Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
With a focus on Papua New Guinea, Michelle blends political economy, economic anthropology and human geography approaches to examine livelihoods in PNG. Her PhD thesis draws on theoretical concepts of anthropology of value, kinship and urban space to examine livelihoods in the urban PNG context. She also comments on social, political and economic issues on PNG.I research social safety nets in urban spaces in PNG. Themes in her research include migration, changing notions of Melanesian land ownership, livelihoods, social security, gender, and housing. Key actors include migrant communities, indigenous communities and customary landowners, the state, business, development agencies, and churches.
Michelle’s research is multi-sited and her research methods are multidisciplinary crossing development studies, gender, anthropology, human geography and ethnographic poetry. More recently, she is exploring the interwoven narratives of material culture and social safety in urban spaces.
Current research projects include:
a. Port Moresby: Social safety of migrant settlement communities and the political economy of urban services. This project is an ongoing project that broadens the scope of my doctoral research to explore other ongoing political economy processes in Port Moresby with focus on services, markets, and cultural experiences in the city.
b. Lorengau, Manus Island: Weaving identity as society and culture changes in Manus. This project explores, materially and conceptually, the interwoven processes of social and cultural change in Manus island that has been brought about by the Australian off-shore detention centre. The project looks at how social and cultural processes are changing as asylum seekers and refugees have been released into the community.
c. Lae, Morobe Province. This is a collaborative research project between the ANU, University of PNG, and PNG’s University of PNG. The research project examines family strategies to address family and sexual violence while they maintain their children’s school attendance.
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Network (past 5 years)
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Pacific Literacy Course
Batley, J., Barbara, J., Carter, G., Dinnen, S., Dornan, M., Firth, S., Fry, G., Hogg, S., Keen, M., Ng Shiu, R. & Rooney, N.
Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
5/10/17 → 30/06/18
Project: Research
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As Basket and Papu: Making Manus Social Fabric
Rooney, N., 2021, In: Oceania. 91, 1, p. 86-105Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Papua New Guinea: Centering the "People's Economy" in COVID-19 Recovery
Rooney, N., 2021Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
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"We Want Development": Land and Water (Dis)connections in Port Moresby, Urban Papua New Guinea
Rooney, N., 2021, In: The Contemporary Pacific. 33, 1, p. 1-30Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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Sharing What Can Be Sold: Women Haus Maket Vendors in Port Moresby's Settlements
Rooney, N., 2019, In: Oceania. 89, 2, p. 154-167Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
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(K) No (w) Boundaries: Returning through urban lands' seductions
Rooney, N., 2018, In: Development Bulletin (Canberra). 80, p. 115-118Research output: Contribution to journal › Article