Introduction: the human histories of West New Guinea

Gaffney, D; Tolla, M

Book section : Chapter

Introduction: the human histories of West New Guinea

Abstract:: This chapter is an introduction to West New Guinea: Social, Biological, and Material Histories. It first describes the sparse information available about the environmental and cultural history of the area before describing the boundary-making that has formed West New Guinea in the recent past. The chapter then identifies seven key research themes with implications for both global and regional anthropology: the early peopling of Oceania, human adaptation within varied and challenging ecologies, the emergence of food production, the dispersal of languages, the connections between the Pacific and global trade networks, the transformative lives of material culture, and the history of museums and collecting. Finally, the chapter provides an outline of the book structure and the chapters that follow, all of which contribute in important ways to the seven identified research themes.

Bab ini merupakan bagian pengantar judul buku “Papua bagian barat: Sejarah sosial, biologi dan budaya materi”. Bab ini dibuka dengan uraian mengenai sejarah lingkungan dan budaya Papua bagian barat yang dilanjutkan dengan uraian latar belakang sejarah wilayah ini secara utuh hingga masa kini. Terdapat tujuh pokok tema yang dideskripsikan pada bab ini, dimana tema-tema tersebut berimplikasi pada studi antropologi baik itu dalam lingkup skala regional maupun secara global. Topik ini antara lain: penduduk awal Oseania, adaptasi manusia dalam keanekaragaman ekologi serta tantangannya, awal-mula produksi pangan, penyebaran bahasa, transformasi budaya materi, dan sejarah museum dan koleksi. Garis besar topik yang terdapat dalam 21 bab ini kemudian diuraikan pada bagian akhir.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

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APA Style

Gaffney, D., & Tolla, M. (2025). Introduction: the human histories of West New Guinea. In D. Gaffney & M. Tolla (Eds.), West New Guinea: Social, Biological, and Material Histories (1st ed., pp. 1–26). ANU Press.

MLA Style

Gaffney, D., and M. Tolla. “Introduction: the Human Histories of West New Guinea.” West New Guinea: Social, Biological, and Material Histories, edited by D Gaffney and M Tolla, 1st ed., ANU Press, 2025, pp. 1–26.

Chicago Style

Gaffney, D, and M Tolla. 2025. “Introduction: the Human Histories of West New Guinea.” In West New Guinea: Social, Biological, and Material Histories, edited by D Gaffney and M Tolla, 1st ed., 1–26. Terra Australis. ANU Press.
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