The paper will discuss formal and informal Hindu-Christian relations in Fiji. After providing the historical background, I will focus in particular on current interfaith dialogue and reconciliation initiatives. The paper speaks to panel theme 2, as it presents a geographic case study with historical examples of spiritual, religious, political, intellectual, and social justice transformations through encounters between Hindus and Christians.
During the late 19th and early 20th century, large numbers of Indians, most of them Hindus, were brought to Fiji by the British colonialists to work on sugar cane plantations. This colonial project did not aim at an integration of the Indian indentured labourers, who often lived in slavery-like conditions, with the indigenous population but nevertheless drastically transformed Fijian society. The aim of the paper is to point out the complexity of Hindu-Christian relations in the historical transformations of Fijian society, and to discuss the variety of contemporary formats with which Hindus and Christians together seek to positively transform their mutual relations and wider society.