Anna-Karina Hermkens

My research covers Cultural Anthropology, Art and Anthropology, Historical Anthropology, Museum Studies, Gender Studies and Religious Studies/ Pilgrimage Studies. I have done done fieldwork in West Papua (Jayapura area), the North Moluccas (Ternate), Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, Madang, Collingwood Bay and Bougainville) and Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal-Marau area). Using gender as an analytical tool to unravel issues of identity and power, I have focused on the changing gender dynamics of barkcloth art among the Maisin people in Collingwood Bay and the interplay between religious identity, ideology and violence/ conflict in Ternate and Papua New Guinea. Currently, I am looking at the interplay between faith and eco-conflict (tensions surrounding logging and mining) in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, and the impact of climate change on indigenous art productions in Collingwood Bay, Papua New Guinea.