Land, Custom and Practice in the South Pacific

An examination of the changes to traditional forms of land tenure in the South Pacific Islands.

R. Gerard Ward (Edited by), Elizabeth Kingdon (Edited by)

9780521030717, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 January 2007

308 pages, 2 b/w illus. 27 maps
22.8 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.463 kg

"This book has a great deal to offer students of land tenure and of the Pacific Islands....the series will form an important resource for comparativists." Eugene Ogan, American Anthropologist

Land tenure arrangements are intimately linked with the organization of society, the economy, political structures and geography. In the South Pacific Islands the majority of land is held by community groups under 'customary' or 'traditional' forms of tenure. This book argues that land formerly held in common is now often controlled and used exclusively by individuals or nuclear families - it is being privatized. Detailed case studies demonstrate these trends in Western Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji. Parallels are noted from Asia, Europe and Africa, where comparable forces of commercialization, individualization and socio-political change have brought comparable results. The denial of these trends by policy makers in the region reflects an interest in maintaining the image of traditionalism and its associated status and power. The divergence between rhetoric and reality creates dilemmas for many Pacific Islanders and their leaders.

List of figures
List of tables
Contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Land use and tenure: some comparisons R. Gerard Ward and Elizabeth Kingdon
2. Land tenure in the Pacific Islands R. Gerard Ward and Elizabeth Kingdon
3. Breathing spaces: customary land tenure in Vanuatu Margaret Rodman
4. From corporate to individual land tenure in Western Samoa J. Tim O'Meara
5. Right and privilege in Tongan land tenure Kerry James
6. Land, law and custom: diverging realities in Fiji R. Gerard Ward
7. Beyond the breathing space Antony Hooper and R. Gerard Ward
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Human geography [RGC]