History of Ignorance: A History of the Belittling of Modern Pacific Knowledge

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Modern day Pacific knowledge (data, information, records, publications) as a subset of Pacific Knowledge is largely absent from current Pacific discourse, only appearing when there is an embarrassing information/data failure. In such cases the consequences of the failure is centre of attention, with little or no emphasis placed on improving the capacity and quality of information management to prevent future failures; effectively kicking the can down the road. There is a pattern of presuming the availability of information and data, without acknowledging the need to design, implement, and maintain information management systems from which such information and data should flow. Or in the blunt language of the private sector, we are expecting a quality product, but don’t care if there is a supply chain. This PhD proposal seeks to foreground the undermining of the information management sector and subsequent impact on Pacific aspirations, governance, and developmental goals, using political economy analysis, autoethnography, and historical examination to research the sector in the Republic of Fiji, The University of the South pacific, The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, and The Secretariat of the Pacific Community; in order to map out the structures and drivers causing the belittlement of Pacific knowledge.