Dr Stewart Firth
Areas of expertise
- Comparative Government And Politics 160603
- Regional Analysis And Development 120505
- International Relations 160607
- Pacific History (Excl. New Zealand And Maori) 210313
- Postcolonial Studies 200211
- Government And Politics Of Asia And The Pacific 160606
Research interests
My recent research has focused on the small states and territories of the Pacific Islands. I am at present investigating the historical legacy of the colonial period in the Pacific Islands, especially the legacy of the state itself.
Biography
I have been interested in the Pacific Islands since teaching at the University of Papua New Guinea in its early years. I also taught at the University of Hawaii, and from 1998 to 2004 I was Professor of Politics at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji. In between came a couple of decades teaching politics and international relations at Macquarie University. I co-edited The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: a coup to end all coups?, ANU E Press, Canberra, 2009, and wrote Australia in International Politics: an introduction to Australian foreign policy, 3rd edn, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 2011. Together with Vijay Naidu, I co-edited Understanding Oceania: Celebrating the University of the South Pacific and its Collaboration with the Australian National University, ANU Press, 2019.
Publications
- Firth, S 2019, 'China, Samoa and debt-for-equity swaps'.
- Firth, S 2018, 'Grappling with the bomb: Britain's Pacific H-bomb tests', Global Change, Peace & Security, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 277-278.
- Firth, S 2018, Fiji elections: Bainimarama rebuked but returned.
- Firth, S 2017, 'Contemporary Politics of the Pacific Islands', in Juliet Love (ed.), The Far East and Australasia 2017, Routledge, Abingdon United Kingdom, pp. 7pp.
- Firth, S 2016, 'Democracy under threat in Nauru'.
- Firth, S 2016, 'The Pacific�s state of independence'.
- Carter, G & Firth, S 2016, 'The Mood in Melanesia after the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands', Asia & The Pacific Policy Studies, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 16-25.
- Firth, S 2016, 'Seminar - Nauru's Retreat from Democracy - 16 MAY 2016'.
- Firth, S 2016, 'Australia's Detention Centre and the Erosion of Democracy in Nauru', Journal of Pacific History, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 286-300.
- Firth, S 2015, 'The Fiji Election of 2014: Rights, Representation and Legitimacy in Fiji Politics', The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, vol. 104, no. 2, pp. 101-112.
- Hannan, K & Firth, S 2015, 'Trading with the Dragon: Chinese trade, investment and development assistance in the Pacific Islands', Journal of Contemporary China, vol. 24, no. 95, pp. 865-882.
- Firth, S & Hannan, K 2014, 'PRESENTATION - China in the Pacific Islands: Investment, Resources, Aid and Engagement | 14 MAR 2014'.
- Firth, S 2014, 'Review of Edward Aspinall, Robin Jeffrey, and Anthony J. Regan, eds, Diminishing Conflicts in Asia and the Pacific: Why Some Subside and Others Don't', Pacific Affairs, vol. 87, no. 2, pp. 299-301.
- Firth, S 2014, WP 2014-04 | Opening Up to Our Pacific Neighbours.
- Firth, S 2014, Countdown begins to Fiji voting, pp. 3pp.
- Firth, S 2014, Fiji coup leader gets the democratic approval he wanted, pp. 3pp.
- Firth, S 2014, 'Security in Papua New Guinea: The Military and Diplomatic Dimensions', Security Challenges, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 97-113.
- Firth, S 2014, Xi visit shows Fiji sanctions' failure, pp. 2pp.
- Firth, S 2014, Xi makes splash in South Pacific, pp. 2pp.
- Firth, S 2014, Xi boosts China's South Pacific presence, pp. 2pp.
- Firth, S 2014, 'Contemporary Politics of the Pacific Islands', in J Love (ed.), The Far East and Australasia 2015, Routledge, New York, pp. 825-831.
- Firth, S 2014, 'Security in the Pacific Islands (2015)', in J Love (ed.), The Far East and Australasia 2015, Routledge, New York.
- Firth, S 2013, 'Review of Christine Winter, Looking After One's Own: The Rise of Nationalism and the Politics of the Neuendettelsauer Mission in Australia, New Guinea and Germany (1921-1933)', Australian Journal of Politics and History, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 477-478.
- Firth, S 2005, 'A comment on "The nuclear issue in the South Pacific"', The Contemporary Pacific, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 359-362.
- Firth, S 2001, 'A reflection on south pacific regional security, mid-2000 to mid-2001', Journal of Pacific History, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 277-283.
- Firth, S 2014, Keynote Address, 'Opening up to our Pacific Neighbours', AAPS Conference OCEANSCAPES: cooperation across the Pacific 22 APR 2014'.
- Firth, S 2013, 'PRESENTATION - South Pacific Security in the Asian Century'.
- Firth, S 2013, 'New Developments in the International Relations of the Pacific Islands', Journal of Pacific History, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 286-293.
- Firth, S 2013, 'Australia's policy towards coup-prone and military regimes in the Asia-Pacific: Thailand, Fiji and Burma', Australian Journal of International Affairs, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 357-372.
- Firth, S 2013, Political Status and Development: The Implications for Australian Foreign Policy Towards the Pacific Islands.
- Firth, S, Barney, K, Chand, S et al 2013, 'SEMINAR - Smallness is a State of Mind'.
- Firth, S 2013, 'Keynote Address', State of the Pacific 2013, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Canberra, Australia..
- Firth, S 2012, 'Reflections on Fiji since Independence', The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, vol. 101, no. 6, pp. 575-583.
- Firth, S 2011, Australia in International Politics: An Introduction to Australian foreign policy, Allen & Unwin, sydney.
- Firth, S 2011, 'Australia, the Pacific Islands and Timor-Leste', in James Cotton and John Ravenhill (ed.), Middle Power Dreaming: Australia in World Affairs 2006-2010, Oxford University Press, Australia, pp. 147-164.
- Firth, S 2011, 'Culture and context in the teaching of Pacific history and politics', Journal of Pacific History, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 207-213.
- Firth, S 2011, ''Perspectiva de los principales acontecimientos politicos en Pacifico en 2010', Anuario Asia-Pacifico 2005, vol. 2010.
- Firth, S. 2011. Australia in International Politics: an introduction to Australian foreign policy, 3rd edn. Allen & Unwin, Sydney.
- Firth, S 2009, 'Les influences exterieures sur la Melanesie', in (ed.), La Nouvelle-Caledonie pour l'integration melanesienne. La Nouvelle Revue du Pacifique, l'Harmattan, Paris, pp. 166-175.
- Firth, S 2009, 'Contemporary Politics of the Pacific Islands', in Lynnn Daniel (ed.), The Far East and Australasia 2009, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, London, pp. 900-905.
- Fraenkel, J, Firth, S & Lal, B, eds, 2009, The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to end all Coups?, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia.
- Fraenkel, J & Firth, S 2009, 'Fiji's Coup Syndrome', in Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth, Brij Lal (ed.), The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to end all Coups?, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 449 - 458.
- Fraenkel, J & Firth, S 2009, 'The Fiji Military and Ethno-nationalism: Analysing the Paradox', in Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth, Brij Lal (ed.), The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to end all Coups?, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 117 - 137.
- Fraenkel, J & Firth, S 2009, 'The Enigmas of Fiji's good Governance Coup', in Jon Fraenkel, Stewart Firth, Brij Lal (ed.), The 2006 Military Takeover in Fiji: A Coup to end all Coups?, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 3-17.
- Dinnen, S & Firth, S, eds, 2008, Politics and State Building in Solomon Islands, ANU ePress, Canberra.
- Firth, S 2008, 'The Contemporary Pacific', in Europa Publications Series (ed.), The Far East and Australasia 2008, Europa Publications, Taylor & Francis Group, London, pp. XX.
- Firth, S 2008, 'The New Regionalism and its contradictions', in Greg Fry and Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka (ed.), Intervention and state-building in the Pacific - the legitimacy of 'cooperative intervention', Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 119-134.
- Firth, S & Fraenkel, J 2007, 'Changing calculus and shifting visions', in Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth (ed.), From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 2-10.
- Firth, S 2007, 'Pacific Islands Trade, Labor, and Security in an Era of Globalization', The Contemporary Pacific, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 111-135.
- Fraenkel, J & Firth, S 2007, 'The cycles of party politics', in Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth (ed.), From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. 64-77.
- Firth, S & Fraenkel, J 2007, 'Fiji's perpetual legitimacy crisis', in Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth (ed.), From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia, pp. xx-xxviii.
- Fraenkel, J & Firth, S, eds, 2007, From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and its Aftermath, ANU ePress, Canberra Australia.
- Firth, S, ed., 2006, Globalisation and Governance in the Pacific Islands, ANU ePress, Australia.
- Firth, S 2005, Australia in International Politics: an Introduction to Australian Foreign Policy (2nd ed), Allen & Unwin, Australia.
- Firth, S 2000, 'The Pacific Islands and the Globalization Agenda', The Contemporary Pacific, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 178-192.
- Firth, S 2000, 'Decolonization', in Robert Borofsky (ed.), Remembrance of Pacific pasts: an invitation to remake history, University of Hawaii Press, United States, pp. 314-332.