Tradition versus Democracy in the South Pacific
Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa

This book looks at the way in which the idea of 'tradition' is used by political elites to legitimate certain practices and institutions.

Stephanie Lawson (Author)

9780521496384, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 26 January 1996

244 pages, 4 maps 4 tables
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.53 kg

"One of the strengths of Lawson's analysis is that she both sets up an accessible theoretical discussion about tradition, modernity, authenticity, democracy, and offers concrete and comparative case studies of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa....This is refreshing scholarship that should make for lively ongoing debate." K.R.Howe, American Historical Review

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Political structure & processes [JPH]