of PublicationUnited States of America
    PublisherBerghahn Books
    Pages287-294
    Volume1
    ISBN (Print)9780857459695
    Publication statusPublished - 2013

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