Abstract:
Since its introduction in 1969, Galtung's typology of violence has been the theoretical
benchmark towards understanding the relational characteristics of direct (DV), structural
(SV)and cultural violence (CV). Unique to this theory is the visibility of DV and the invisibility of SV and CV. In the Pacific space, the application of Galtung’s violence
theory can be problematic in that not all aspects of DV are visible. This paper examines
an alternative approach towards the application of Galtung’s violence typology in the
Pacific space where DV is invisible and SV and CV are visible. This inverted approach
provides a bespoke application and perspective of why the Pacific diaspora has a high
representation in social issues such as domestic violence, poverty, low income, housing,
mental health and substance abuse issues.
