Land, Custom and Practice in the South Pacific

Klappentext Land tenure arrangements are intimately linked with the organisation of society, the economy (particularly to land use), the political structure and the geography of most countries. The majority of land in all South Pacific Island countries remains under 'customary' or 'traditional' forms of tenure in which land is normally held by a community group. This book argues that many parts of the region are in the midst of a major transformation in the way in which land is allocated and held by owners and users. These changes are closely related to concurrent changes in the demography and socio-political organisation. These analysts discuss here how traditional tenure and contemporary practice frequently diverge; how custom has been sometimes invented (and re-invented) and is a source of potential tension; how discordance between 'development' and 'tradition' in relation to land tenure is increasing. Reform of customary and codified systems to match current needs could result in major modifications of the social, economic and geographic character of Pacific Island countries. Zusammenfassung This book argues that in the South Pacific Islands! land formerly held by community groups under traditional forms of tenure is now often being privatized. The authors present case studies from four countries! and examine parallels from other regions experiencing comparable socio-economic forces. Inhaltsverzeichnis 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....

Product details

• Authors: R. Gerard (Australian National University Ward, R.gerard Kingdon Ward
• Assisted by: Elizabeth Kingdon (Editor), Kingdon Elizabeth (Editor), Ward R. Gerard (Editor), R. Gerard Ward (Editor)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 27.10.1995
• EAN: 9780521472890
• ISBN: 978-0-521-47289-0
• No. of pages: 308
• Series: Cambridge Asia-Pacific Studies; Cambridge Asia-Pacific Studies
• Subjects: Guides > Law, job, finance; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Social sciences, law, business > Ethnology > Ethnology; Sociology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economics / General, Social and cultural anthropology, Human rights, civil rights, Human Geography, Cultural studies: customs and traditions, Oceania