Fire on the Island

Tom Bratrud is Associate Professor in Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. He has conducted research in Vanuatu for over ten years and published a number of articles on religion, politics and social life.

“An outstanding contribution to the scholarly study of the nature and causes of contemporary sorcery and witch panics in Melanesia, and their intersection with the waves of Christian revivalism sweeping through the region.” • Pacific Affairs“Clearly written, the book reads easily and offers an accessible case study that students and scholars of the Pacific will find useful and informative. It adds to a growing literature on contemporary Melanesian Christianities and older anthropological concerns with social movements everywhere.” • Oceania“Students and scholars of the Pacific will appreciate this clearly written monograph. It adds to a growing literature on contemporary Christianities, social movements, personhood, and sorcery in postcolonial communities. Bratrud frames the story as one of an anxious balance between people’s hopes and fears. What drives people to desire and animate change in their lives?” • Lamont Lindstrom, University of Tulsa“It is an amazing story. It is a remarkable book. There is nothing like it out there.” • Tanya Luhrmann, Stanford University

• List of FiguresAcknowledgementsNotes on TextIntroduction: Fear, Hope and Social MovementsChapter 1. Life and DeathChapter 2. Love and LandChapter 3. The Revival BeginsChapter 4. Gender and IntegrityChapter 5. Spiritual WarChapter 6. Crises and ReconciliationsChapter 7. Hope, Blame and New PossibilityConclusionAppendixGlossaryReferencesIndex