Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, Leadership and Civic Engagement PDF
Preview Youth in Fiji and Solomon Islands: Livelihoods, Leadership and Civic Engagement
YOUTH IN FIJI AND SOLOMON ISLANDS LIVELIHOODS, LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT YOUTH IN FIJI AND SOLOMON ISLANDS LIVELIHOODS, LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AIDAN CRANEY PACIFIC SERIES For Kiri Published by ANU Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2600, Australia Email: [email protected] Available to download for free at press.anu.edu.au ISBN (print): 9781760465148 ISBN (online): 9781760465155 WorldCat (print): 1309098982 WorldCat (online): 1309098948 DOI: 10.22459/YFSI.2022 This title is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The full licence terms are available at creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode Cover design and layout by ANU Press. Cover artwork by John Pettitt. This book is published under the aegis of the Pacific Editorial Board of ANU Press. This edition © 2022 ANU Press Contents Abbreviations ix Acknowledgements xi Prologue xiii Introduction 1 Field sites 2 The research approach 7 An outline of the themes explored 11 1. Youth and development 13 A note on youthhood 13 The youth bulge 18 Structural minimisation 24 Holistic livelihoods: A framework 27 Critical and reflexive engagement 33 Conclusion 40 2. Education as an enabler and a barrier 43 The purpose of education 45 Case study: Opinions of the education system held by civically engaged Pacific youth 48 The inefficiencies of education systems 50 Quality of formal education 56 Technical and vocational education and training 59 Adapting to local needs 63 Critical thinking and rational ignorance 64 Educating girls 69 Comparing Fiji and Solomon Islands 72 Conclusion 73 3. The recurrent issue of under/employment 75 Employment, unemployment and underemployment 77 The purpose of employment 80 Case study: Pesa, Fiji 84 Employment as a status marker 85 The reality of employment opportunities 87 Case study: The Suva Crime-Free Wheelbarrow Association 90 Youth unemployment and civic engagement 92 Migration and the disruption of social hierarchies 95 Institutional responses to unemployment 100 Seasonal migration 105 Comparing Fiji and Solomon Islands 107 Conclusion 108 4. Civic engagement and leadership 111 Civil society in the Pacific context 112 Rationalising power imbalances 113 Structural minimisation 116 Qualities of a leader 121 Case study: Identifying youth leaders 122 Youth leadership as an oxymoron 123 Cultures of silence 125 Deep and deliberative democracy 127 Comparing Fiji and Solomon Islands 130 Conclusion 130 5. Emerging youth activists 133 Young people and critical civic engagement 134 Case study: Be the Change 138 Developmental benefits of civic engagement and participation 139 Case study: 350 Pacific 141 Facilitating youth participation 143 Comparing Fiji and Solomon Islands 147 Conclusion 148 6. Navigating tradition and modernity 151 Attitudes to youth and tradition 153 Culture as fixed 157 Governance and participation 160 Case Study: Forum Solomon Islands International 165 Civic engagement in the online space 167 Opportunity and threat 169 Negotiating neotradition 173 Comparing Fiji and Solomon Islands 178 Conclusion 179 7. Pacific youth futures 181 The structural minimisation of youth 184 Youth livelihoods 186 Youth civic engagement 187 Pressures of globalisation 189 Areas for future research 190 Pacific youth futures 191 Bibliography 197
The list of books you might like
