Conversion Objects: Kamoro Crucifixes from Western New Guinea

Karen Jacobs

Conversion Objects: Kamoro Crucifixes from Western New Guinea

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review

Abstract

The process of missionisation in the Pacific region was a practice that involved material changes and transformations. This was no different in the western New Guinea, current West Papua, which during Dutch colonial times was divided into a Protestant north and a Catholic south. The focus in this article is on the Kamoro region, where Roman Catholic missionaries discouraged as well as encouraged new material productions in the conversion process. By considering a small corpus of crucifixes as ‘conversion objects’, this article aims to demonstrate
the interactions that are behind these creations.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Missionssammlungen ausgepackt
Subtitle of host publication	Ein kritische Spurensuche
Editors	Patrick Felix Krueger, Belinda-Maria Peters, Martin Rademacher
Place of Publication	Cologne
Publisher	Brill-Böhlau
Pages	107-114
Number of pages	8
ISBN (Print)	978-3-412-53324-3
Publication status	Published - Sept 2025

Cite this

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title = "Conversion Objects: Kamoro Crucifixes from Western New Guinea",

abstract = "The process of missionisation in the Pacific region was a practice that involved material changes and transformations. This was no different in the western New Guinea, current West Papua, which during Dutch colonial times was divided into a Protestant north and a Catholic south. The focus in this article is on the Kamoro region, where Roman Catholic missionaries discouraged as well as encouraged new material productions in the conversion process. By considering a small corpus of crucifixes as {\textquoteleft}conversion objects{\textquoteright}, this article aims to demonstrate the interactions that are behind these creations.",

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AB - The process of missionisation in the Pacific region was a practice that involved material changes and transformations. This was no different in the western New Guinea, current West Papua, which during Dutch colonial times was divided into a Protestant north and a Catholic south. The focus in this article is on the Kamoro region, where Roman Catholic missionaries discouraged as well as encouraged new material productions in the conversion process. By considering a small corpus of crucifixes as ‘conversion objects’, this article aims to demonstrate the interactions that are behind these creations.

M3 - Chapter (peer-reviewed)

SN - 978-3-412-53324-3

SP - 107

EP - 114

BT - Missionssammlungen ausgepackt

A2 - Krueger, Patrick Felix

A2 - Peters, Belinda-Maria

A2 - Rademacher, Martin

PB - Brill-Böhlau

CY - Cologne

ER -