“Wasting time” the Veratan way: Conspicuous leisure and the value of waiting in Fiji

[...]the village population of about three hundred people is constantly changing, the formerly urban employed retiring to the village, village residents moving out, and others wavering in-between. [...]approximately three hundred people, either born or married into the village, live there practicing agriculture and fishing, and augmenting their subsistence by selling produce at the urban market and with assistance from urban relatives. [...]to understand the implications of the ideal of sharing, it is necessary to keep in mind that even long-term urban residents such as Adriu, a middle-class insurance sales representative from Lautoka town, say that “all your income’s not all only yours. [...]I thank Matt Tomlinson for his help, and the anonymous reviewers whose suggestions and comments made this a better article. 1.The racialized history of wage labor and labor time in Fiji is an integral part of the issue discussed here.