INTRODUCTION: COMMUNITIES IN CRISIS

Authors

Susanna Trnka, University of AucklandFollow

Abstract

This introduction sets the stage for a volume of essays exploring the social, political, and cultural upheavals experienced in Fiji during and after the May 2000 coup led by George Speight. While media and political discourse have largely focused on national-level implications and ethnic divisions, this collection shifts attention to grassroots perspectives, highlighting how ordinary citizens experienced and interpreted the crisis. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted during or shortly after the coup, contributors examine local discourses, community reactions, and the reconfiguration of identities and power dynamics. The introduction contextualizes the coup within Fiji's broader history of political instability, including the 1987 coups, and interrogates the complex interplay of ethnicity, class, tradition, and leadership. Trnka argues for a more nuanced understanding of crisis by examining local narratives, informal debates, and everyday responses to political violence and uncertainty. This volume aims to balance the scholarly literature by foregrounding lived experiences, offering insight into the deep-seated tensions that continue to shape Fiji's socio-political landscape.

Recommended Citation

Trnka, Susanna (2002) "INTRODUCTION: COMMUNITIES IN CRISIS," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 25: No. 3, Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol25/iss3/1