Rutherford explains how and why the idea of New Guinea as a stone age leftover came to be so common in discourse about the country, and why it has persisted even as other similarly racially imperialist language has fallen away.
The Limits of the Nation on an Indonesian Frontier
Exploring the concept of national belonging, the analysis delves into the unique context of Biak, an island group in western New Guinea, Indonesia. Through this lens, Danilyn Rutherford challenges conventional notions of national identity, prompting readers to reconsider the boundaries and definitions of belonging within a nation. The work offers a thought-provoking examination of how place and identity intersect in shaping the experiences of individuals in this specific region.