ABSTRACT
Gendered violence has emerged as a major field of concern in a number of contexts among Pacific Island societies. We argue that patterns of violence at the domestic or family level are inflected by macro-level factors, such as historical circumstances of change in kinship and marriage practices, and national governmental and legal institutions that may embody ideological assumptions not shared by communities. Our focus is on the Highlands societies of Papua New Guinea (PNG), with a long history of the evolution of social practices based on clanship and networks of relations in arenas of exchange and alliance, as well as hostility.
