A'aisa's Gifts
A Study of Magic and the Self
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2579334 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Thomas Maschio, Michele Stephens, Michele Stephen |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 196 |
| Publication date | 1996-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1359-0987 • E-ISSN: 1467-9655 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/3034681 |
| OpenAlex | W2064993430 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 32 |
Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mekeo esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and self-conceptualizations recasts accepted notions about magic and selfhood. Drawing on accounts by Mekeo ritual experts and laypersons, this is the first book to demonstrate magic's profound role in creating the self. It also argues convincingly that dream reporting provides a natural context for self-reflection. In presenting its data, the book develops the concept of autonomous imagination into a new theoretical framework for exploring subjective imagery processes across cultures
Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology · Dream · Epistemology · Ethnography · Ethnology · MAGIC (telescope · Natural (archaeology · New guinea · Psychotherapist · Sociology · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Philosophy · Psychology
The Mekeo sorcerer and his magic
Intertextual Interpretation, Fantasy and Samoan Dreams
Religion's evolutionary landscape
Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip
Sleep, Dreaming, and the Imagination
Cargo Cults, Cultural Creativity, and Autonomous Imagination
The Role of Dreams in Religious Enculturation among the Asabano of Papua New Guinea
Research and Rhetoric on Women in Papua New Guinea's Village Courts
Music Worlding in Palau
Seeking Personhood
Music Worlding in Palau
Reflections on a Dead Dog
Mekeo Chiefs and Sorcerers
Rethinking Western Motu Descent Groups
Introduction
Dreams
Semantic Frameworks
The supernatural is everywhere
Not my will but thine be done
Cultural complexity and religion
Experience and Diversity in Religious Practice
Hiding Behind the Church
Feeding Relationship
Secrecy and Cultural Reality
Witchcraft, Statecraft, and the Challenge of "Community" in Central New Guinea
The Place of Devotion
Mythic origins of moral evil
Returning to original form; A central dynamic in Balinese ritual
Devouring the Mother
Reconciling cultural order and individual agency
Don't Tell the Crocodile
The play of powers made visible
| Unique citing works | 32 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,1 |
| Citation span | 1997 - 2025 (29) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 30 |