TY - JOUR
T1 - Chiefly leadership in Fiji
T2 - past, present, and future
AU - Lawson, Stephanie
AU - Hagan Lawson, Elizabeth
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - This Discussion Paper provides an account of the rise and fall of chiefly leadership and the apparent ebbing of a longstanding ideology of traditionalism among indigenous Fijians in the context of national politics and of the claims made in the name of indigenous nationalism. It begins with a brief survey of Fiji's colonisation in the late nineteenth century; the establishment of the GCC and the role of chiefs in the British colonial regime; and their domination of national politics, despite some challenges, up until 1987. The second section reviews the political dynamics surrounding chiefly leadership from 1987 until the Bainimarama-led coup of 2006. The final sections examine the nature of chiefly involvement in national politics in the lead-up to the 2014 elections and prospects for the future of traditional chiefly political leadership.
AB - This Discussion Paper provides an account of the rise and fall of chiefly leadership and the apparent ebbing of a longstanding ideology of traditionalism among indigenous Fijians in the context of national politics and of the claims made in the name of indigenous nationalism. It begins with a brief survey of Fiji's colonisation in the late nineteenth century; the establishment of the GCC and the role of chiefs in the British colonial regime; and their domination of national politics, despite some challenges, up until 1987. The second section reviews the political dynamics surrounding chiefly leadership from 1987 until the Bainimarama-led coup of 2006. The final sections examine the nature of chiefly involvement in national politics in the lead-up to the 2014 elections and prospects for the future of traditional chiefly political leadership.
UR - http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140101227
M3 - Article
VL - 5
SP - 1
EP - 20
JO - State, Society and Governance in Melanesia discussion paper
JF - State, Society and Governance in Melanesia discussion paper
SN - 1328-7854
ER -