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Finding the Diamond: Prosperity, Secrecy, and Labour in V anuatu
Author(s) -
Rousseau Benedicta
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 1834-4461
pISSN - 0029-8077
DOI - 10.1002/ocea.5071
Subject(s) - prosperity , possession (linguistics) , secrecy , magic (telescope) , modernity , autonomy , diamond , independence (probability theory) , sociology , history , political science , law , philosophy , chemistry , linguistics , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , organic chemistry , statistics
In this article I discuss a genre of stories circulating in contemporary V anuatu that tells of mysterious routes to wealth through attainment and possession of ‘the diamond’ in one of its myriad forms. Examples of these stories are given, and the genre is discussed with reference to changes in the economic and labouring activities of ni‐ V anuatu, particularly in the pre‐independence plantation economy. While possession of the diamond may lead to undreamed‐of wealth, in the majority of the stories the recipient fails to abide by the necessary conditions of secrecy, and usually loses their newly gained prosperity. The links between ‘magic’ and wealth production described by A lfred G ell are discussed, in addition to the ways in which the magical might be used as a metonym for the ‘double binds’ of modernity. Drawing on N eil M aclean's distinction between freedom and autonomy in M elanesia, the article concludes with reflections on how ni‐ V anuatu might find a ‘self of value’ amid changed economic conditions and their social corollaries.