This accessible 1999 study of social class in contemporary Papua New Guinea deals with the new elite, its culture and its institutions, and its relationship to the broader society. The Papua New Guinea described here is not a place of exotic tribesmen, but a modernising society, shaped by global forces, and increasingly divided on class lines. The authors describes the life-style of the elite Wewak, a typical commercial centre, their golf clubs and Rotary gatherings, and bring home the ways in which differences of status are created, experienced and justified. In a country with a long tradition of egalitarianism, it has become at once possible and plausible for relatively affluent 'nationals' to present themselves in a wide range of contexts as fundamentally superior to 'bushy' people, to blame the poor for their misfortunes, and to turn their backs on their less successful relatives.
Focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on urban and periurban Papua New Guinea (PNG), we discuss the significance of instant ramen noodles to those now known as the “bottom of the pyramid” (BOP). Although instant noodles are remarkable in that they are eaten by virtually everyone in the world, albeit in different amounts and for different reasons, they are marketed in PNG specifically as a “popularly positioned product” (PPP) for the BOP. Cheap, convenient, tasty, filling, and shelf stable, they are a modern addition to Sidney Mintz's classic “proletarian hunger killers” of sugar, tea, and coffee. But, we argue, instant noodles have a distinctive contemporary role: they do more than sustain the poor; they transform them into the aspiring consumers of the BOP. As such, instant noodles can be viewed as an antifriction device, greasing the skids of capitalism as it extends its reach. [instant noodles, bottom of the pyramid, Papua New Guinea]
Exploring global processes of “modernity” as they engaged Chambri of Papua New Guinea, we examine two locally salient discourses, presented by PepsiCo and by Antioch, a Catholic youth organization. These were employed by rebellious youths and more conservative elders to debate the appropriate relationship among “traditional” and “modern” selves and socialities. Both of the discourses into which the debate was channeled were concerned with “self‐creation.” This meant that “modernism” was more consolidated than challenged. Consequently, even for its most vigorous proponents, “tradition” became progressively less compelling (or binding) in any of its particulars and increasingly developed as a form of self‐expression—of personal choice and appreciation. [Papua New Guinea, modernity, transnationalism, socioeconomic change, identity]
The pallid sturgeon, formally listed in the United States as endangered since 1990, remains in trouble. Evolving in a free‐flowing Missouri River, this ancient fish finds itself imperiled by a system of dams regulated by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The USACE must now confront the “wicked problem” of adjusting its envirotechnical regime of water management to address not only human economic interests but also antithetical fish‐focused imperatives. To achieve a convincing balance, the USACE musters an array of bureaucratic practices that are seemingly beyond criticism. Through such practices, especially as publically performed at the quarterly meetings of the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee, the USACE affirms both itself and the envirotechnical system it incarnates as the best the fish can expect. [bureaucracy, envirotechnical regimes, endangered species, “wicked problem,” pallid sturgeon, Missouri River, United States]
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