Indigenous governance in Melanesia : discussion paper, State Society and Governance in Melanesia

Abstract

Along with recent widely publicized problems of Melanesian states comes renewed interest in “customary modes of governance.” Although talk of custom now flows easily in discussions of political reform in the region, few of these discussions make any serious use of the extensive anthropological literature on the politics of “tradition.” The fact that custom now crosses lines of academic and policy discourse raises the question of how such concepts might be useful for policymakers and others looking for practical interventions in the notoriously weak states of the region. With that in mind, this paper offers a brief overview of issues and themes emerging from Melanesian studies that bear on current concerns with “indigenous governance.” My strategy for doing so is to discuss a recent case of political innovation in Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands. Drawing on my own research in Santa Isabel, I ask what issues and questions emerging in that locale may be relevant for other local systems in Melanesia.