DISCORD AND FACTIONALISM IN NEW CALEDONIA, 1991 TO 1993 Margaret Alison Taylor A ...

414 Pages·2014·9.75 MB·English

CULTURAL POLITICS:
DISCORD AND FACTIONALISM IN NEW CALEDONIA,
1991 TO 1993
Margaret Alison Taylor
A thesis submitted for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy of the University of London
1997
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
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UMI Number: U109404
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ABSTRACT
This thesis focusses on the activities of a group of young
French people staying in a hostel in Noumea from 1991 to
1993. It draws on my fieldwork in Noumea and Mare in the
Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia.
The main part of the thesis looks at the interactions of
this group of young people with other ethnic and social groups
living in New Caledonia. These include the Kanaks, the
“Caldoches” (native-born Caledonians of French origin), the
“Metros” (immigrants from metropolitan France), Pacific
islanders, Vietnamese and Indonesians. The thesis also
includes a short section describing Mare itself and my
fieldwork there.
Particular attention is paid to the Kanaks and to the
Caldoches, whose rural and urban lifestyles are compared and
contrasted to those of the young people being studied.
Relations between these young people, newly arrived in the
French Pacific, and those of the colony's established
inhabitants, allow themes of globalization, travel, knowledge,
reflexivity and alterity to be explored vis-a-vis
anthropological theory. Kanak behaviour, towards Kanaks and
others, is shown to relate to ideas of knowledge, power,
gender and hierarchy, prevalent in both Polynesia and
Melanesia.
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The work is underpinned by explanations of, and
references to, the international and local historical and
geographical context of New Caledonian social and political
behaviour. It attempts to show the bitter disputes and
resentments arising between ethnic groups. It discusses civil
unrest, the Kanaks’ desire for independence, and some possible
economic and social consequences.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Too many people have directly and indirectly helped me
to complete this thesis for me to be able to thank them all.
Professor Joanna .Overing and the late Professor Alfred Gell,
my academic supervisors at the London School of Economics,
were both extremely kind and patient towards me, despite the
many demands which I made upon their time and generosity.
Dr Peter Loizos, Dr James Woodburn, other members of staff,
and my fellow students have also helped me. In particular, I
should like to thank Mark Jamieson, Leonie Kindness, Louise
Perrotta, Paul Oldham, Ali Murat Yel, and all members of the
Writing-Up Seminar. I greatly appreciated the detailed
comments and advice given to me by Professor Joanna Overing,
Dr Felicia Hughes-Freeland, and Dr David McKnight, enabling me
to produce the final version of this thesis.
In France and New Caledonia, I was grateful for the
advice and assistance of the members of the “Etudes des
societes kanak” group, and of many other people, in Mare,
Lifou, and Noumea.
Above all, I must thank my parents and brothers for their
continuing love and support, without which this thesis would
not have been written.
The Economic and Social Research Council, the (French)
Ministere de I’Enseignement Superieur et de la Recherche, the
University of London Central Research Fund, the Scholarships
Office of the University of London, and the Scholarships Office
of the London School of Economics and Political Science, were
generous in their financial aid. Needless to say, any errors or
shortcomings are mine alone.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Notes on Nomenclature and Translation 9
List and Abbreviations of Political Parties and Organizations
Referred to in the Text 12
Preface 15
Part 1 - New Caledonia in Perspective
1. Geography and Economy of New Caledonia 27
2. The History of New Caledonia 31
3. Kanak and European Interactions 40
4. From the 1850s to the Second World War -
Land, Migration, and Descent 59
5. From the Post-War Period to the Present -
Mass Immigration and the Nickel Boom 65
Part 2 - Fieldwork
6. Fieldwork in Mare 71
7. The Social Organization of Mare 84
8. Culture Shock 95
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Part 3 - The Noumea Hostel and its Inhabitants
9. The Hostel 102
10. The Hostellers 108
11. The Workers 120
12. The Travellers 132
13. The Misfits: Staying On 160
14. Data Gathering and Presentation 180
15. Leaving the Auberge 205
Part 4 - Noumea
16. The Town of Noumea 211
17. Travellers and Tourists 228
18. On the Town: Social Activities Outside the Auberge
and the Recreational Use of Drugs and Alcohol 254
19. Politics, People and
the Reinforcement of Cultural Identity 280
20. The Hostellers’ Interaction with the Caldoches 307
21. The Hostellers’ Relationships with the Kanaks 323
22. “Les Evenements” and their Aftermath:
the Caldoches’ Relationship with the Kanaks 332
Part 5 - Conclusions
23. Cultural Politics 343
24. Conclusions 362
Maps and Illustrations 379
Reference Bibliography 38 5
Supplementary Bibliography 397
[Total no. of 412 • pages, inc. 94 a-f.]
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LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
Linguistic Map of New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands 379
Map of Mare 380
Maps of New Caledonia and Noumea 381
Life in Mare 382
The Caledonian Idyll: “Noumea la blanche” 383
The Road to Independence 384
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