Tradition versus Democracy in the South Pacific Fiji, Tonga and Western Samoa [Hardcover]

This book looks at the way in which the idea of 'tradition' is used by political elites to legitimate certain practices and institutions.This study analyses the ways in which political elites use the idea of 'tradition' to legitimate certain practices and institutions. Within this framework, case studies focus on constitutional development and the chiefly power in Fiji, the monarchy and the Pro-Democracy Movement in Tonga, and the political issues surrounding the move to universal suffrage in Western Samoa. The book provides a critical approach to the political implications of romanticising non-Western cultural traditions, especially in terms of democratic development.This study analyses the ways in which political elites use the idea of 'tradition' to legitimate certain practices and institutions. Within this framework, case studies focus on constitutional development and the chiefly power in Fiji, the monarchy and the Pro-Democracy Movement in Tonga, and the political issues surrounding the move to universal suffrage in Western Samoa. The book provides a critical approach to the political implications of romanticising non-Western cultural traditions, especially in terms of democratic development.This study analyzes the ways in which political elites use the idea of tradition to legitimize certain practices and institutions. Within this framework, case studies focus on constitutional development and the chiefly power in Fiji, the monarchy and the Pro-Democracy Movement in Tonga, and the political issues surrounding the move to universal suffrage in Western Samoa. The book provides a critical approach to the political implications of romanticizing non-Western cultural traditions, especially in terms of democratic development.List of maps; List of tables; Preface; Introduction; 1. Tradition and democracy; 2. Constitutional development, chiefly power, and the politics of tradition in Fiji; 3. The monarchy versus democracy in the kingdom of Tonga; 4. Preserving tradilÓ9