Hom and Honiara

Interpreting, importing, and adapting “home” in Solomon Islands

Bibliographic Data

ID18972723
AuthorsR Maggio (0000-0002-9795-2184, Department of Cultures, Politics and Society University of Turin Turin Italy, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume33
Issue2
Pages101-116
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Australian Journal of Anthropology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1035-8811 • E-ISSN: 1757-6547
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/taja.12439
OpenAlexW4292791007
LanguageEN
References cited41

The residents of Gilbert Camp, an illegal settlement on the outskirts of Honiara, the capital city of Solomon Islands, recurrently declare that life in town is hard. However, they have been migrating there, they keep doing so notwithstanding great challenges, and create the conditions for others to settle too. The apparent contradiction between their ideas and behaviours is resolved by looking at their home‐making practices, and interpreting negative statements as commentaries. These commentaries evaluate their efforts to turn Honiara into a home and a place where they can live the “good” life. Home is not just a matter of urban belonging and place‐making, neither it is just a matter of surviving in the “hard” urban context; rather it is a complex negotiation between cultural priorities, the specific needs of local communities, and their commitment to create a home away from home

Archaeology · Business · Capital city · Contradiction · Economic geography · Epistemology · Geography · Negotiation · Social science · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · History · Island Studies and Pacific Affairs · Migration and Labor Dynamics