Papers by Sarah Richards-Hewat
Papua and New Guinea medical journal
This article describes the ways in which women in the coastal Papuan (Indonesian) town of Manokwa... more This article describes the ways in which women in the coastal Papuan (Indonesian) town of Manokwari understand and represent HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Having employed focus group interviewing and other qualitative research methods during long-term fieldwork conducted in Manokwari, I argue that my subjects frame ideas about disease aetiology less in biomedical terms and more through a Christian worldview. AIDS is understood to be a fatal 'disease' (not disease syndrome) that is sent ultimately from God but that was recently brought to Papua by outsiders to the west. It is thought that people most likely to become afflicted with AIDS are those who breach Christian codes of conduct. In particular, women who sell sex, not homosexuals, not men who buy sex from women and not intravenous drug users, are attributed with having the greatest chance of suffering from and transmitting HIV. Even though Manokwari women discussed HIV...
From 'Stone-Age' to 'Real-Time': Exploring Papuan Temporalities, Mobilities and Religiosities, 2015
This chapter from Jenny Munro and Martin Slama's book (2105) 'From 'Stone-Age' to 'Real-Time': Ex... more This chapter from Jenny Munro and Martin Slama's book (2105) 'From 'Stone-Age' to 'Real-Time': Exploring Papuan Temporalities, Mobilities and Religiosities'. My aims are twofold. One, I examine the engagement of Papuan youth with American hip hop as well as the opinions of parents about these engagements. Two, I ask what interests in and opinions of hip hop can tell us about the changing shape of beliefs that Papuans are a good and worthy collective, what I call the Papuan pride movement.
This article describes the ways in which women in the coastal Papuan (Indonesian) town of Manokwa... more This article describes the ways in which women in the coastal Papuan (Indonesian) town of Manokwari understand and represent HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Having employed focus group interviewing and other qualitative research methods during long-term fieldwork conducted in Manokwari, I argue that my subjects frame ideas about disease aetiology less in biomedical terms and more through a Christian worldview. AIDS is understood to be a fatal 'disease' (not disease syndrome) that is sent ultimately from God but that was recently brought to Papua by outsiders to the west. It is thought that people most likely to become afflicted with AIDS are those who breach Christian codes of conduct. In particular, women who sell sex, not homosexuals, not men who buy sex from women and not intravenous drug users, are attributed with having the greatest chance of suffering from and transmitting HIV. Even though Manokwari women discussed HIV and the aetiology of AIDS in moral terms, and even though they do not regard themselves as sinful, they nevertheless fear 'catching' AIDS, even though this is physically impossible. This fear motivates the scape-goating of female sex workers and the exhibition by community members of distancing behaviours toward people who display clinical symptoms of AIDS.
1. Burgess quits NRL for English rugby 2. Secret space plane's 400-day mission 3. Australia's pri... more 1. Burgess quits NRL for English rugby 2. Secret space plane's 400-day mission 3. Australia's priciest penthouse? 4. Gittany judge poised to ignore new … 5. Dell's son is true Blue NEWS JAMIE Oliver upset more than animal welfare rights groups when he electrocuted a chicken and drained the blood from its neck in his show last night.
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Papers by Sarah Richards-Hewat