Defining culture, heritage and identity in Fijian Context

Defining culture, heritage and identity in Fijian Context

Prashneel Ravisan Goundar

Fiji National University, Fiji  

Abstract

Culture and tradition form an individual’s identity, the values instilled by the culture is a reflection of how people tend to live their lives. In Fiji, the value of tradition has passed through stages of change from the pre-colonial era to the post-colonial era and the present. The main aim of the research is to highlight the views of 6 individuals on culture, heritage and identity. The opinion expressed by them on the topics was achieved by a questionnaire (Appendix B), oral interview and informal discussions. The 6 participants are highly qualified professionals from Fiji who work in a firm operated by the United Kingdom (UK). The participants are a mixture of ethnicities, marital status and gender. The questionnaire has been analyzed with the use of sub topics and the views and thoughts are elaborated with relevant examples. The article concludes by giving recommendations expressed by the individuals.

Keywords: cultural maintenance, preservation, individual identity, tradition, cultural values