Lynda Newland - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Lynda Newland
Equity, 2023
Over the last ten years, the term, ESG, has been increasingly bandied around. Sometimes people a... more Over the last ten years, the term, ESG, has been increasingly bandied around. Sometimes people align it with a political position, assuming it is ‘woke’ or green or something from the radical left; it may sound expensive; and shareholders may wonder why companies should have anything to do with it. This article shows that, in fact, ESG is not about political persuasion but information; and that it protects the very basis for our way of life. So, what, then, is it; why should companies agree to its requirements; and why should shareholders be incorporating it into the way they think about their portfolios?
Gender Violence & Human Rights: Seeking Justice in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, 2016
In the Pacific, and in Melanesia in particular, violence against women is considered severe and p... more In the Pacific, and in Melanesia in particular, violence against women is considered severe and pervasive. Roughly two-thirds of the women in Fiji can expect violence in the domestic sphere at some time during their lives. A number of cultural practices which are represented as supporting and maintaining gender inequity and therefore underwriting gender violence have attracted international attention and national governments have come under pressure to ban them. One such practice in Fiji is the bulubulu, a ritual of atonement. An anthropologist has since argued that the bulubulu has been adapted in such a way that it now supports the victim, and suggests that the performance of the ritual ‘is increasingly rare even in the villages’. My own research suggests that these arguments are not accurate and that the reality in the villages is quite different. Further complicating the picture, the classic model of women’s refuges or crisis accommodation has faced immense obstacles and therefore has not been terribly effective to-date. This paper can be found at the following link: http://press.anu.edu.au/node/2168/download
Pacific Dynamics: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2017
This paper is an excavation of some of the major theories about violence, gender, and culture: mo... more This paper is an excavation of some of the major theories about violence, gender, and culture: mostly from anthropology but also philosophy, sociology and feminist studies. Many are still taught in universities; some have moved into development circles and/or entered the mainstream; some undergird the logic for commonly-used phrases; and all provide the context in which more recent theories have emerged. Highlighting assumptions within them opens up the possibility of exploring why communities, development experts, and academics often seem to be talking past each other; in this case with regard to the relationship between culture and gender violence. An excavation like this allows for an assessment of the stakes involved when using the language from particular theories.
Understanding Gender Inequality Actions in the Pacific: Ethnographic Case-studies and Policy Options, 2016
This chapter is one of eight Pacific Island country case studies in the report 'Understanding gen... more This chapter is one of eight Pacific Island country case studies in the report 'Understanding gender inequality actions in the Pacific: Ethnographic Case-studies and Policy Options' conducted for the European Union. The chapter explores gender-based violence in Fiji.
The people have spoken: The 2014 elections in Fiji , 2016
Oceania, 2015
This Introduction to this Special Issue of Oceania, ‘Descent from Israel: Jewish Identities in th... more This Introduction to this Special Issue of Oceania, ‘Descent from Israel: Jewish Identities in the Pacific, Past and Present’, sets the historical context of European interest in Pacific peoples as descended from the ‘Lost Tribes’ of the biblical Hebrews. After surveying the way in which Pacific Christians in the past and present have adopted a Jewish identity, whether through genealogy, biblical and theological interpretation, and/or deep interest in the State of Israel, we then contextualise and summarise the scholarship that follows: on Jewish identity as adopted by churches and religious movements in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua Guinea, as well as a final reflection on their significance for Judaism today.
Oceania, 2015
The idea that certain iTaukei (formerly ‘Fijian’) clans are descended from the Jews, particularly... more The idea that certain iTaukei (formerly ‘Fijian’) clans are descended from the Jews, particularly through a Lost Tribe of Israel, is very strong among some contemporary clans and church groups in Fiji. The importance of the Lost Tribes was reinforced in the 1987 coups, when it formed part of the political rhetoric of the coup leader, Sitiveni Rabuka, who was also a lay preacher of the Methodist Church. In order to understand such claims, I review the historical record from 1835 to Cession in 1874 to evaluate when the idea of the Lost Tribes began to be used and, more broadly, the extent to which Christianity was the language for engagement and/or resistance between missionaries and Fijians. At the same time, I explore the developing missionary discourses and their relationship with newly emerging ideas about the science of origins. The evidence indicates that, as certain ideas became routinised around the time of Cession, Christianity and science together provided a grammar that enabled many Fijians to strongly identify with the Old Testament.
Global Change, Peace and Security, 2013
The idea that Fiji should be a Christian State resurfaces periodically. In 2012, it has appeared... more The idea that Fiji should be a Christian State resurfaces periodically. In 2012, it has appeared in a number of submissions to the Constitution Committee from the Methodist Church and a political party, the S.D.L: both of which are known to have strong support from the majority of iTaukei (indigenous Fijians). In this paper, I explore how an influential faction of iTaukei Methodists has imagined Fiji as a Christian community connected to ‘place’ through kinship and narratives of historical belonging. After sketching out iTaukei claims that resulted in the 1987 and 2000 coups, I examine the impact of the 2010 Decree, which shifted the word ‘Fijian’ from being a marker of racial identity to one of national identity, and show the disjunction between notions of a democracy based on international conceptions of human rights and the desire of many iTaukei for a Christian State. This religious nationalism reflects the tension between communal and national identities, paralleling similar tensions in countries like India. Lastly, I examine some of the public responses to the Constitution Commission, which was the first time since the 2006 coup that the public have felt able to openly discuss their views about governance in Fiji. Limited online access available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ubBEhB9scY35gJYktKzi/full
The Round Table, 2012
Although Methodism has remained the dominant form of Christianity in Fiji, Methodist ideas have b... more Although Methodism has remained the dominant form of Christianity in Fiji, Methodist ideas have been contested by a proliferation of Pentecostal/evangelical churches, but never more directly than by a new form of Methodism which flourished in the years up to 2009. This new church was called the New Methodist Church and, for a period in 2008 and 2009, the Fiji police force were strongly encouraged to participate and finally to convert. This paper is part of ongoing research that traces the alliances and challenges between Christianity and the state in Fiji. Limited online access available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/Aqi9ZJQE3UvZD3tCp9iu/full
The Contemporary Pacific, Jan 1, 2010
In 2003, the Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji (ACCF) invited evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, wh... more In 2003, the Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji (ACCF) invited evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who is reputed to have raised a man from the dead, to conduct a revival in Fiji. Three years later, an invitation was also extended to American televangelist, Benny Hinn. The Qarase government welcomed Bonnke's visit as an act of reconciliation for the nation, despite the fact that about 42% of the population of Fiji are not Christian, and many of those who are Christian disparage miracle workers. Hinn's visit was rationalised somewhat differently - as a draw for the tourists and in terms of the media coverage he was expected to have. This essay explores the rationalisations for the visits of these evangelists, the types of politico-religious alliances that have developed since the 2000 coup, and the politico-religious ethos that was to lead to the events of the 2006 coup.
The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A coup to end all coups? (eds) Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth and Brij V. Lal, Canberra, 2009
The 2006 coup in Fiji marked a profound shift in the structure of political relationships: not on... more The 2006 coup in Fiji marked a profound shift in the structure of political relationships: not only between the office of government and the military, but also between the churches and their connections to these institutions. In this paper, I explore the different positions the churches have taken, the relationships between the religious umbrella groups, and their connections to the government and the military. I argue that, for Christian Fijians in particular, the coup and its aftermath have re-ignited questions on the correct relationship between religion and politics in Fiji, which profoundly affect ideas about the way in which Fiji should be governed. http://epress.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ch091.pdf
From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath 2007 (eds) Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth Canberra and Suva: ANU and USP, 2007
'Globalization and the Re-shaping of Christianity in the Pacific Islands' (ed) Manfred Ernst Suva: Pacific Theological College. , 2006
As a whole, the book is a reference book about contemporary religious movements across the Pacifi... more As a whole, the book is a reference book about contemporary religious movements across the Pacific. The section on Fiji offers a background on Fiji to new researchers and a guide to a number of Christian churches operating in Fiji before the 2006 coup.
You can buy this book from: http://uspbookcentre.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=UBC&Product_Code=ISBN-9789823480206&Category_Code=RG "
Oceania, 2004
Since Independence in 1970, Pentecostal churches have undergone unprecedented growth in Fiji. The... more Since Independence in 1970, Pentecostal churches have undergone unprecedented growth in Fiji. They claim to revive and purify Christianity and openly demonise many traditional ideas and practices that have been incorporated into the teachings and practices of the indigenous orthodox church of Methodism. The repercussions are that families with pre-Christian esoteric knowledges are now perceived as cursed and therefore more likely to suffer illness and early death. Moreover, according to the Pentecostal churches, these conditions can only be healed by converting to Pentecostalism. However, in the villages, this conversion also brings conflict and sometimes splits villages completely or results in violence. Both are discussed in this paper.
Women's Studies International Forum, Vol. 29/4 pp. 394-404, 2006
In the current parlance of the United Nations, female circumcision is often referred to as female... more In the current parlance of the United Nations, female circumcision is often referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), an act of harm of violence instigated against women's sexuality. Strategically, this labelling has provided an emotional force for universal zero tolerance practices. Yet, in rural West Java, female circumcision is practiced with no intention of harming girls and with no known effect on sexual pleasure. Instead, female circumcision is one of a range of practices that situates the child within the Muslim community as a moral person. In this article, I explore the nature and context of female circumcision as a Muslim practice in rural West Java and argue that the position of zero tolerance may complicate and aggravate socio-political relationships with unintended consequences.
NWSA Journal, 2001
In Indonesia, Keluarga Sejahtera or "the Prosperous Family" is a slogan for a number of governmen... more In Indonesia, Keluarga Sejahtera or "the Prosperous Family" is a slogan for a number of government development programs which were implemented under the Soeharto regime. The centrepiece of Keluarga Sejahtera has been the family planning program. Rationalised through the arguments of the population discourses, the Indonesian family planning program has become an empirical example of Foucault's biopower where women's reproductive health is conflated with the interests of the family and the health of the nation-state's economy. Keluarga Sejahtera is an enormously ambitious project, aimed at transforming Indonesians, and specifically fertile Indonesian women, into particular types of modern citizens. This article explores the historical and global context from which this project emerged and the impact it has had on a local community in West Java.
Equity, 2023
Over the last ten years, the term, ESG, has been increasingly bandied around. Sometimes people a... more Over the last ten years, the term, ESG, has been increasingly bandied around. Sometimes people align it with a political position, assuming it is ‘woke’ or green or something from the radical left; it may sound expensive; and shareholders may wonder why companies should have anything to do with it. This article shows that, in fact, ESG is not about political persuasion but information; and that it protects the very basis for our way of life. So, what, then, is it; why should companies agree to its requirements; and why should shareholders be incorporating it into the way they think about their portfolios?
Gender Violence & Human Rights: Seeking Justice in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, 2016
In the Pacific, and in Melanesia in particular, violence against women is considered severe and p... more In the Pacific, and in Melanesia in particular, violence against women is considered severe and pervasive. Roughly two-thirds of the women in Fiji can expect violence in the domestic sphere at some time during their lives. A number of cultural practices which are represented as supporting and maintaining gender inequity and therefore underwriting gender violence have attracted international attention and national governments have come under pressure to ban them. One such practice in Fiji is the bulubulu, a ritual of atonement. An anthropologist has since argued that the bulubulu has been adapted in such a way that it now supports the victim, and suggests that the performance of the ritual ‘is increasingly rare even in the villages’. My own research suggests that these arguments are not accurate and that the reality in the villages is quite different. Further complicating the picture, the classic model of women’s refuges or crisis accommodation has faced immense obstacles and therefore has not been terribly effective to-date. This paper can be found at the following link: http://press.anu.edu.au/node/2168/download
Pacific Dynamics: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2017
This paper is an excavation of some of the major theories about violence, gender, and culture: mo... more This paper is an excavation of some of the major theories about violence, gender, and culture: mostly from anthropology but also philosophy, sociology and feminist studies. Many are still taught in universities; some have moved into development circles and/or entered the mainstream; some undergird the logic for commonly-used phrases; and all provide the context in which more recent theories have emerged. Highlighting assumptions within them opens up the possibility of exploring why communities, development experts, and academics often seem to be talking past each other; in this case with regard to the relationship between culture and gender violence. An excavation like this allows for an assessment of the stakes involved when using the language from particular theories.
Understanding Gender Inequality Actions in the Pacific: Ethnographic Case-studies and Policy Options, 2016
This chapter is one of eight Pacific Island country case studies in the report 'Understanding gen... more This chapter is one of eight Pacific Island country case studies in the report 'Understanding gender inequality actions in the Pacific: Ethnographic Case-studies and Policy Options' conducted for the European Union. The chapter explores gender-based violence in Fiji.
The people have spoken: The 2014 elections in Fiji , 2016
Oceania, 2015
This Introduction to this Special Issue of Oceania, ‘Descent from Israel: Jewish Identities in th... more This Introduction to this Special Issue of Oceania, ‘Descent from Israel: Jewish Identities in the Pacific, Past and Present’, sets the historical context of European interest in Pacific peoples as descended from the ‘Lost Tribes’ of the biblical Hebrews. After surveying the way in which Pacific Christians in the past and present have adopted a Jewish identity, whether through genealogy, biblical and theological interpretation, and/or deep interest in the State of Israel, we then contextualise and summarise the scholarship that follows: on Jewish identity as adopted by churches and religious movements in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Papua Guinea, as well as a final reflection on their significance for Judaism today.
Oceania, 2015
The idea that certain iTaukei (formerly ‘Fijian’) clans are descended from the Jews, particularly... more The idea that certain iTaukei (formerly ‘Fijian’) clans are descended from the Jews, particularly through a Lost Tribe of Israel, is very strong among some contemporary clans and church groups in Fiji. The importance of the Lost Tribes was reinforced in the 1987 coups, when it formed part of the political rhetoric of the coup leader, Sitiveni Rabuka, who was also a lay preacher of the Methodist Church. In order to understand such claims, I review the historical record from 1835 to Cession in 1874 to evaluate when the idea of the Lost Tribes began to be used and, more broadly, the extent to which Christianity was the language for engagement and/or resistance between missionaries and Fijians. At the same time, I explore the developing missionary discourses and their relationship with newly emerging ideas about the science of origins. The evidence indicates that, as certain ideas became routinised around the time of Cession, Christianity and science together provided a grammar that enabled many Fijians to strongly identify with the Old Testament.
Global Change, Peace and Security, 2013
The idea that Fiji should be a Christian State resurfaces periodically. In 2012, it has appeared... more The idea that Fiji should be a Christian State resurfaces periodically. In 2012, it has appeared in a number of submissions to the Constitution Committee from the Methodist Church and a political party, the S.D.L: both of which are known to have strong support from the majority of iTaukei (indigenous Fijians). In this paper, I explore how an influential faction of iTaukei Methodists has imagined Fiji as a Christian community connected to ‘place’ through kinship and narratives of historical belonging. After sketching out iTaukei claims that resulted in the 1987 and 2000 coups, I examine the impact of the 2010 Decree, which shifted the word ‘Fijian’ from being a marker of racial identity to one of national identity, and show the disjunction between notions of a democracy based on international conceptions of human rights and the desire of many iTaukei for a Christian State. This religious nationalism reflects the tension between communal and national identities, paralleling similar tensions in countries like India. Lastly, I examine some of the public responses to the Constitution Commission, which was the first time since the 2006 coup that the public have felt able to openly discuss their views about governance in Fiji. Limited online access available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/ubBEhB9scY35gJYktKzi/full
The Round Table, 2012
Although Methodism has remained the dominant form of Christianity in Fiji, Methodist ideas have b... more Although Methodism has remained the dominant form of Christianity in Fiji, Methodist ideas have been contested by a proliferation of Pentecostal/evangelical churches, but never more directly than by a new form of Methodism which flourished in the years up to 2009. This new church was called the New Methodist Church and, for a period in 2008 and 2009, the Fiji police force were strongly encouraged to participate and finally to convert. This paper is part of ongoing research that traces the alliances and challenges between Christianity and the state in Fiji. Limited online access available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/Aqi9ZJQE3UvZD3tCp9iu/full
The Contemporary Pacific, Jan 1, 2010
In 2003, the Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji (ACCF) invited evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, wh... more In 2003, the Assembly of Christian Churches of Fiji (ACCF) invited evangelist Reinhard Bonnke, who is reputed to have raised a man from the dead, to conduct a revival in Fiji. Three years later, an invitation was also extended to American televangelist, Benny Hinn. The Qarase government welcomed Bonnke's visit as an act of reconciliation for the nation, despite the fact that about 42% of the population of Fiji are not Christian, and many of those who are Christian disparage miracle workers. Hinn's visit was rationalised somewhat differently - as a draw for the tourists and in terms of the media coverage he was expected to have. This essay explores the rationalisations for the visits of these evangelists, the types of politico-religious alliances that have developed since the 2000 coup, and the politico-religious ethos that was to lead to the events of the 2006 coup.
The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A coup to end all coups? (eds) Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth and Brij V. Lal, Canberra, 2009
The 2006 coup in Fiji marked a profound shift in the structure of political relationships: not on... more The 2006 coup in Fiji marked a profound shift in the structure of political relationships: not only between the office of government and the military, but also between the churches and their connections to these institutions. In this paper, I explore the different positions the churches have taken, the relationships between the religious umbrella groups, and their connections to the government and the military. I argue that, for Christian Fijians in particular, the coup and its aftermath have re-ignited questions on the correct relationship between religion and politics in Fiji, which profoundly affect ideas about the way in which Fiji should be governed. http://epress.anu.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/ch091.pdf
From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath 2007 (eds) Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth Canberra and Suva: ANU and USP, 2007
'Globalization and the Re-shaping of Christianity in the Pacific Islands' (ed) Manfred Ernst Suva: Pacific Theological College. , 2006
As a whole, the book is a reference book about contemporary religious movements across the Pacifi... more As a whole, the book is a reference book about contemporary religious movements across the Pacific. The section on Fiji offers a background on Fiji to new researchers and a guide to a number of Christian churches operating in Fiji before the 2006 coup.
You can buy this book from: http://uspbookcentre.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=UBC&Product_Code=ISBN-9789823480206&Category_Code=RG "
Oceania, 2004
Since Independence in 1970, Pentecostal churches have undergone unprecedented growth in Fiji. The... more Since Independence in 1970, Pentecostal churches have undergone unprecedented growth in Fiji. They claim to revive and purify Christianity and openly demonise many traditional ideas and practices that have been incorporated into the teachings and practices of the indigenous orthodox church of Methodism. The repercussions are that families with pre-Christian esoteric knowledges are now perceived as cursed and therefore more likely to suffer illness and early death. Moreover, according to the Pentecostal churches, these conditions can only be healed by converting to Pentecostalism. However, in the villages, this conversion also brings conflict and sometimes splits villages completely or results in violence. Both are discussed in this paper.
Women's Studies International Forum, Vol. 29/4 pp. 394-404, 2006
In the current parlance of the United Nations, female circumcision is often referred to as female... more In the current parlance of the United Nations, female circumcision is often referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM), an act of harm of violence instigated against women's sexuality. Strategically, this labelling has provided an emotional force for universal zero tolerance practices. Yet, in rural West Java, female circumcision is practiced with no intention of harming girls and with no known effect on sexual pleasure. Instead, female circumcision is one of a range of practices that situates the child within the Muslim community as a moral person. In this article, I explore the nature and context of female circumcision as a Muslim practice in rural West Java and argue that the position of zero tolerance may complicate and aggravate socio-political relationships with unintended consequences.
NWSA Journal, 2001
In Indonesia, Keluarga Sejahtera or "the Prosperous Family" is a slogan for a number of governmen... more In Indonesia, Keluarga Sejahtera or "the Prosperous Family" is a slogan for a number of government development programs which were implemented under the Soeharto regime. The centrepiece of Keluarga Sejahtera has been the family planning program. Rationalised through the arguments of the population discourses, the Indonesian family planning program has become an empirical example of Foucault's biopower where women's reproductive health is conflated with the interests of the family and the health of the nation-state's economy. Keluarga Sejahtera is an enormously ambitious project, aimed at transforming Indonesians, and specifically fertile Indonesian women, into particular types of modern citizens. This article explores the historical and global context from which this project emerged and the impact it has had on a local community in West Java.