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. Most recently, I am looking at the interplay between faith and eco-conflict (tensions surrounding logging and mining) and the impact of climate change on indigenous art productions in the Pacific.

At MQ, I have convened various units, including Law and Development (ANTH330) and Pacific Cultures (ANTH300). I also covened ANTH225, the PACE unit of the Department of Anthropology, which had a strong focus on doing ethnography in museum and corporate (organisational) settings. I am currently convening ANTH3024 'Doing Ethnography'.

Together with Dr Banu Senay, I convene the department's colloquium series.