
Land, Custom and Practice in the South Pacific
Cambridge University Press
Published on 18. January 2007
Book
Paperback/Softback
308 pages
978-0-521-03071-7 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
"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 AnthropologistMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
27 Maps; 2 Line drawings, unspecified
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
503 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-521-03071-7 (9780521030717)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Editor
Australian National University, Canberra
Australian National University, Canberra
Content
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.