Bridging Mental Boundaries in a Postcolonial Microcosm: Identity and Development in Vanuatu

296 Pages·1998·39.054 MB·English

by  William F. S. Miles

Bridging Mental Boundaries in a
Postcolonial Microcosm

Bridging Mental
Boundaries
in a Postcolonial
Microcosm
Identity and Development
in Vanuatu
William F. S. Miles
university of hawai‘i press
honolulu
© 1998 University of Hawai‘i Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
03 02 01 00 99 98 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Miles, William F. S.
Bridging mental boundaries in a postcolonial microcosm : identity
and development in Vanuatu / William F.S. Miles.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0–8248–1979–9 (cloth : alk. paper). — ISBN 0–8248–2048–7
(paper : alk. paper)
1. Vanuatu—History. 2. Postcolonialism—Vanuatu.
3. Nationalism—Vanuatu. 4. National characteristics, Vanuatuan.
I. Title.
DU760.M55 1998
995.95—dc21 98–9698
CIP
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the
guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources
Designed by inari
Buk ia igo long bigfala “wa” blong mi,
from we hemi bin tijim mi long rid fastaem.
This book is dedicated to my older brother Robert,
who ¤rst taught me how to read.

Contents
List of Maps, Tables, and Figures viii
Foreword by Kirk W. Huffman xi
Preface: Choosing Vanuatu xv
Introduction: Boundaries, Juridical and Mental 1
1. Mental Rivalries and Condocolonialism 29
2. Nationalism, Kastom, and Other Boundaries
of Identity 59
3. Religious Boundaries Constructed and Bridged 87
4. Language, Education, and National Identity 119
5. New Boundaries in Space, Time, Law, Gender,
and Race 155
6. Global Boundaries in the Microcosm 184
Appendix A: Excerpts from the Convention Establishing the
New Hebrides Condominium 199
Appendix B: Excerpts from the Constitution of the Republic
of Vanuatu 201
Persons Interviewed 205
Notes 213
Bibliography 239
Index 257
vii
List of Maps, Tables,
and Figures
maps
1 Vanuatu in the Paci¤c 10
2 Vanuatu and the Lesser Antilles 12
3 Distribution of Religions in Vanuatu 93
4 Precontact Mobility 158
5 Changing Mental Maps 190–191
tables
1 Population of Vanuatu, 1989 9
2 Textbook Contrast of Values 82
3 Religious Groups in Vanuatu, 1979–1989 112
4 Percentage of Ni-Vanuatu by Schooling and Language 122
5 Distribution of Francophones and Anglophones
by Island/LGR 123
6 Primary School Enrollments in
the New Hebrides-Vanuatu 124
7 Secondary Schools in Vanuatu, 1991 125
8 Primary School Systems, 1991 127
9 Comparative Education Costs in the Paci¤c 142
10 Female Employment by Sector 171
11 Employed Population According to
Occupation and Sex, 1989 172
12 Vanuatu’s Principal Trading Partners, 1990 192
13 1980 Primary School Enrollments in Vanuatu 220
viii
List of Maps, Tables, and Figures ix
figures
1 Primary School Enrollments in Vanuatu, 1971–1990 49
2 Secondary School Enrollments in Vanuatu, 1970–1990 50
3 Vanuatu Educational System 131
4 Language Repertoires in Vanuatu 151
5 Condocolonial Boundaries 156
6 Emerging Boundaries 157
7 New Hebrides Triangulation 192
8 Vanuatu Hub-wheel 193