A case for transnational comparative ethnic identity development research between ethnically equivalent contexts

Demographic, cultural, oceanic and historic borders create similarities and differences between ethnically equivalent contexts, such as Fiji and Trinidad. In both nations there are two major ethnic groups which are relatively numerically equivalent to each other (i.e., in Fiji: the indigenous iTaukei group and Fijians of Indian descent; in Trinidad: Afro- and Indo-Trinidadians). Each group within each nation also dominates a culturally valued domain (i.e., the economy or politics). The purpose of this paper is to make a case for going beyond the majority-minority contexts typically studied in ethnic identity development research, to consider conducting transnational comparative research between contexts of ethnic equivalence, like Fiji and Trinidad.