Research Approach
Introduction
The Fiji Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s research forms a cornerstone of its mandate of facilitating truth-telling spaces for the purposes of healing and reconciliation. Our research seeks not only to document what happened during periods of political upheaval, but to understand why it happened, how it affected people and institutions, and what must be done to prevent its recurrence.
Grounded in rigorous scholarship and survivor experiences, the Commission’s research supports a shared national understanding of Fiji’s past and present, situating lived experiences within historical context and informing policy reform and collective recommendations for a better Fiji.
Purpose of the Research
The Commission’s research work serves three (3) critical purposes, as provided for under the FTRC Act. Firstly, it examines the nature, antecedents, and social accountability dimensions of human rights violations and abuses linked to periods of political upheaval, including their impacts across key sectors in Fiji. Secondly, it draws on expert and institutional knowledge through hearings with academics and professionals working in these sectors. Finally, it informs the consolidation of the Commission’s Final Report, including recommendations and policy measures to prevent future political upheavals, which is submitted to the President of the Republic of Fiji.
Nature, Antecedents and Root Causes of Political Upheavals & Sectoral Analysis Impact
While the Commission retains full authorship and responsibility for the chapters and the final report, it works closely with leading academics and researchers who have published extensively in their respective fields. These experts have been engaged to draw on and synthesise existing research and literature to inform the Commission’s historical and sectoral impact assessments.
This approach ensures that the Commission’s work is grounded in rigorous scholarship, methodological integrity, and a strong understanding of Fiji’s historical, socio-political, and economic context. Their contributions enhance the credibility of the Commission’s research, strengthen public confidence in its findings, and support the development of evidence-based analysis capable of informing meaningful policy and institutional reform.
Key Sectors
The Commission’s research work covers a range of sectoral and historical analysis that are aligned to the Commission’s mandate. Together, these strands of analysis are organised into chapters that will form a substantial part of the Commission’s final report.
At the foundation of this body of work, the Historical Chapter will provide the essential historical and cultural context that helps explain who we are as a people and why we are the way we are today. This chapter will explore how our collective identities, belief systems, and worldviews were shaped over time, rooted in experiences from pre-colonial times, through colonisation, the arrival of the indentured labourers, the struggle for independence and post-independence developments.
Building on this historical grounding, the report then turns to the sectoral impact assessment, which examines the impact of the political upheavals across key sectors in Fiji. The Commission has identified seven (7) key sectors which includes:
- Education
- Health
- Legal
- Media
- Civil Society
- Public Service
- Economy
Methodology and Ethical Considerations
The Commission strongly adopts and applies a decolonial, participatory and culturally sensitive approach, especially when analysing community-level experiences and narratives. Where testimonies and statements are collected, it must be done so with trauma-informed methods and anonymised unless explicit, informed consent is obtained.
Ethical considerations for this research include avoiding extractive research methods, particularly when engaging with vulnerable individuals and communities. It is essential to ensure informed consent from all participants and safeguard their confidentiality throughout the research process.
Where interviews or archival material include community perspectives, such content must be handled respectfully and, where practicable, validated with relevant communities to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity.
The Commission will support risk management planning, including where interviews can be conducted remotely or via secure platforms to protect both the participant and the researcher.
Peer Review Process
The Commission has instituted a robust peer review process to ensure that its research outputs are grounded in credible evidence, meet standards of academic rigour, and accurately reflect the lived experiences of the people of Fiji.
This commitment is reflected in the establishment of two (2) review groups that serve distinct purposes while complementing each other’s work. All commissioned and in-house research undergoes a thorough peer review and quality assurance process. Draft outputs are reviewed by the two groups to assess accuracy, methodological soundness, balance, and alignment with the Commission’s mandate. This process ensures that findings are credible, relevant, and meet high academic and professional standards before being incorporated into the Commission’s work.
These two groups include:
- Academic Advisory Taskforce – ensures that all research outputs adhere to standards for academic rigour, ethical integrity and contextual relevance. Individuals that sit in this review group provide independent, expert oversight and validation of research outputs that have been commissioned by the Commission.
- Survivor Expert Panel – ensures that survivor narratives and lived experiences are authentically centred in the research, upholding the integrity and dignity of those directly affected by the political upheavals from 1987 onwards. Individuals that sit in this review group provide independent, community-led oversight and validation of research outputs engaged by the Commission.
Expert and Institutional Hearings
Academics and professionals whom the Commission has engaged, either in its research work or through statement taking, are invited to participate in a hearing modality that is distinct from the survivor hearings conducted by the Commission. These expert and institutional hearings are designed to provide specialised knowledge, contextual analysis, and institutional perspectives relevant to the Commission’s mandate. These hearings provide a structured forum for expert input and institutional reflection, while remaining complementary to, and not a substitute for, the survivor-centred hearings that remain at the core of the Commission’s work.
Key recommendations and policy reform advice that emerge during these hearings will be documented and included in the Final Report.
Consolidation of Final Report
All research outputs directly inform the Commission’s Final Report. These outputs, including research chapters and transcripts from hearings, contribute to the Commission’s contextual and sectoral analyses and underpin its evidence-based recommendations, ensuring that the Final Report reflects lived experiences while remaining grounded in rigorous and community-led analysis.
