Abstract
In this thesis I will offer some perspectives on how wellbeing is experienced and accounted for by Fijians who live in Suva, based on a total of near six months of extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Suva. I have been interested in how Fijians who live and work under urban circumstances realise and experience wellbeing. Since the term wellbeing has no corresponding equivalent in Fijian, I have approached wellbeing in Suva through a definition introduced by Edward Fischer (2014). His definition is grounded in the assumption that people cross-culturally commit to larger moral projects, which they aspire towards. Based on own observations in the field and with support from wider ethnographic literature from Fiji, I have chosen to focus on the ideology of vanua, a system of values rooted in notion of belonging to the land, as a large project Fijians commit to. The vast majority of my friends and acquaintances had moved to Suva from rural areas, and I propose seeing their subsequent life and work in Suva as an important part of their aspirations to the vanua. These aspirations comprise a range of different obligations. From monetary contributions to rural kin and covering expenses related to functions, to helping each other manage in the city and observing the values of interaction. Nonetheless all these obligations are realised through interaction with others. The main perspective in this thesis will then again not so much be on the individual s experience of own life, as their experience of and perspectives on the wide web of relationships they are part of. A key emic term in this regard is loloma, compassionate love. Compassion and care should ideally be expressed through all your dealings with other people. Fijians see expressions of care for others as reciprocal acts, and central for maintaining good relationships. Reciprocity underpins all your relationships, and is crucial to understand wellbeing. It will hopefully be clear from reading the thesis, that wellbeing in a Fijian context is seen as relational. Fijians are responsible for each other s wellbeing. This is a major proposal. How obligations following the commitment to vanua are experienced as ambiguous will also be addressed, but I will be attentive to the ways to cope with this ambiguity. I will mainly concentrate on following a handful of very close friends, but I will in addition rely on a wide range of other acquaintances. They are unified by a shared residence in Suva, while their regional adherence, age and job differ.