Efforts to contend with tensions inherent in multiethnic societies; case studies of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Ethnic conflict, one of the most serious and widespread problems in the world today, can undermine efforts to promote political and economic development, as well as political, economic, and social justice. It can also lead to violence and open warfare, producing horrifying levels of death and destruction. Although government policies on ethnic issues often have profound effects on a country, the subject has been neglected by most scholars and analysts. This volume analyzes different policies governments have pursued in their efforts to contend with the tensions inherent in multiethnic societies. The book focuses on Asia and the Pacific, the most populous and economically vibrant part of the world. The heart of the book is a set of case studies of government policies in sixteen countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The studies consider a wide range of political, economic, educational, linguistic, and cultural policies, and how these policies have evolved over time. Using a broad comparative perspective to assess the effectiveness of different governmental approaches, the authors offer policy recommendations that cut across individual countries and regions.

This book is in the first place meant to provide basic information for the many Pakeha who interact with Maori as spouses, friends, work colleagues and service providers to help them understand a family type different from their own. It is also a contribution to the debate about the causes of current problems affecting Maori families, and suggests strategies for handling them more effectively.

Recognized tribes are increasingly prominent players in settler state governance, but in the wide-ranging debates about tribal self-governance, little has been said about tribal self-constitution. Who are the members of tribes, and how are they chosen? Tribes in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States are now obliged to adopt written constitutions as a condition of recognition, and to specify the criteria used to select members. Tribal Constitutionalism presents findings from a comparative study of nearly eight hundred current and historic tribal constitutions, most of which are not in the public domain. Kirsty Gover examines the strategies adopted by tribes and states to deal with the new legal distinction between indigenous people (defined by settler governments) and tribal members (defined by tribal governments). She highlights the important fact that the two categories are imperfectly aligned. Many indigenous persons are not tribal members, and some tribal members are not legally indigenous. Should legal indigenous status be limited to persons enrolled in recognized tribes? What is to be done about the large and growing proportion of indigenous peoples who are not enrolled in a tribe, and do not live near their tribal territories? This book approaches these complex questions head-on. Using tribal membership criteria as a starting point, this book provides a critical analysis of current political and sociolegal theories of tribalism and indigeneity, and draws on legal doctrine, policy, demographic data and tribal practice to provide a comparative evaluation of tribal membership governance in the western settler states.

The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi is a foundational document for New Zealand. Signed in 1840 by more than 540 rangatira and representatives of the British Crown, the Treaty set out an agreement between Māori and the European newcomers that remains central to this country’s cultural and political life. Claudia Orange’s writing on the Treaty has contributed to New Zealanders’ understanding of this history for over thirty years. In this new edition of her popular illustrated history, Dr Orange brings the narrative of Te Tiriti/Treaty up to date, covering major developments in iwi claims and Treaty settlements – including the ‘personhood’ established for the Whanganui River and Te Urewera, applications for customary title in the foreshore and seabed, and critical matters of intellectual property, language and political partnership. New Zealand’s commitment to the Treaty claims process has far-reaching implications for this country’s future, and this clear account provides readers with invaluable insights into an all-important history. The Treaty of Waitangi by Claudia Orange was first published in 1987 to national acclaim, receiving the Goodman Fielder Wattie Award. This widely respected history has since advanced through several new editions. The Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi: An Illustrated History is the most comprehensive account yet, presented in full colour and drawing on Dr Orange’s recent research into the nine sheets of the Treaty and their signatories.