Fidji De la compatibilité entre coutume et démocracie : Observations historiques

This chapter examines aspects of popular political participation during Fiji’s post-contact historical period (1800-1850s). By re-reading existing archival documents “against the grain”, the paper critiques received notions of Fiji’s past as a country in which the custom was for chiefs to rule like despots and for the people to blindly follow the edicts of their rulers. It finds that this period was rich in counter-narratives in which “the people” were actively engaged in formal and informal political processes. This involvement included some degree of participation in decision-making; the existence of mechanisms to select and check the power of leaders; provisions for protecting people from abuse of power; the organisation of collective action to remove unpopular rulers; among others. These findings seek to open up discussions about the role that historians can play in the ongoing process of building a culture of democracy in Fiji