Becoming Sinners: Christianity and Moral Torment in a Papua New Guinea Society (Volume 4)

Ethnographic Studies in Subjectivity

by Joel Robbins

In a world of swift and sweeping cultural transformations, few have seen changes as rapid and dramatic as those experienced by the Urapmin of Papua New Guinea in the last four decades. A remote people never directly "missionized," the Urapmin began in the 1960s to send young men to study with Baptist missionaries living among neighboring communities. By the late 1970s, the Urapmin had undergone a charismatic revival, abandoning their traditional religion for a Christianity intensely focused on human sinfulness and driven by a constant sense of millennial expectation. Exploring the Christian culture of the Urapmin, Joel Robbins shows how its preoccupations provide keys to understanding the nature of cultural change more generally. In so doing, he offers one of the richest available anthropological accounts of Christianity as a lived religion. Theoretically ambitious and engagingly written, his book opens a unique perspective on a Melanesian society, religious experience, and the very nature of rapid cultural change.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Theory

410 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The argument was interesting but sections of the book were soooooo theory-heavy and hard to understand

[Fern · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made me crazy. It is so weighed down with theory, and the writing is so redundant. Robbins spent so long carefully collecting ethnographic information, and his method seemed good. However, this book showed he was rewriting and projecting so thoroughly on Urapmin culture. It was a strong example of anthropological studies being rather self-serving, and advancing intellectual goals over listening to and observing cultures. If he had cut down on the redundancy and varied re-stating of his ideas, the book could have focused more on the Urapmin, and not on ethnocentric intellectualism. It was exhausting to read.

The conclusion was disappointing. He included a lot of cross-cultural information which seemed irrelevant. He covered so much in this book, it would have been a better use to include a discussion of his various points in the conclusion. If you do want a contextual introduction to Foucault and moral considerations in culture, it's a great start, but keep in mind that other cultures with colonial histories are not just tools to develop intellectual ideas. I had trouble understanding how this work served the Urapmin, or even reflected their voices.

[astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent - repetitive at points and not the most interesting read in some of its deepest moments of ethnographic detail, but makes interesting points about the conflict between the relationalism of traditional spirituality and the individualism of Christianity, and thus the constant moral torment of the Urapmin of PNG, who also have a sense of constant inferiority and inclination towards sinfulness on the basis of their race. On this front, it was a very sad read. Was also super intrigued by the more structuralist theoretical influences (and, ofc, any and all references to Foucault bring me deep joy, which is fortunate given my line of study). Can't say I'm looking forward to essay-writing about it, but definitely not without its merits.

[Aamina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book feeling kinda bad for the Urapmin. They seem like great people who value relations and community, but I just don’t get what all the self-imposed denigration is for!!

The Urapmin see themselves as inferior, as they are dark skinned. They view the world as bi-racial: Whites and Blacks. To them, Whites are civilised, in control and disciplined, whereas Blacks are gluttonous, lack self control and are prone to crime.

Not only this, the Urapmin take a very harsh view of Christianity- one focused on sin and moral humiliation. It is virtually impossible not to be a sinner, as even thinking bad thoughts, and experiencing natural human emotions such as anger is ‘unchristian’ and ‘sinful.’ Hence the need for confession, and ‘Spirit Diskos’.

At the end of the day, it is very clear why this book includes the phrase ‘moral torment’. The Urapmin see themselves as perpetual sinners, constantly anticipating the second coming of Christ, whilst also being torn between their traditional way of living and the new Christian one: Both of which conflict with each other. The other makes a good concluding point, which is that from the outside, life for the Urapmin looks good: they are not living in poverty, there is no tribal warfare etc. But it is only after deeper ethnographic study, that we see the torment lurking within: The Urapmin are a troubled people, and this is the legacy of colonialism in the West Sepik Province of Papau New Guinea.

[Rasmus Tillander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Becoming Sinners on yksi parhaista akateemisista kirjoista, joita olen lukenut. Nerokas tapa jolla Robbins käsittelee uskontoa, moraalia ja kulttuuria herättää halun vaatia teologiselta tiedekunnalta korvauksia: miten voi olla etteivät nämä asiat kuulu opintosuunnitelmaan?

Kirja perustuu Robbinsin kenttätyöhän papualaisen Urapmin-heimon parissa, joiden parissa karismaattinen herätys, maailmanlopun kiihkeä odotus ja kristinuskon individualismi ovat hankauksessa perinteisen kosmologian ja ihmissuhteisiin perustuvan moraalijärjestelmän kanssa. Robbinsin päätarkoitus kirjassa onkin käsitellä teoreettisesti nimenomaan tilanteita, joissa yhteisö elää kahden toisistaan suhteellisen irrallisen kulttuurin ja moraalijärjestelmän alla. Siinä samalla hän tulee myös kuvailleeksi uskontoa hyvin monitahoisesti kulttuuri-ilmiönä.

[Adanna]

did I read the entire thing ?
No

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

[louisa]

Saw it on a religion post-doc's shelf at her party this weekend and was intrigued by the title.

[Aminta Arrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best in the new field of Anthropology of Christianity.