One of the most beautiful island groups of the Pacific, Bougainville has a remarkable history. Tragically, it is as the site of devastating civil conflict that Bougainville is perhaps best known. In exploring the rich environmental, cultural and social heritage of Bougainville before the conflict, this collection provides an insight into the long-term causes of the crisis. In doing so, it surveys such topics as Bougainville’s prehistory and traditional cultures, the impact of German and Australian colonialism, the attempts by disparate local cultures to find a common identity, the assertion of political autonomy in the face of coercion to integrate with Papua New Guinea, and contemporary efforts to resolve conflict and plan a viable future. A landmark collaboration between expert commentators on Bougainville and Bougainvilleans themselves, this volume provides a comprehensive picture for those seeking to understand Bougainville’s history and future directions. Bougainville before the conflict was published in association with the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Project, which is supported by The Australian National University and the Commonwealth of Australia.

"The lights went out in Bougainville in 1990. In an attempt to force the island to give up its claims for independence, the government of Papua New Guinea imposed a military blockade, withdrawing all government and commercial services. The PNG military took control, imposed a permanent curfew and began an armed campaign against Bougainvillean rebel forces." "As Mothers of the Land is a unique account of one of the deadliest conflicts in recent decades, told not by military or political chiefs, but by those caught in the middle of the fighting: Bougainvillean women." "Bougainville is a matrilineal society, in which women are custodians of the land, but, as the conflict escalated, they became unwilling pawns in the fight to control the country's destiny. They were forced from their homes and herded into PNG-controlled 'care centres' or were forced to live on the run, fleeing to the jungle to escape violence, rape and military rule." "Normal society fractured as fear and anarchy took hold. With no access to health, education and basic community services, women were forced to call on traditional knowledge and self-reliance to rebuild a sense of community in the heart of the jungle. They also began to build a women's movement for peace and freedom." "As Mothers of the Land is a record of the years of war and the quest for peace, told by the women who lived through it. It is an essential record of the vital role women played in the Bougainville peace process and their remarkable achievements in a country torn apart by decades of violent struggle."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book outlines how Rio Tinto—one of the world’s largest miners—redesigned and rebuilt relationships with communities after the rejection of the company during Bougainville’s Civil War. Glynn Cochrane recalls how he and colleagues utilized their training as social anthropologists to help the company to earn an industry leadership reputation and competitive business advantage by establishing the case for long-term, on the ground, smoke-in-the-eyes interaction with people in local communities around the world, despite the appeal of maximal efficiency techniques and quicker, easier answers. Instead of using ready-made, formulaic toolkits, Rio Tinto relied on community practitioners to try to accommodate local preferences and cultural differences. This volume provides a step-by-step account of how mining companies can use social anthropological and ethnographic insights to design ways of working with local communities, especially in times of upheaval.

This is a unique look at the country of Bougainville, its people, their history, and their move toward peace told from the perspectives of the people involved both within and outside of the process. The book traces the peace movement from November 20, 1997, when unarmed monitors from New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, and Fiji arrived in Bougainville with the agreement of the Papua New Guinea government and most of the political factions on Bougainville. Their task was to establish a secure atmosphere in which Bougainvilleans could forge their own peaceful solution to the conflict. The individual viewpoints show how the fragile road toward a peaceful outcome was constructed.