The Politics of Pacific History
Coordinator: Teresia Teaiwa
History and Politics
School of Social and Economic Development
University of the South Pacific
For both non-majors and majors this course provides a
stimulating introduction to critical issues in studies of the
Pacific Islands. It also functions As a general overview of
historiography familiarizing students with debates around
the politics of writing history, "grand" political
events as struggles in history, structuralist and institutional
views of history, and personal as well as collective reclamations
of history. The course is structured into modules which explore
in depth some of the History/Politics department lecturers'
particular interests. (This course outline, then, is not fixed
but open to change and revision each year). Guest lectures and
film documentary screenings will be featured in the course.
I . Course Reader--to be purchased in the USP Book Centre
2. Reserve Readings--in the USP Library, Reserve Desk and/or
3. Handouts--to be distributed during lectures
In this course, you will actually be looking forward to lectures
and tutorial discussions. Occasionally, however, you may find it
difficult or impossible to attend lectures or tutorials. Please
inform the course coordinator of your situation beforehand, if
possible, but certainly afterwards. Unexplained absences are
cause for concern.
5 Short topic papers: (25%)
In 3-4 pages, write an essay or letter which reflects on the
topic, guest lecture, readings and video for the week. Use at
least one page to summarize the main points, but the rest of the
paper should communicate what you think about these points
and how they were made--do you find them interesting, useful, or
problematic? Explain why.
You are required to do five short topic papers; you
must do at least one in each module. Read the course
outline carefully to choose the weeks for which you will be doing
your short topic papers.
Mid-semester Test: (10%)
Consider this intense exercise for your brains! You will be
involved in formulating your own test questions as well as
evaluating your own answers!
Student Presentations: (20%)
This is an opportunity for you to show how much you know about a
topic in Pacific history or politics, or to explore a new topic
that attracts your curiosity. The presentation may be in the form
of a work of art, dance, literature/poetry, or scholarship, but
must include both a verbal and written interpretation,
explanation, and justification of the work. The presentation
should be no more than ten minutes. You will be stopped by
a timer. Your presentation will be assessed on a) two consultations
with the course coordinator before the presentation,
b) clarity of the presentation, c) use of audio or visual aids,
d) audience interest; e) written version. Your presentation
constitutes a significant percentage of your gradetherefore
it needs to be the very best that you can do. Start thinking
about and preparing your presentation early on in the semester.
All presentations will be made during lecture periods in the last
two weeks of the semester.
End of Semester Exam: (40%)
This is a more formal 3 hour exam. but it will be comprised of
identification and short-answer questions as well as essay
questions. If you have kept up with your readings, attended
lectures. participated fully in tutorials. and raised questions
with your course coordinator, you will do well!
Introduction and Overview
Module 1: Studying Ourselves or Studying Others?
In this module we will be exploring notions of what
constitutes the "self " and what constitutes the
"other," especially in light of the many and mixed
identities in the Pacific Islands. How much familiarity can we
assume with what may seem to be "our" pasts; how much
familiarity can we assume with the pasts of "others"?
What can we lean? from studying "our" pasts? What can
we learn from studying the pasts of "others "?
Malama Meleisea, 'O Tama 'Uli (On Reserve); Kiribati:
Aspects of History (On Reserve); Greg Dening, "History in
the Pacific," in The Contemporary Pacific
1(1/2):134-140. (In Reader)
"Putting yourself in someone else's shoes"
Guest Lecturer: Doug Munro
Topic: Insider/Outsider Politics in Pacific History
Who is better qualified and who is more entitled to research
and write Pacific history? This is a contentious issue. Is the
involvement of Europeans and other "outsiders" not a
contradiction in terms? Are Pacific Islanders better equipped to
write Pacific history than someone from another culture? Can
anyone hope to properly understand another culture? In short, who
"owns" Pacific history? These are the basic questions
that we will address.
J.W Davidson, "Problems of Pacific History," in Journal
of Pacific History, vol. I (1966), 5-21 (In Reader)
Finau O Kolo, "Historiography: The Myth of Indigenous
Authenticity," in Tongan Culture and History: papers from
the 1st Tongan History Conference held in Canberra 1417
January 1987, P Herda, J Terrell and N Gunson (eds), (1990)
1-11 (On Reserve)
Doug Munro, "Who 'Owns" Pacific History?:
reflections on the insider/outsider dichotomy", Journal
of Pacific History, 28:2 (1994), 232-37 (In
David Routledge, "Pacific History as Seen from the
Pacific Islands," in Pacific Studies, 8:2
(1985) (In Reader)
"Listening and Hearing"
Guest Lecturer: Morgan Tuimaleali'ifano
Topic: Indigenous Ways of Knowing
Can anyone claim to know anybody else without knowing
themselves? The Island-oriented school of Pacific history asserts
the centrality of the native view in Pacific history writing A
major rationale for this is that it enables historians to
re-dress the imbalance caused by imperial history. This begs the
question, what is an Island point of view? Amongst oral-based
societies in the Pacific Islands, indigenous traditions of
knowing existed. If such traditions are accepted as the primary
sources of knowing, what were their bases and how did they differ
from other sources in the developing world? While traditions of
knowing depended on oral transmission, how do they differ from
Western-oriented systems of knowing? How much do Islanders know
about them? We address the issue of what constitutes a native
view and how native Islanders have contributed to its
formulation. What factors help or hinder the process? In short,
how do we know what we know?
Gavan Daws, "On Being a Historian of the Pacific,"
in J. A. Moses (ed), Historical Disciplines and Cultures in
Australasia: An Assessment (Queensland, 1979) (On Reserve)
Sione Latukefu, "The Making of the First Tongan-born
Professional Historian," in Journeys and Transformation,
1992. (In Reader)
Malama Meleisea, "Pacific Historiography: An Indigenous
View," in Journal of Pacific Studies, vol. 4 (1978). (In
K. Narayan, "How native is a 'Native' anthropologist?"
in American Anthropologist, September 1993. (On
O.H.K Spate, "The Pacific as an artifact,"
in N.W. Gunson (ed), The Changing Pacific. essays in honour of
H.E. Maude (Melbourne, 1978). (On Reserve)
"Reading History in Other Texts"
Module 2: Oppression and Liberation in Pacific History
In this module we will explore some key events and
mechanisms of oppression and identify movements of resistance and
liberation. How has power been used by people and institutions in
the Pacific? And to what ends?
10,000 maniacs "Hateful Hate" (Handout)
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole "Hawaiian Superman" (Handout)
Survival "Rua Kenana" (Handout)
Sia Figiel, "Siniva," from "Where We Once
Belonged" (In Reader)
Ann Stephen, "South Pacific Stories: A Photoessay." (In
Susan Cochrane, "Art in the Contemporary Pacific" and
"Modernism or Folk Art? The Reception of Pacific Art in
Europe" by Eva Ch. Raabe (On Reserve).
Teresia K. Teaiwa, "Scholarship from a Lazy Native."
Guest Lecturer: Ian Cowman
Topic: Nuclear Weapons Testing in the Pacific
In 1946 the United States decided to look for a test site for
their recently developed atomic weapon. They stipulated three
criteria: the area had to be outside mainland US territory, it
had to be relatively uninhabited, and it had to be remote. The
area chosen was Bikini atoll in the Pacific. Various powers
followed the Americans down the nuclear road: the British, the
French, the Chinese and the Russians have all tested nuclear
weapons in the Pacific. We will examine those tests and the
sometimes devastating results on the inhabitants of the Pacific.
Read selectively from: Desmond Ball, Chasing
Gravity's Rainbow (Canberra, 1994). Denys Blakeway, Fields
of Thunder: Testing the British Nuclear Bomb. Bengt and Marie
Danielsson, "The Nuclear Murder of Moruroa," The
Bulletin vol. I 04 ( 1984). Jane Dibblin, Day of Two Suns:
US Nuclear Testing and the Pacific Islanders (New York, I
990). Stewart Firth Nuclear Playground (Honolulu, 1987).
Norman Moss, Men Who Play God (London, 1968).(On
"Discovering the Pacific Collection"
Guest Lecturer: Robert Nicole
Topic: Resistance Movements
This is an introduction to basic power relationships in the
Pacific which discusses manifestations of resistance to dominance
and exploitation. At the core is a broad/general survey of past
and current anti-colonial movements in the Pacific including
Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Palau, West Papua, and other sovereignty
movements in New Zealand, Guam, Hawaii, Australia, etc. The
survey includes manifestations of indigenous resistance to
traditional hierarchies, women's resistance to indigenous and
western forms of male dominance, labour and anti-nuclear
movements and expressions of resistance through art, music and
other cultural means.
David Robie, "Introduction," from Blood on their
Banner, (Leichhardt, 1989). (In Reader)
Haunani-Kay Trask, "Introduction" and "Kupa'a
'Aina: Native Nationalism," from From a Native Daughter:
Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai'i. (Monroe, Maine,
1993) (In Reader)
Excerpts from Denis O'Rourke's film on PNG Independence and
"Half-Life"; excerpts from Puhipau's "Act of
War" and "Tribunal."
"Forms of protest and resistance"
Module 3: The Structures behind Everyday Life
This module examines some of the underlying structures
which influence directions in Pacific history, focusing
especially on economics. It attempts to explain the broader
implications of some of the things we take for granted in
Selection of Dinesh Shankar's Fiji Times
articles (Handouts), "The Discovery of the Gift:
Exchange and Identity in the Contemporary Pacific," excerpt
from Nicholas Thomas' Entangled Objects (Cambridge, Mass
1991) (In Reader); Epeli Hau'ofa, "The Tower of
Babel," from Tales of the Tikongs. (Suva, 1993) (In
Reader); Excerpts from 'Atu Emberson-Bain's Sustainable
Development or Malignant Growth?, (Suva: 1994) (In Reader)
Excerpts from Denis O'Rourke's "The Shark-Callers of
Kontu" and "Cannibal Tours"; Excerpts from
"Joe Leahy's Neighbours" and "Black Harvest."
Guest Lecturer: Jonathan Fraenkel
Topic: Postcolonial South Pacific Economies
How can we characterize the modem economies of the larger
economies and micro-states in the South Pacific? Are there common
features, and if so, what are they? Some authors have looked at
smaller South Pacific states as locked into a postcolonial
dependence on the former colonial countries, based around
migration, aid and remittances. Others view the region as marked
by a 'subsistence affluence' potentially resistant to ties to the
world market, or as highly vulnerable due to the lack of
resources to sustain high growth in populations. In this session,
we aim to disentangle myth from reality and examine some of the
key elements influencing the recent economic history of the South
I.G. Bertram and RF. Watters, "The MIRAB economy in the
South Pacific Microstates," Pacific Viewpoint,
27:1 (1985). (In Reader)
B. Knapman, "Economic Development and Dependency," in
Kerry Howe, Robert Kiste and Brij Lal (eds), Tides of History:
The Pacific Islands in the 20th Century, (Honolulu, 1994).
C. Tisdell and T.I. Fairbairn, "Subsistence Economies and
Unsustainable Development and Trade: Some Simple Theory" in Journal
of Development Studies. 20, 2. (In Reader)
R.F. Watters, "Mirab Societies and Bureaucratic
Elites," in Hooper et al (eds) Class and Culture in the
South Pacific, Suva 1987. (On Reserve)
"Mapping Family Economics"
Guest Lecturer: Sandra Tarte
Topic: Tuna Politics in the Pacific
One of the most important economic resources in this region is
tuna. From the perspective of the Pacific Island states, it is
one of the only resources of consequence that provides
employment, export earnings, and foreign exchange from the sale
of access licenses to foreign fishing fleets. Because of tuna,
Pacific Island countries also receive significant amounts of
foreign aid, especially from Japan. We focus on the way the tuna
issue has defined Pacific Island states' relations with powers,
especially Japan and the US, and the way this issue has defined
regional cooperation in the South Pacific. It considers such
questions as who owns the region's tuna resource and who should
be responsible for managing it. This is a very contemporary
debate, given recent changes to the Law of the Sea regime.
Doulman, David J. "Japanese distant-water fishing in the
South Pacific," in Pacific Economic Bulletin 4(2):2
8, (1989) (On Reserve)
Gerry Geen, "Tuna Industry Development in the South Pacific:
A Coordinated Approach." Development Bulletin (1994)
"This is FFA," in Islands Business February,
Martin Tsamenyi, "The South Pacific States, the USA and
Sovereignty over Highly Migratory Species," Marine Policy
(1986) 29-41. (On Reserve)
Tutorial Exercise: Debate: "The Pacific Ocean:
Spiritual Source or Economic Resource?"
Module 4: People's History and Personal Histories
After having looked at the ways in which history is studied
and written some political events in Pacific history and economic
structures we will attempt to see how history belongs to
"the people" and not just to the past or to the
academy. We will compare biographical histories and cultural
histories in the hopes of also coming to some understanding about
individual and collective agency in history.
Donald Denoon, "People's History," Inaugural
lecture, UPNG, 17 April 1973. (In Reader)
Epeli Hau'ofa, "Rediscovering Our Sea of Islands," in A
New Oceania edited by Vijay Naidu, Eric Waddell, and Epeli
Hau'ofa. (In Reader)
Sudesh Mishra, "Lila," in Meanjin. (In
Jonathan Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio, "Songs of Our Natural
Selves: The Enduring Voice of Nature in Hawaiian Music."
(Guam, 1992) (In Reader)
Haunani-Kay Trask, "From a Native Daughter," in The
American Indian and the Problem of History. (In Reader)
Teresia K Teaiwa, "Yaqona/Yagona: The Roots and Routes of a
Displaced Banaban." (In Reader)
Rabuka, "No Other Way"; Pacific Islanders in
Communication, Happy Birthday Tutu Ruth directed by Anne
Marie Kirk, (1996).
Tutorial Audio: Jonathan Kamakawiwo'ole Osorio,
"Songs of Our Natural Selves."
Guest Lecture: Susan Kotoisuva-Sela
Topic: "Reclaiming Lami"
Excerpts from Susan Kotoisuva Sela, Reclaiming Lami
unpublished manuscript. (Handout)
Writing: "Ourselves in Geography, Demography and
Week 13 Student Presentations
Week 14 Student Presentations
Revisions and Course Evaluation
[Subject: History; Cultural Studies]