Born in England, Michael Goddard now lives in Australia. He has carried out anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea since 1985 and is the author of The Unseen City: Anthropological Perspectives on Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (Pandanus Books 2005). He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

• List of IllustrationsList of TablesList of AbbreviationsPreface and AcknowledgementsIntroduction Chapter 1. Colonial Law: An Extended Prelude to the Village CourtsChapter 2. The Administration of Village CourtsChapter 3. Village Courts on TrialChapter 4. Three Village Courts and their Social EnvironmentsChapter 5. Village Court PoliticsChapter 6. Pari Village Court in ActionChapter 7. Konedobu Village Court in ActionChapter 8. Erima Village Court in ActionChapter 9. Between Groups and IndividualsConclusion: The Local and the GlobalAppendix: The Offical Range of Offences Heard by Village CourtsReferencesIndex

“Because [Goddard’s excellent book] is rooted in ethnographies that are both thorough and comparative, it is for the most part convincing. To show that corruption is not a problem in these courts, he adds history to ethnography, demonstrating that magistrates maintained their integrity despite years of woefully inadequate pay… an outstanding defense of Village Courts’ policy and practices.” · Pacific Affairs

Born in England, Michael Goddard now lives in Australia. He has carried out anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea since 1985 and is the author of The Unseen City: Anthropological Perspectives on Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (Pandanus Books 2005). He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

• List of IllustrationsList of TablesList of AbbreviationsPreface and AcknowledgementsIntroduction Chapter 1. Colonial Law: An Extended Prelude to the Village CourtsChapter 2. The Administration of Village CourtsChapter 3. Village Courts on TrialChapter 4. Three Village Courts and their Social EnvironmentsChapter 5. Village Court PoliticsChapter 6. Pari Village Court in ActionChapter 7. Konedobu Village Court in ActionChapter 8. Erima Village Court in ActionChapter 9. Between Groups and IndividualsConclusion: The Local and the GlobalAppendix: The Offical Range of Offences Heard by Village CourtsReferencesIndex

“Because [Goddard’s excellent book] is rooted in ethnographies that are both thorough and comparative, it is for the most part convincing. To show that corruption is not a problem in these courts, he adds history to ethnography, demonstrating that magistrates maintained their integrity despite years of woefully inadequate pay… an outstanding defense of Village Courts’ policy and practices.” · Pacific Affairs

Born in England, Michael Goddard now lives in Australia. He has carried out anthropological fieldwork in Papua New Guinea since 1985 and is the author of The Unseen City: Anthropological Perspectives on Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (Pandanus Books 2005). He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

• List of IllustrationsList of TablesList of AbbreviationsPreface and AcknowledgementsIntroduction Chapter 1. Colonial Law: An Extended Prelude to the Village CourtsChapter 2. The Administration of Village CourtsChapter 3. Village Courts on TrialChapter 4. Three Village Courts and their Social EnvironmentsChapter 5. Village Court PoliticsChapter 6. Pari Village Court in ActionChapter 7. Konedobu Village Court in ActionChapter 8. Erima Village Court in ActionChapter 9. Between Groups and IndividualsConclusion: The Local and the GlobalAppendix: The Offical Range of Offences Heard by Village CourtsReferencesIndex

“Because [Goddard’s excellent book] is rooted in ethnographies that are both thorough and comparative, it is for the most part convincing. To show that corruption is not a problem in these courts, he adds history to ethnography, demonstrating that magistrates maintained their integrity despite years of woefully inadequate pay… an outstanding defense of Village Courts’ policy and practices.” · Pacific Affairs