Sport and ethno-racial formation: imagined distance in Fiji

Abstract

Significant research depicts the implications of sport’s role in racial formation located mainly in the ‘Global North’. Yet, there has been less attention afforded to the related role of sport in the ‘Global South’, particularly in divided societies, where the consequences of sports’ influence on ethno-racial relations, are also significant. This study relies on empirical evidence gathered during an in-depth exploration into the role of soccer and rugby in Fijian intergroup relations. Sport is analysed as an arena that not only plays host to ethno-racial groupings but one which is also instrumental in their maintenance and reimagining. In Fiji at least, the organisation and positioning of sport in popular culture and discourse means that it becomes an emblematic sphere, active in the reconfirmation and preservation of ethno-racial division. Through this discussion, this study contributes to sport and racial formation theory, widening the gaze to diverse and divided socio-cultural settings.

Keywords:

• Ethnic division
• Fiji
• racial formation
• sport for development and peace
• Global South

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in Fiji, The University of The South Pacific and at The University of Technology, Sydney for their help in compiling this research. I would also like to thank Professor Daryl Adair specifically, for his mentorship and for coining the concept of ‘imagined distance’ that began this journey.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The ‘Global South’ is a term that has been emerging in transnational and postcolonial studies to refer to Lower and Middle-Income countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Pacific.

2 iTaukei is a Fijian word of colonial origin that denotes ‘Indigenous Fijian’ or ‘Indigenous landowner.’

3 Gujarat is a state in the Western part of India.

4 Hereafter ‘rugby’ will be used as an umbrella term for rugby union, rugby league and rugby sevens unless otherwise stated

5 Hereafter ‘soccer’ will be used to refer to association football. ‘Football’ may appear in the interview excerpts but generally I use the unique classification of soccer.

6 Not to be confused with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association – association football’s global governing body.

7 Both netball and volleyball are sports dominated by Indigenous female and male participants. However, it was beyond the scope of this research to look further into these sports.

8 Due to Fiji’s diversity there are exceptions to this. A participant in this study Henry Dyer, for example, is an ex professional soccer player who is ethnically part European and part indigenous, and therefore did not fit into the local informal racial hierarchy.

9 Cricket in Fiji emerged as a sport which appears to be further ahead than soccer or rugby in terms of inclusion, alas it was beyond the scope of this research to delve deeper into this sport.