Political economy of identities in an instance of globalisation: history of a Solomon Islands Japanese joint venture tuna fishing corporation (1971-2000)

Abstract

Solomon Taiyo Ltd (STL) is of vital importance to the Solomon Islands economy. It is the second largest employer after the government. It is the only substantial industrial enterprise. It is the only major employer in the Western part of the country. STL is interesting from a social science or humanities point of view because it embodies themes central to contemporary thinking about processes of decolonisation, modernisation, industrialisation, and globalisation. STL is about the adaptation of local practices to accommodate and/or resist new social, political and economic practices. It is an example of an attempt at development through the capital and know-how of a large multinational corporation. It demonstrates some possible consequences of interplay between different peoples and practices through capitalist economic activity. On an empirical level the project aims to provide information about the socio-economic outcomes of this venture and some of the reasons for those outcomes. This paper presents my work-in-progress to date, which includes examination of secondary sources and exploration of theoretical frameworks. Show more