description Joel Robbins Overview
Joel Robbins is an American anthropologist who holds the Social Anthropology chair at the University of Cambridge. He is widely recognized for his ethnographic fieldwork among the Urapmin people of Papua New Guinea, focusing on the rapid spread of Christianity and its impact on their moral and cultural frameworks. His scholarship has significantly advanced the anthropological study of religion, ethics, and cultural change, particularly in Oceania and Pentecostal contexts.
insights Ranking position
Joel Robbins ranks #123 of 304 in the Anthropologist ranking, behind Anthony Wallace, ahead of June Nash.
help Joel Robbins FAQ
Who are the Urapmin people studied by Joel Robbins?
The Urapmin are a small language group in the western highlands of Papua New Guinea. Robbins conducted extended fieldwork with them after their community had converted to charismatic Christianity in the late 1970s.
What is Joel Robbins's Becoming Sinners about?
The 2004 book examines the moral conflict produced when Urapmin Christian teachings about sin met older values and social obligations. Its full title is Becoming Sinners: Christianity and Moral Torment in a Papua New Guinea Society.
What does Joel Robbins mean by radical cultural change?
Robbins challenges the tendency to explain cultures mainly through continuity and gradual adaptation. The Urapmin case shows how conversion can lead people to reject or reorganize major parts of social life within a relatively short period.
What is the anthropology of the good associated with Robbins?
It is a proposed shift toward studying values, morality, hope, care, and the lives people consider worth pursuing. Robbins argued that this could complement anthropology's strong focus on suffering, violence, and domination.
explore Explore More
Similar to Joel Robbins
See all arrow_forward
Reviews & Comments
Write a Review
Be the first to review
Share your thoughts with the community and help others make better decisions.
