Humanities and Social Sciences

History Program

Staff Profiles

Research Interests:
I have researched postcolonial Fiji since the1980s: tracing in three books the successive phases of military rule and ethnocentrism; the development of multiculturalism and reconciliation; and the descent into unconstitutional governance in 2000 and the emphasis on indigenous rights and affirmative action. Also, my interest in development has been expresses in studies of world history over the past two centuries and an interest in the centrality of global interconnections in social transformation.

Current Projects:
I have convened major projects through the University of the South Pacific (2004-2006), including:
A project on Globalization and Social Policy in conjunction with the Fiji Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation and NGOs to develop a social policy framework for Fiji.
The Livelihoods and Identity in Fiji project that explored the relationship between economic livelihoods and social identities.
The Rural Communities Project that brought together historical research, business development and community capacity-building in a village eco-tourism project.
The Strengthening Regional Cooperation Project that made recommendations to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat on ways to improve civil society engagement in regionalism through trade and labour mobility.

Professional and Community Engagement:
Convenor and moderator of the community development projects listed above.
2004-2006 Professor & Director of Development Studies, Pacific Institute for Advanced Studies in Development & Governance, University of the South Pacific (on leave from La Trobe University)
Editorial Board member, Fijian Studies: A Journal of Contemporary Fiji, FIAS; Journal of Pacific Studies, USP.
Developer of Development Internships, a 400-level project-based course at USP, to place students into civil society organizations, NGOs, government departments, parliaments, and regional and international institutions.

Publications:
Books
The Contemporary Era: An Introductory History. Suva: USP, 1984, 292 pp.
The Making of the Modern World. London & New Jersey: Zed Books, 1986: 212 pp.
Fiji: Shattered Coups. Sydney: Pluto Press, 1988: 198 pp (with A. Tamanisau).
Multiculturalism & Reconciliation in an Indulgent Republic: Fiji after the Coups. 1987-1998. Suva: Fiji Institute of Applied Studies, 1998: 260 pp.
Government by the Gun: The Unfinished Business of Fiji's 2000 Coup, Sydney: Pluto Press, 2001. [Also published by Zed Books (London & New Jersey)] with William Sutherland.
The Three Waves of Globalization: A History of a Developing Global Consciousness. London & New York: Zed Books, 2003. [Also published by Fernwood (Nova Scotia, 2003), and as Tres Olas de Globalizaciбn: Historia de Una Conciencia Global. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 2005.]

Selected Articles since 1990
Natives in a Straitjacket," Journal of Pacific History, Canberra, 25 (1990).
"Pacific Overview: Not So New World Order," in D. Robie (ed.), Tu Galala: Social Change in the Pacific, Wellington, Bridget Williams Books, May 1993.
"Fiji's Garment Led Export Industrialization Strategy", Bulletin of Concerned Asian Scholars, Boulder, 25 (2: 1993).
“Pathway to Modernization: Fiji’s Garment Revolution”, in BV Lal and H Nelson (eds), Lines Across the Sea, Brisbane, Pacific History Association, 1995.
“Retreat from Exclusion: Identities in Postcoup Fiji” in Haroon Akram-Lodhi (ed.), Confronting Futures in Fiji, Canberra: ANU: Asia-Pacific Press, 2000.
"The Historical Context & Significance of Globalization", Development & Change, Oxford: Blackwell, 35 (3: 2004).
“Globalization & World History”, Historically Speaking, Bulletin of the Historical Society, Boston University, 5 (6: July-August 2004).
“Modernization”, “Dependency” and “Neocolonialism”, in M. Griffiths (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of International Relations & Global Politics. London: Routledge, 2005.
“Strengthening Regional Cooperation through Enhanced Engagement with Civil Society”, with S. Sutherland, M. Koloamatangi, and T. Kabutaulaka, Suva: PIAS-DG, USP, 2005.
“The Pacific Plan as a development strategy”, Development Bulletin, 70: April 2006.
“Political Economy Survey of Fiji: Fiji-Futuring: Connectivity and Development”, Pacific Economic Bulletin, Canberra, 21: 2, 2006.