Cities of Parts, Cities Apart? Changing Places in Modern Melanesia

Abstract

Melanesian urbanization is primarily postcolonial, occurring after colonial restrictions\non migration and city growth. Recency, impermanence, discontinuity,\nand differences between places and cultures characterize city life. Culture influences\nsocioeconomic organization; gangs rather than unions cut across social ties,\ninsecurity strengthens identity, and the growing squatter settlements refine and\ndefine ethnic distinctiveness. Ideology reinforces rural ties. Security concerns have\nintroduced new divisions. Modern dress, lifestyles, and language have shaped\nnew identities, yet tribal and regional affiliations are more important than\nnational identity. Melanesian cities are intricately subdivided places where ethnicity\nand cultural identity triumph over class. They are a peripheral part of the\nworld capitalist economy where modernity challenges tradition and local resistance.\nFragmented planning systems, weak or missing municipal governments,\nand inadequate finance have led to breakdowns in urban service delivery, mismanagement,\ndiversity, and spontaneity. Melanesian urbanism emphasizes historical\nspecificity, plurality, difference, and incoherence.