Moore, Liam (2026) Is Australia part of the Pacific? Re-imagining Australia’s Pacific identities and relationships for an ‘Island’ future. Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. (In Press)

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Abstract

Since the beginning of colonisation, Australian authorities have had a persistent desire to control the Pacific. While Australia is a long-standing key partner for Pacific Island states, there is an underlying discontent with the often domineering and exploitive nature of Australia in the region. Seeking to understand why this approach to diplomacy in the Pacific has been so hard to change for Australia, I suggest it is because ideas of Australia as a powerful regional administrator have become so central to its collective identity that they have been fused into the diplomatic, strategic, and political culture in Canberra. Using lenses of ontological security, narratives, and articulation theory, I examine how this identity has evolved through three vignettes: the initial portrayal of Australia as a Western, continental, colonial controller; the discursive construction of Australian primacy in relation to the Pacific and its peoples; and an examination of recent diplomatic interactions between Australia and Pacific partners. Drawing on Teaiwa’s vision of articulation theory, I suggest these ideas have become akin to a bodily part of Australia’s core identity concerns—and it will generally act to preserve its sense of this self. However, while difficult, change is possible. In a forward-looking coda, I propose that future change is funnelled towards ‘islanding’ Australia. A fundamental reorientation of identity, culture, and practice that embraces Australia’s vulnerability and possibility could open the space for a more productive future with Pacific partners and a more comfortable relationship with Australia’s own core identity.

Item ID:	94436
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2399-6544
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2026 04:17
FoR Codes:	44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4408 Political science > 440807 Government and politics of Asia and the Pacific @ 20% 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4408 Political science > 440801 Australian government and politics @ 20% 44 HUMAN SOCIETY > 4408 Political science > 440808 International relations @ 60%
SEO Codes:	23 LAW, POLITICS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES > 2302 Government and politics > 230299 Government and politics not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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