Special Session: Research in West New Britain: Then and Now
Organizer: Naomi McPherson

This special session was organized to bring together in Canberra as many people as possible who have been doing research in West New Britain Province of Papua New Guinea. The session was a tremendous success for contributors and audience alike. We had 10 papers presented ranging from the latest on genetic variation in WNB and surrounding areas (Friedlander and Friedlander) to the latest in archaeological work and catastrophic/volcanic environments (Specht, Torrence, Pavlides); human geography, cultural ecology and migration (Curry, Koczberski), ethnography (Chowning,  Counts and Counts, McPherson); museums and photography (Knowles). Unable to attend were Jebens, Goulden and Thurston whose papers contributed to the ethnography and linguistics of the area. Given the wide range of the research presented (indicative of why we all love anthropology) the papers do not make for a tightly constructed volume and we are considering how best to present this material for the people of West New Britain Province. We may end up workshopping the material in order to put it in a format that would be useful for senior high school and university students. We will continue our conversation on this issue. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the WNB contributors for presenting their work; it was a fabulous day of immersion in the anthropology and geography of West New Britain.