Correspondence with Hank Nelson, 1984-1990; field work diary from Papua New Guinea, 1995-1996., 1984-1996

Containers:

Box 1 (MS 10422)

Component identifier:

File 3

Content Summary:

Correspondence between Klaus Neumann and Hank Nelson (b.1937-d.2012). Between 1985 and 1988, Nelson supervised Neumann's PhD project at the Australian National University (ANU). Most of Nelson's letters were written from Canberra. Most of Neumann's letters were written between 1986 and 1988 when Neumann was doing fieldwork for his PhD project in Papua New Guinea. The correspondence begins in 1984 and ends in 1990. It includes notes on interviews Neumann conducted for Nelson in Papua New Guinea for a research project on one-teacher schools, which resulted in Nelson's book With Its Hat About Its Ears. Some of Nelson's papers and his books are in the National Libraray of Australia collection.Some of the people who are referred to in the correspondence by their first names only:Donald - Donald Denoon, historian at the ANU; Judy- Judy Davis (died 1989 or 1990), former secretary (?) of SA Premier Don Dunstan, in the mid to late 1980s PhD student at the ANU; August - August Kituai (1950-2015), Papua New Guinean historian from Bundi (Madang Province, PNG), in the mid to late 1980s PhD student at the ANU;Gavan- Gavan Daws, historian, at the time (until 1988) head of the Department of Pacific and South East Asian History at the ANU; Rabbie - Rabbie Namaliu, Tolai, former student of Hank Nelson at UPNG, prime minister of Papua New Guinea 1988-1992; Heinz - Heinz Schütte, German-born writer living in France, former lecturer in sociology at La Trobe University.

In 1994, Neumann was commissioned by the Department of East New Britain, PNG, to write about the response to the 1994 volcanic eruption in Rabaul. Neumann did research for that project in East New Britain Province in 1995 and 1996, and in East Sepik Province in 1996. The field work diary references taped interviews. Small portions of the text are in Tok Pisin or Tolai. The project resulted in three publications held by the National Library of Austrlia: Rabaul yu swit moa yet : surviving the 1994 volcanic eruption BIB ID:1844559, The 1994 volcanic disaster in East New Britain and its aftermath : comments and observations BIB ID:2903568 and Tavurvur i puongo! : students' accounts of the 1994 eruptions in East New Britain BIB ID:2362444. The field work diary makes frequent references to two essay writing competitions Neumann initiated for community school and high school students in East New Britain to learn about their experiences of the eruption and its aftermath. The person referred to as EK in the field work diary is Ellison Kaivovo, who commissioned the project as Secretary of the Department of East New Britain. (The original essays were copied by the Pacific Manuscripts Bureau and returned to Papua New Guinea in 2016

Subjects:

Academic
Pacific

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