Bodies and Methods in Motion

Abstract

As a cultural anthropologist who specializes in gender and sexuality research in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I was honored to become Senior Research Fellow of the Operational Research Unit (ORU) at the Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research (IMR) in Goroka, capital of Eastern Highlands Province. I now head the Anthropology Section thereof. Although I am the only anthropologist there, even our new behavioral health nursing officer can't seem to get enough tape transcription and use of Atlas.ti, a qualitative data software program! The anthropology bug that bit me long ago was spawned by qualitative parents. It infected me with a missionary zeal about qualitative methods and perspectives that I have tried to instill in our new ORU as we have taken on exciting new projects. As well, I have returned four times to the site of Ph.D. dissertation research I conducted over one decade ago—Daru, capital of PNG's Western Province. Adding to this, on August 2, 2003, I got married PNG-style (yep—bridewealth, pigs, and everything), to my longtime companion (Urakume Mahala, nee Cassandra Lee) who also fell in love with PNG.