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Chapter Eight - Ever in the Making

Actors and Injustice in a Papua New Guinea Village Court

from Part Three - Everyday Justice Unbound

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2019

By
Eve Houghton
Edited by
Sandra Brunnegger
Sandra Brunnegger
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter explores the workings of a village court in the town of Bialla, Papua New Guinea. Through an examination of various actors (including a flag, chair, and summons) and the journeys they take, the chapter illustrates how a village court materializes as a place of authority, able to facilitate justice. This discussion also reveals how relationships sit at the heart of the disputes brought to the court, and why disputants emerge as court-making actors themselves. By examining a single village court in granular detail, this chapter is able to argue that networks of relationships are key to both the existence of the village court and the justice that is sought within them.

Keywords

actorsPapua New Guineavillage courtsmaterializationrelationality
Type
Chapter
Information
Everyday Justice
Law, Ethnography, Injustice
 , pp. 182 - 205
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

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