Political Geography: Australia / Topic: Colonialism

Author:: Ben Bohane
Publication Date:: 10-2019
Content Type:: Commentary and Analysis
Institution:: Lowy Institute for International Policy
Abstract:: As Bougainville prepares for a referendum on independence, Australia must navigate a policy response that acknowledges the history of conflict and colonialism there, Bougainville nationalism, PNG sensitivities, the principles of the guiding Bougainville Peace Agreement and new geostrategic realities to help forge a lasting solution. Bougainville is largely ‘referendum ready’ and its people are expected to vote overwhelmingly for independence in the November referendum. While Bougainville has abundant natural resources and a skilled older generation, as an independent nation it would face many challenges including fiscal self-reliance, consensus on mining issues, unity and political integrity. Australia has a significant stake in the outcome and should step up its engagement to remain a trusted peace and security broker in Melanesia. It should not oppose Bougainville’s independence if that is the result under the referendum and peace process, and should take a leading role in ensuring a peaceful resolution between the parties.
Topic:: Foreign Policy, Colonialism, Conflict, Independence, and Referendum
Political Geography:: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, and Melanesia

Author:: Annelin Eriksen, Roy Llera Blanes, and Michelle MacCarthy
Publication Date:: 01-2019
Content Type:: Book
Institution:: Berghahn Books
Abstract:: Co-authored by three anthropologists with long–term expertise studying Pentecostalism in Vanuatu, Angola, and Papua New Guinea/the Trobriand Islands respectively, Going to Pentecost offers a comparative study of Pentecostalism in Africa and Melanesia, focusing on key issues as economy, urban sociality, and healing. More than an ordinary comparative book, it recognizes the changing nature of religion in the contemporary world – in particular the emergence of “non-territorial” religion (which is no longer specific to places or cultures) – and represents an experimental approach to the study of global religious movements in general and Pentecostalism in particular.
Topic:: Post Colonialism, Religion, Economy, and Colonialism
Political Geography:: Africa, Asia, Australia, Angola, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea

Author:: Denise Fisher
Publication Date:: 12-2015
Content Type:: Special Report
Institution:: Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales
Abstract:: France, which is both an external and resident South Pacific power by virtue of its possessions there, pursues, or simply inherits, multiple strategic benefits. But the strategic context has changed in recent years. China's increased presence; consequent changes in the engagement of the US, Japan and Taiwan; and the involvement of other players in the global search for resources, means that France is one of many more with influence and interests in a region considered by some as a backwater. These shifts in a way heighten the value of France's strategic returns, while impacting on France's capacity to exert influence and pursue its own objectives in the region. At the same time, France is dealing with demands for greater autonomy and even independence from its two most valuable overseas possessions on which its influence is based, New Caledonia and French Polynesia. How it responds to these demands will directly shape the nature of its future regional presence, which is a strategic asset.
Topic:: Political Economy, Natural Resources, Colonialism, Political Science, and Decolonization
Political Geography:: Japan, China, Taiwan, France, Australia, Australia/Pacific, and United States of America

Author:: Katie Saulnier
Publication Date:: 01-2014
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University
Abstract:: Aboriginal groups present with sub-par outcomes in key indicators of well-being across the board. Increased capacity for self-governance presents one possibility for improving these outcomes, but its implementation is complicated by historically acrimonious relationships with federal governments and the larger context of attempting to rectify the complex harms done by colonialism. The solution involves finding the right balance between creating spaces for self-governance and providing the necessary federal assistance where appropriate. This paper discusses the structure of and approaches to Aboriginal self-determination and selfgovernance in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, with a view toward assessing which approaches could prove effective in Canada. It does so through a variety of lens and by examining impact assessments in a number of key areas.
Topic:: Development, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Self Determination, Economy, History, Colonialism, and Indigenous
Political Geography:: Australia, New Zealand, and United States of America

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