Headless ghosts and roving women: specters of modernity in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

By juxtaposing a contemporary myth with an exegesis of Huli “passenger woman” (physically and sexually mobile women), I address the gendered nature of modernity. Huli women are expected to enact tradition, both through their consumption practices and through participation in the bridewealth system. Passenger women become modern through their repudiation of these roles. An analysis of women's experiences suggests that modern forms of identity can emerge in response to the shifting meanings and practices of social reproduction, [modernity, bridewealth, social reproduction, sexuality, myth]