Dr Kirstie Close-Barry – ‘A Mission Divided: Race, Culture and Colonialism in Fiji’s Methodist Mission’

In 2016, Contemporary Histories member Dr Kirstie Close-Barry launched her book A Mission Divided: Race, Culture and Colonialism in Fiji’s Methodist Mission at the Fijian High Commission in Canberra. There she met Mr Kanti Jinna, who is part of the Friends of the Commonwealth, who promised to pass on a copy of the book to several key leaders in India and the Indian diaspora, including India’s current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.

The book was presented to Modi, at the Prime Minister’s lunch on 8 January in Bengaluru during a conference of overseas Indians. Mr Jinna had been invited to this by the Government of India and had anticipated this meeting and was able to coordinate the photograph and send it to Kirstie late last week.

The book details the experience of the Indian diaspora in Fiji, particularly the processes of separation adopted in many areas of administration and operation of the Methodist mission.