Ballard, Christopher2015-12-100093-8157http://hdl.handle.net/1885/53931This article considers the case for synthetic histories-broad narratives of historical process that critically combine the insights and perspectives of research from multiple disciplines. Drawing on the 28 contributions to the edited volume Papuan Pasts,Keywords: Anthropological holism; Austronesian; Historical synthesis; Multi-disciplinary inquiry; Papuan201010.1080/00938157.2010.5248652016-02-24