ABSTRACT

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book traces changes in Pacific island communities in the recent past, through the perceptions of social scientists (mainly anthropologists and geographers) who have visited and revisited particular places. It draws on the long-term work of individual researchers and the value of their in-depth knowledge of the places they first studied many years ago. The advantage of researchers returning over the long term to a particular fieldsite also includes the benefits of drawing on new theoretical approaches and developments in their discipline over time. Despite the many benefits of longitudinal perspectives, many researchers either do not return to their early fieldsites or move on from their early work to focus on new topics. Of the many researchers who have returned, few have explicitly reflected on their returns, perhaps in some cases because of their own negative perceptions of change.