The Pacific Islands: Paths To The Present

This volume sets out to provide an accessible introduction to the institutions, policy concerns and international roles of the Pacific Islands. The author paints an overall picture of the region, delineating the geographic and cultural features of the major island groups, examining the island’s history of contact with the West, and discussing issues of local and international concern, such as nuclear testing and the destructive exploitation of the island’s natural resources. The book traces the island’s political transition from Western colonies to the mostly independent polities of today. It begins by describing the geographic and cultural characteristics that distinguish the major island groups of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. A history of Western perceptions about the islands follows, starting with the 18th-century romantic vision of the South Pacific as paradise, an idea still prevalent today. The heart of the book examines issues of governance, encountered first by colonial administrators and then by the islanders themselves. It concludes with a discussion of international issues faced by the islands, such as the recent round of French nuclear testing on Muroroa atoll and the destructive exploitation of the island’s natural resources.