Polynesian Literature: a Political Genre

Abstract

The literature of French Polynesia has a strong political role to play through the writings of its authors. Their relationship with France is the result of a long period of colonisation and domination that has left a strong mark on their society. Consequently, some of the most important historical events in this region related to French domination and its consequences, such as the establishment of the Pacific Nuclear Experimentation Centre (CEP), are reflected in the literary works of influential authors such as Chantal Spitz, Titaua Peu and Ariirau. In the present case, we will focus on several of the works of these three authors in order to analyse, on the one hand, the role played in our corpus by the CEP and the consequences of its establishment and, on the other hand, we will detail the way in which the three writers approach the political debate surrounding the independence or autonomy of French Polynesia.