The cosmology of trauma and healing in the aftermath of ecological violence: A case study in Raja Ampat, West Papua

This ethnographic project investigates the cosmological dimensions of trauma and healing in the aftermath of ecological violence in Raja Ampat, West Papua. After decades of decline, species diversity is once again recovering in some parts of Raja Ampat. This reversal has been attributed to the establishment of a series of protected areas where Western conservation organisations, the state, and Indigenous People have ostensibly collaborated to reduce unsustainable pressures on local ecosystems. Longstanding indigenous cosmological practices intended to cultivate and appease the world of meta-beings and spirits have been incorporated as a key element of these conservation models. Yet few studies have explored the active role that the spiritscape plays in Raja Ampat's resurgent biodiversity. This research aims to fill this gap. Working with indigenous Papuan interlocutors to understand Raja Ampat's biodiversity in cosmological context, this study contributes to the budding literature that takes seriously the notion that violence and its inverse- flourishing-are not purely human phenomena but involve the multitude of beings that constitute the cosmos, biotic or abiotic, seen or unseen. By taking this position seriously, the study seeks to further the anthropology of the Anthropocene by providing a more-than-human account of healing and recovery in the aftermath of ecological violence, while also contributing towards a holistic understanding of the interplay between ecological knowledge and indigenous cosmologies in a sustainability context. Finally, the study will examine how indigenous cosmologies and Western-scientific paradigms can mutually reinforce each other in achieving socio environmental justice.