DIFFERENT PEOPLES, ONE WORLD Multicultural Societies in Island States HARI SRINIVAS ROOM: I-312 / Studies in Multicultural Societies

Islands

Islands are a laboratory for the study of unique biology and geography. The biota of an island is simpler than that of a continental area, and the interactions are easier to understand.

There are three types of islands: a.Islands that were originally part of a nearby continent, but were separated by rising sea levels (land-bridge islands). b.Islands that are part of a volcanic island arc. c.Seamount chains which formed over geological “hotspots”.

The islands of Indonesia were once part of a larger land bridge.

The Marianas – part of an volcanic island arc in the Pacific

The Hawaiian Islands have formed as a plate passed over a geological hot spot.

Local Example – the Pacific SIDS Pacific Islands

Physical Features Pacific Ocean = over 1/3 of the planet’s surface Not counting Papua New Guinea, the region comprises 21 island states, 200 high islands and 2500 low islands and atolls Four largest states (Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu) account for most of the land mass Except for the Pitcairn group and the southern part of French Polynesia, all lie in the tropical zone

Cultural Sub-Regions u Ethnically, culturally, and linguistically there are three sub regions: Melanesia: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia Micronesia: Palau, FSM, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Marshall Islands, and Kiribati Polynesia: Tuvalu, Tokelau, Samoas, Niue, Cook Islands, and French Polynesia

Melanesian Countries Western Pacific (Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Fiji) Large, mountainous and mainly volcanic islands. Considerable natural resources: fertile soils, large forests, and mineral deposits Rural and agricultural (about 85% of the people live in rural areas; 90% of Solomon Islanders are farmers) Cultural and social diversity. More than 100 dialects are spoken each in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Ethnic conflicts (in Fiji there are major conflicts between Indian and Melanesian groups) Fast growing cities (7.3% in Vanuatu, 6.2% in the Solomon Islands)

Mid-sized Islands of Polynesia and Micronesia Mid-sized islands of Polynesia (Tonga, Samoas, French Polynesia) and Micronesia (Palau, FSM, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands) have limited land resources, little or no commercial forests, and no commercial mineral deposits Few tradable natural resources and virtually no manufacturing industry But…many of these islands enjoy a high standard of living from foreign assistance and remittances from expatriate island communities

Small, Low, Island States Small coral islands and atolls spread over vast areas of the ocean Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, FSM, Marshall Islands, Niue, and Nauru Land and soil poor 60,000 Marshall Islanders live on 181 sq km of land, giving each person only 0.3 hectares of land Natural resources are mostly limited to the ocean High urban area growth rate (e.g. Marshall Islands, 8.2% per year) The most vulnerable places on Earth to the adverse impacts of climate change and sea level rise. Elevation usually only 1-2 meters (Kiribati, Marshalls, Tokelau, and Tuvalu) Key problems: shore erosion, vulnerability to storms and droughts, fresh water scarcity, ground water pollution, solid waste disposal

Global Example - UN and SIDS  The United Nations has special programmes for “Small Islands Developing States” or SIDS  38 UN Member States +  14 Territories and Associate Members of UN Regional Commission =  52 SIDS UN Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) Website:

 Three SIDS “regions”  Caribbean SIDS  Indian Ocean SIDS  Pacific Ocean SIDS  Alliance of Small Island States

SIDS+20  SIDS “Special Case” at the Rio Summit (UNCED) 1992  Barbados Programme of Action for SIDS (BPOA) 1994  GA Special Session 5yr. Review 1999’  Mauritius Strategy for Further Implementation BPOA 2005  GA High Level 5yr. Review 2010 Two of the most important and related global programmes / documents on SIDS

The Mauritius Strategy Extract from the Mauritius Strategy (Chapter XIX, Para 82) Sustainable Development Economic Development Cultural Identity Cultural Activities

The Mauritius Strategy Extract from the Mauritius Strategy (Chapter XIX, Para 82) Develop and implement national cultural policies and legislative frameworks to support the development of cultural industries and initiatives in such areas as music, art, the literary and culinary arts, fashion, festivals, theatre and film, sports and cultural tourism; Develop measures to protect the natural and cultural heritage and increase resources for the development and strengthening of national and regional cultural initiatives; Improve institutional capacity for advocacy and marketing of cultural products and the protection of intellectual property; Seek finance and access to credit to small and medium -sized cultural enterprises and initiatives, including through the establishment of culture support funds in small island developing States regions.

Why SIDS?! So why do we need to look at small islands as significant multicultural societies?

Historical Timeline of SIDS Post-World War II Phase Colonization Phase Ancient Migration Phase Ice age to 10 century 10 th -20 th century 1945 ~

Special case of small islands Lack of natural resources and skilled endogenous human resources. Remoteness Smallness Geographical dispersion Fragility of ecosystems Heavy dependence on imports

Image of a Small Island The usual image of a small island: Remote, isolated, insular, paradise In fact, islands are places where different cultures have encountered each other and lived closely Islands are better understood as dynamic centres of cultural interaction Islands are in fact sometimes called as the as ‘crossroads of cultures’.

Uniqueness of SIDS ‘Overlapping uniqueness ’: Environmental uniqueness leading to economic opportunities, that in combination lead to socio-cultural uniqueness

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