Land, Custom and Practice in the South Pacific [Hardcover]

An examination of the changes to traditional forms of land tenure in the South Pacific Islands.This book argues that in the South Pacific Islands, land formerly held by community groups under traditional forms of tenure is now often being privatised. The authors present case studies from four countries, and examine parallels from other regions experiencing comparable socio-economic forces.This book argues that in the South Pacific Islands, land formerly held by community groups under traditional forms of tenure is now often being privatised. The authors present case studies from four countries, and examine parallels from other regions experiencing comparable socio-economic forces.Land tenure arrangements are fundamental to the way societies and economies operate. This book argues that in the South Pacific Islands, land formerly held by community groups under customary or traditional forms of tenure is now often being privatized. There is a divergence between rhetoric and reality concerning these trends. The authors present case studies from Western Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji, and note parallels from other regions experiencing comparable forces of commercialization, individualization and socio-political change.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. 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 Ogal³!