Is There a Tongan Middle Class? Hierarchy and Protest in Contemporary Tonga
2003
Benguigui used the term "middle class" in a way that suggested it
exerted significant social agency in contemporary Tonga (1989). My
review of his analysis concludes that there is no coherent, durable
middle class in Tonga capable of the effective class action he claimed
for it. Instead, the social struggles of recent decades, typically led
by members of commoner educated elites, may be seen as protests against
the traditional patriarchal hierarchy and especially what they perceive
to be the actions of an arrogant, paternalistic government. Rather
than issues theoretically associated with class, the struggles have
involved commoners' claims to respect from socially superior leaders and
recognition of the covenant-like relationship that ideally should exist
between them within the body politic. The sporadic protests or fragmentary
proto-conflicts that have occurred might in time produce significant
class consciousness and appropriate forms of class organization. But
they probably will not because of the people's continuing adherence to
particularistic ties—to family, locality, church, and chiefs. While
the crusading efforts of protesters have created a more informed and
active public sphere, most educated achievers are more concerned with
personal advancement and entry intonewly created status groups than with
membership in a common class that seeks appropriate political expression
for a unified common social purpose. The increasing social visibility
of educated professional and business people should be seen as part of
the changing patterns of social stratification instead of class formation.
Keywords:
- Correction
- Source
- Cite
- Save
- Machine Reading By IdeaReader
28
References
23
Citations
NaN
KQI