Tradition versus democracy in the South Pacific : Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Tradition versus democracy in the South Pacific : Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa
(Cambridge Asia-Pacific studies)
Cambridge University Press, 1996
- : hbk
- : pbk
Available at 26 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 206-221) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Much literature on non-Western traditions celebrates the renaissance of indigenous cultures. Others have been more critical of this renaissance, especially with respect to its political implications. This study analyses the assertion of 'tradition' by indigenous elites, looking especially at the way it is used to differentiate 'the West' from the 'non-West'. This is important to contemporary discussion about the validity of democracy outside the West and problems concerning universalism and relativism. The discussion of Fiji focuses on constitutional development and the traditionalist emphasis on chiefly legitimacy. The rise of the Pro-Democracy Movement in Tonga is considered against the background of a conservative political order that has so far resisted pressure for reform. The move to universal suffrage in Western Samoa is seen not as a rejection of traditional ways in favour of democratic norms, but as a means of preserving important aspects of traditional culture.
Table of Contents
- List of maps
- List of tables
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Tradition and democracy
- 2. Constitutional development, chiefly power, and the politics of tradition in Fiji
- 3. The monarchy versus democracy in the kingdom of Tonga
- 4. Preserving tradition through democratisation: the introduction of universal suffrage in Western Samoa
- 5. Conclusion: tradition versus the west
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index.
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