2025/01/01 by George Carter, Salā, Fry, Gregory, Nanau, Gordon Leua · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #Asian American and Pacific Histories #Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration
paper · doi:10.26021/16153
openalex publication_date 2025/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/11/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
When practitioners and scholars think of Pacific diplomacy, they usually have in mind a form of diplomacy built on Western practices and protocols, and focused on the engagement between modern sovereign Pacific Island states and their accredited ambassadors. Seen through this lens, Pacific diplomacy is assumed to begin in the late 1960s with the beginning of decolonisation and the creation of the postcolonial state. What is overlooked in this conventional narrative is that prior to the emergence of Western-style diplomacy there were hundreds, even thousands, of years in which the political communities of Oceania practised diplomacy between themselves. In this book, we refer to these longstanding practices and principles as Oceanic diplomacy to emphasise that what we are seeking to bring into the light are forms of diplomatic knowledge, and forms of diplomatic practice, that spring from the history and cultures – and even from the winds and currents – of Oceania itself.