| Abstrakt: |
This article, based in part upon the author's ongoing archival and field research on the history of rugby in Fiji, briefly assesses the state of academic engagement with rugby in the Pacific Islands. In particular, it surveys the characteristic features of what might be described as the ‘first wave’ of Pacific rugby scholarship. Those include an emphasis on the construction of national, regional and masculine identities, as well as the notion of ‘the journey’, in both literal and metaphorical guises, as a central analytical motif. The article also offers a short list of provisional topics for future academic inquiry. It is suggested that while scholarly interest has mapped the contours of globalization, additional research on local contexts is necessary if we are to develop a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of rugby in the Pacific Islands. |
