Abstract
What is there to be seen when we are confronted with a Melanesian ritual masquerade? What if the ultimate purpose of what we observe is not to let us understand – I see therefore I know – but to let us be bewildered, placed in front of the fact that we cannot really grasp the meaning of the image-event we are witnessing? Inspired by Marilyn Strathern’s work on the perception of Melanesian images (Strathern 2013), based on recent developments in the study of the role played by artefacts in ritual action (Severi 2015, 2018), and supported by new empirical data emerged from the ethnographic study of ritual practices typical of the northern islands of Vanuatu such as the sandroing of Ambrym and the naluan of Malakula (Baron 2020, 2023b), the project « Unlearning to See in Melanesia » aimed to elaborate on these questions. This contribution offers a brief assessment of the results obtained.
| Translated title of the contribution | « Unlearning to See » in Melanesia.: Visual perception and ritual practices in the north of Vanuatu |
|---|---|
| Original language | French |
| Pages (from-to) | 11-30 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Annales de la Fondation Fyssen |
| Volume | 37 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |