Villagers and the City: Melanesian Experiences of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (review)

Building on forty years of anthropological research associated with Port Moresby, Michael Goddard, editor of Villagers and the City, has gained a reputation for providing rich insights into the experiences of Papua New Guineans as they carve out their lives in the settlements of that city. For those with an interest in the evolution of Melanesian cities in the postcolonial era and how cultural diversity is expressed in the behavior of residents as well as in the city's urban form and structure, this publication is an important contribution to that body of work.

The six articles in this collection tell how Papua New Guineans experience life in and around the bustling city of Port Moresby, the largest urban area in the Pacific region. The chapters focus on aspects of urban life that are generally out of sight of most non-Melanesians who venture there. The contributors, from the fields of anthropology, ethnomusicology, and human ecology, supplement their stories of urban life with insights on the societies from which rural migrants come and with which those migrants continue to retain strong kin and ethnic connections. The result is a set of contrasting stories linked by the detailed perspectives and views of non-Melanesians, who paint a picture of the dynamic, vibrant, yet challenging cultural melting pot that defines contemporary urban life in Port Moresby.

The text is structured around four crosscutting themes: the history of Port Moresby since its beginnings in the late 1800s, the socioeconomic strategies of residents and the cultural drivers that shape these strategies, gender relations in the context of the motivations and problems of marriage, and the intricacies that define the identity of Port Moresby's music scene. Beginning with an overview of the evolution of Port Moresby since colonial times, chapter 1, by Michael Goddard, looks at the plight of the Motu-Koita, the traditional owners of the land on which Port Moresby has developed. Goddard discusses the responses of the Motu-Koita to losing their traditional lands to the growing urban area, and their subsequent marginalization in the context of retaining their identity in a city of newcomers. Chapter 2, by Deborah Van Heekeren, concerns the experiences of the Vula'a community, whose lands lie some 110 kilometers east of Port Moresby. Van Heekeren explores the villagers' views, perceptions, and ways of dealing with the dilemmas of development in everyday life in the village and in Port Moresby.

Chapter 3, by Masahiro Umezaki, looks at the strategies used by the Huli migrant settlers from the Southern Highlands Province as they adapt to the economic demands of life in Port Moresby. This chapter and chapter 4, by Keith Barber, reveal a complex economic reality in which the formal and informal sectors are intertwined and cultural factors play a strong part in influencing participation in economic activity. The authors strongly challenge popular media discourses that depict villagers as poor, unemployed, and destined to a life of crime and corruption. Barber's chapter builds on such messages by examining urban households and their sources of livelihood while reviewing issues associated with village identity and what it means in Port Moresby.

Chapter 5 provides a fascinating study of marriage in settlement communities. Here Goddard focuses on the significance and economic imperatives of marriage among low-income earners. Local village court transcripts on domestic disputes provide insights into the attitudes and expectations of marriage held by members of this group.

Chapter 6, by Denis Crowdy, assesses the urban music scene in Port Moresby, including the working lives of musicians and the sociocultural aspects that define a vibrant and active indigenous music industry.

The diversity of chapter content and varying perspectives contained therein provide rich and fascinating insights into Melanesian experiences of living and surviving in Port Moresby through the lenses of the non-Melanesian authors. Importantly, Goddard's first chapter...