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Book jacket
Broken waves : a history of the Fiji Islands in the twentieth century
—Lal, Brij V., author.
1992

Book

From the Preface. This book continues an exploration of Fijian history I began more than a decade ago. Having written previously on the history of Indian migration and settlement in Fiji and on the dilemmas and problems of contemporary Fijian politics, I have undertaken here a more detailed, synoptic analysis of the major contours of Fijian history in the twentieth century. I have attempted this task partly to fill a yawning gap in modern Fijian historiograpyhy, which, in the main, has been dominated by pioneering work on the nineteenth century. The twentieth century has received its share of attention from historians, social anthropologists, geographers, and others; but, with a few exceptions, much of this effort has focused on specific issues and on the histories of particular ethnic groups. This is not a criticism; it is simply the way things are. I hasten to add that these specialized studies have provided valuable building blocks for the structure I have attempted to create here. I have undertaken this study, however, to do more than simply fill a gap in Fijian historiography. This book is also a journey of self-exploration (page xv).

Item Details

ISBN:

  • 9780824814182
  • 0824814185

Description: xxii, 404 pages : illustrations, maps (some color) ; 25 cm.

Notes:

  • "Center for Pacific Islands Studies; School of Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Studies, University of Hawaii."
  • Col. maps on lining papers.
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 381-395) and index.

Contents:

  • Introduction. Land and people ; The nineteenth century : road to cession ; Cession and its legacy
  • 1. The second coming : 1900-1920. Fijians : shaking the tree ; Lala ; Taxation ; Trading ; Fijian labor laws ; Land and land reform ; European planters and federation ; Indians : girmit and free ; The 1910s : protest, war, and death ; Manilal Doctor ; Apolosi Nawai ; World War I ; Influenza
  • 2. The foundations challenged : 1920-1939. Population and its politics ; Fijian society : questions and problems ; Viti Cauravou ; From Indians to Indo-Fijians ; The 1920 strike ; Company and kisan : round one ; Education ; Electoral representation ; Land and land tenure ; The colonial wrld
  • 3. For king and country : 1939-1959. War ; The war in Nadi ; For king and country ; Company and kisan : round two ; Native land and Fijian affairs ; The politics of the Deed of Cession ; Race relations in the 1950s ; War in Malaya ; Social change ; Education
  • 4. Winds of change : 1959-1969. The 1959 strike ; Company and kisan : round three ; Commissions of inquiry ; Toward self-government ; The 1965 Constitutional Conference ; Elections and by-elections ; The end of an era
  • 5. The center cannot hold : 1970-1987. The 1970s : tentative honeymoon ; The Street Commission and the constitution ; The issue of land yet again ; The politics of balance ; Butadroka, racism, and the elections ; The 1980s : new wines in old bottles ; A government of national unity ; 1982 : western regionalism, elections, and aftermath ; 1982-1987 : consolidation and fragmentation ; Fiji Labour Party, coalition, and campaign
  • 6. Things fall apart : the 1987 crisis. Coalition government ; The rise of taukei militancy ; The coup and a week after ; Coalition and other reactions ; Seeking a constitutional solution ; The September coup and the birth of the Fiji Republic ; The causes of the coup ; The principal players
  • 7. Broken waves
  • Appendix. Population and trade statistics.

LCCN: 92017786

Control Number: 55839

Publisher: Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, [1992]
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