Catholic Missionaries and secessionist struggle in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

What is it about?

Christianity and politics seem to be intrinsically linked. In Central Bougainville, which is part of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Catholic faith introduced by Marist missionaries has been instrumental in building a national Bougainville identity and sustaining the struggle for sovereignty. Marists were often cautious not to disrupt socio-political organisations, at the same time advocating both local and Marist political interests and views in the continuously shifting religious, and socio-economical political context of colonial and ‘post’-colonial Bougainville. This article follows the early Catholic missionaries to Bougainville, elucidating dialectics and tensions of conversion and how devotion to Mary became entangled with a particular representation of Bougainville land as Holy, and the engendering of an ethnic-religious nationalism in the context of a ten-year-long devastating conflict and struggle for sovereignty.

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Photo by DDP on Unsplash

Photo by DDP on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The article shows the impact of Marist missionaries on local political developments, and the interplay between Marian devotion and secessionist struggle. It is of interest to anyone interested in processes of conversion, Catholicism and the importance of religion in local politics and struggles for independence. It shows the power of religion, and of devotion to Mary in particular, in bringing about socio-political change.

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