Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness

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 pop...

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Main Author: Ondine Aza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Presses universitaires de Rennes 2024-02-01
Series:Revue LISA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15721
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author Ondine Aza
author_facet Ondine Aza
author_sort Ondine Aza
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-28addc8d48924a1386297c70642a94de2025-08-20T02:54:04ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532024-02-012210.4000/lisa.15721Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and WarinessOndine AzaFiji 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.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15721Commonwealthmigrationdevelopment in multi-ethnic islandsdiaspora policyFijiSIDS
spellingShingle Ondine Aza
Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
Revue LISA
Commonwealth
migration
development in multi-ethnic islands
diaspora policy
Fiji
SIDS
title Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
title_full Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
title_fullStr Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
title_full_unstemmed Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
title_short Fijian Diaspora Engagement: Between Willingness and Wariness
title_sort fijian diaspora engagement between willingness and wariness
topic Commonwealth
migration
development in multi-ethnic islands
diaspora policy
Fiji
SIDS
url https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/15721
work_keys_str_mv AT ondineaza fijiandiasporaengagementbetweenwillingnessandwariness