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Cargo Cult As Theater
Political Performance in the Pacific
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2002
Summary
Why did half the people on New Hanover, a small island north of New Guinea, vote for Lyndon Baines Johnson to be their ruler in 1964? Dorothy K. Billings believes that this sort of action_seen in New Guinea and other parts of Melanesia_is part of the 'cargo cult' phenomenon, or micronationalist movements which are principally regarded as responses to European colonialism. Based on thirty-five years of fieldwork and observation, Cargo Cult as Theater demonstrates how the 'Johnson Cult,' originally mocked and ridiculed by the outside world, should be seen as an ongoing political performance meant to consolidate local power and advance economic development. This fascinating study follows the changes in this community ritual, from the time of the white 'master' to post-colonial self-determination, and reveals the history of this people's attempt to gain intellectual, moral, economic, and political control over their own lives.
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Bibliographic data
Copyright year
2002
ISBN-Print
978-0-7391-1070-6
ISBN-Online
978-0-7391-5281-2
Publisher
Lexington, Lanham
Language
English
Pages
269
Product type
Book Titles
Table of contents
ChapterPages
Table of Contents No access
Preface No access
1: The Research So Far No access
2: Field Work No access
3: The Johnson Cult No access
4: Analysis and Interpretation No access
5: Theories: Cults, Movements Ceremonies, and Culture No access
