Robert Norton

Ethno-nationalism and the constitutive power of cultural politics. A comparative study of Sri Lanka and Fiji

A discussion of Sinhalese ethno-nationalism in Sri Lanka against the Tamils and indigenous Fijian ethno-nationalism against the immigrant Indians in the Pacific island state of Fidji shows how the volatility of ethnic conflict can be affected by the particular manner in which collective identities are constitued. A distinction is drawn between a reconstructive process aggressively focussed againt « the other », and the routine living of identity in established social relations and cultural practices.

The Troubled Quest for National Political Leadership in Fiji

Abstract The tendency for ethnic conflict to dominate political life has impeded attempts to achieve leadership and equitable government for the multi-ethnic nation and caused crises of political instability. A review of the past attempts to achieve national leadership through electoral competition illuminates the historical context of the turbulent political process of the last decade. Overcoming the impasse of ethnic conflict is the central objective of the military-based regime which continues to rule following the first parliament elections since the 2006 coup against an ethno-nationalist government and the first based on a full common franchise and the prohibition of invidious ethnic appeals in campaigning. Inter-ethnic cooperation and cross-ethnic voting were stronger features than in past elections and perhaps augur well for achievement of the elusive broad-based national leadership.

‘A Pre-eminent Right to Political Rule’:1 Indigenous Fijian Power and Multi-ethnic Nation Building

Abstract The indigenous Fijian conviction of entitlement to political power was encouraged by their privileged position in the colonial state and their marginalisation in the modern economy. The development of a cohesive nation state has been impeded by ongoing conflict between two political imperatives: indigenous nationalism and the need to shape a system of political representation and government accommodating the interests of the non-indigenous citizens, primarily the Indians, who together number over 40% of the population. This paper traces the course of that conflict from the commencement of decolonisation in the early 1960s to the political instability arising from strengthened ethno-nationalism and military intervention since 1987.

India’s Part in the Politics of Fiji’s Decolonization: From ‘Outworn Slogans’ to ‘Pragmatism and Realism’

ABSTRACT United Nations (UN) demands for the unconditional ending of colonial rule troubled British officials confronted by local political difficulties impeding their efforts to establish self-government for Fiji, alarmed Indigenous Fijian leaders who initially resisted that reform, and encouraged the polarizing demand by Indo-Fijian leaders for a common franchise. India was initially at the forefront in maintaining UN pressure on Britain to move Fiji rapidly to independence with this franchise. Yet in the last two years of British rule, as ethnic tension in Fiji rose dangerously, India assumed the lead in urging moderation at the UN. India’s volte-face from antagonist to ally of the British helped open the way to the political accord on which Fiji’s independence constitution was based. The article highlights the major part played by the pre-eminent Indigenous leader Ratu Kamisese Mara in winning India’s support for a cautious approach to reform.

NORMAN MELLER AND JAMES ANTHONY. Fiji goes to the Polls: The Crucial Legislative Council Elections of 1963. Pp. xvi, 185. Honolulu: East-West Center Press, 1968.

mately, Mao’s follower Chang Ch’un-ch’iao prevailed in Shanghai, but compromised by sharing power with the army and the Red Guards. Nevertheless, current newspaper reports indicate that a discernible de-Maoization is definitely taking place in China; the &dquo;worship period&dquo; at the beginning of each work day has been eliminated in many factories and ritualistic Mao quotations and salutations have been dropped from many radio broadcasts. Without citing statistics, the author claims that the Cultural Revolution had