Robbie Robertson

Asian-Australian nexus: an educational challenge

The Asian century raises a number of challenges that derive from convergence, global multicentredness, and the emergence of a more engaged diverse world. Some nations use multiculturalism as a tool to address these challenges. However, in a diverse and globalizing world, it is appreciating what we share in common rather than notions of difference that will become more important in enabling harmonious and evolving relationships to prosper and feed creativity.

Cooking the Goose: Fiji's Coup Culture Contextualised

Abstract In the 40 years since Fiji became independent, there has been no shortage of perspectives from which to frame its development: its colonial past, its dual status as a Third World and Pacific island state, and, most pervasively perhaps, race conflict. This article focuses on another perspective: the failure of ethnic Fijian leaders to democratise their community politically and economically. Its consequences for the country have been long-standing and lie behind Fijis developing coup culture

Disturbing History: Resistance in Early Colonial Fiji, 1874–1914

[Extract] Fiji history has always been highly politicised and segmented. Ethnic Fijians have their own history, centred on the maintenance of nineteenth century coastal and island empires. Contradictory stories have been largely excised from their official record. Alongside that history, however, occupying a different universe according to some writers, has resided a semi official history of IndoFijians, descendents of the indentured labourers that Britain imported to sustain its colonial sugar economy. Together these colonially derived and postcolonially maintained histories tell a story of colonial disorder generated by Indian greed and disloyalty contrasting sharply with the stability that Fijian loyalty produced.

Book review of "Disturbing History: resistance in early colonial Fiji, 1874-1914" by Robert Nicole, University of Hawaii Press, Hawaii

[Extract] Fiji history has always been highly politicised and segmented. Ethnic Fijians have their own history, centred on the maintenance of nineteenth century coastal and island empires. Contradictory stories have been largely excised from their official record. Alongside that history, however, occupying a different universe according to some writers, has resided a semi official history of IndoFijians, descendents of the indentured labourers that Britain imported to sustain its colonial sugar economy. Together these colonially derived and postcolonially maintained histories tell a story of colonial disorder generated by Indian greed and disloyalty contrasting sharply with the stability that Fijian loyalty produced.