Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness

• 出版年: Revue LISA
• 第一著者: Ondine Aza
• フォーマット: 論文
• 言語: 英語
• 出版事項: Presses universitaires de Rennes 2024-02-01
• 主題: Commonwealth; migration; development in multi-ethnic islands; diaspora policy; Fiji; SIDS
• オンライン･アクセス: https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15721

Fiji exhibits the characteristics of many other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), amongst which a small size, a colonial history and a high emigration rate. This last feature explains the presence of a Fijian diaspora in various parts of the world despite the insignificant size of its local population. Fiji’s current population make-up is a legacy of its British colonial past. Today, ethnicity plays an important role locally within the population and in politics. This paper will explore the ways in which the government of Fijian Prime minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama reaches out to the members of its diaspora, against a backdrop of ethnic tensions and the resulting political instability in Fiji. Are there clearly formulated policies? How is multi-ethnicity alluded to when addressing the diaspora? To answer these questions, the paper will consider how the history of the country might shape the government’s current actions when it comes to engaging with the diaspora. The paper aims to contribute to research on diaspora policies in multi-ethnic insular societies. It is part of a wider project that aims to study how the diasporas from island states play a role or is expected to play a role in helping the islands attain their development objectives.