Articles | Sciaria - Science Aria

Pre-Islamic Southern Jordan has for some time been a much neglected Aramaic-speaking domain in the history of the spread of the early Chris...

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The abstract for "New Evidence for the History of Indigenous Aramaic Christianity in Southern Jordan" presents a highly promising and timely contribut...

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Michael Allen

Rethinking Old Problems: Matriliny, Secret Societies and Political Evolution

Anthropology

MY EARLY INTEREST in the comparative study of male initiation rites and secret societies in Melanesia (Allen 1967) had been in large measur...

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The paper, *Rethinking Old Problems: Matriliny, Secret Societies and Political Evolution*, proposes a critical re-examination of enduring anthropologi...

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Michael Allen

Procession and Pilgrimage in Newar Religion

Religion

MOST VISITORS to Kathmandu valley are immediately impressed by the immense proliferation of physical manifestations of the sacred or divine...

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The title "Procession and Pilgrimage in Newar Religion" and its accompanying abstract present a compelling and well-articulated focus on the unique ch...

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Michael Allen

Buddhism without Monks: The Vajrayana Religion of the Newars ofKathmandu

Religion

In this paper I give a brief descriptive outline of the main features of a form of Buddhism still practised amongst the Newars of Nepal in...

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This paper proposes to offer a valuable descriptive outline of the distinctive Vajrayana Buddhism practiced by the Newars of Nepal, notably characteri...

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Michael Allen

Kumart or 'Virgin' Worship in Kathmandu Valley

Religion

KUMAR! is a goddess who has been a recognized member of the Hindu pantheon for at least 2,500 years. Throughout the long history of her wor...

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This paper promises an intriguing exploration into the worship of Kumari, a goddess whose recognition within the Hindu pantheon spans at least two and...

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Michael Allen

Rank and Leadership in Nduindui, Northern New Hebrides

Anthropology

THE IDEAL MODEL of the Melanesian big-man system of leadership is now well established in anthropological literature and has figured promin...

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This paper, titled "Rank and Leadership in Nduindui, Northern New Hebrides," establishes its theoretical grounding by immediately engaging with the we...

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Michael Allen

Male Cults Revisited: The Politics of Blood versus Semen

Anthropology

IN 1957, as a fourth-year honours undergraduate at SydneyUniversity, I carried out a library-based study of male initiations inMelanesia, t...

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This paper, titled "Male Cults Revisited: The Politics of Blood versus Semen," offers a fascinating historical and analytical re-examination of the au...

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Michael Allen

Ritualized Homosexuality, Male Power and Political Organization in North Vanuatu: A Comparative Analysis

Anthropology

THE ISLAND of Malekula, in north Vanuatu, has for long been recognized as a locus classicus for the occurrence of organized male homosexual...

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The paper embarks on a fascinating and historically significant topic, revisiting the "locus classicus" of organized male homosexuality in North Vanua...

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Michael Allen

Hierarchy and Complementarity in Newar Society

Anthropology

IN A NUMBER of important areas of Newar social life notions of complementarity and status parity are accorded almost as much weight as are...

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This paper offers a compelling and nuanced re-evaluation of social stratification within Newar society, moving beyond simplistic notions of 'pure' cas...

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This paper, "Girls' Pre-Puberty Rites among the Newars of Kathmandu Valley," offers a compelling and ethnographically rich examination of distinctive...