Ethnic tension in paradise: explaining ethnic supremacy aspirations in Fiji

Abstract

Fiji is a nation divided between two ethnic groups, i.e., Indigenous Fijians and Indo- (i.e., Indian) Fijians, which are almost equal in size. In 2000, a coup has been attempted by Indigenous Fijians to overthrow the Indo-Fijian led government. In this study, which was conducted prior to the attempted coup, the empirical relations between several psychological and sociological variables and ethnic supremacy aspirations in Fiji were investigated using a sample of 159 Indigenous Fijians and 177 Indo-Fijians. Strong differences between the two ethnic groups emerged. Indigenous Fijians’ ethnic supremacy aspirations are stronger than those of Indo-Fijians. Furthermore, Indigenous Fijians have a stronger social identity, in-group identification, and are more collectivistic than Indo-Fijians. Indo-Fijians have a much higher perceived socio-economic status than Indigenous Fijians. The strongest predictor of ethnic supremacy aspirations in the complete sample is social distance between individuals in the two ethnic groups, followed by perceived socio-economic status, collectivism, in-group identification, and social identity. The variables used in the study explained 40% of the variance in ethnic supremacy aspirations in the complete sample, 32% in the Indigenous Fijian sample, and 27% in the Indo-Fijian sample. The implications of the findings for ethnic cohabitation in Fiji and the role of government in handling ethnic conflicts are discussed.