This paper explores the narratives and counter-narratives of indenture experience in Fiji in the works of Totaram Sanadhya, John Wear Burton, Kenneth Gillion, Brij Lal and Satish Rai. The recruitment of Indian indentured labourers in Fiji began in 1879, much later than in other colonies. Yet the experiences of the labourers in Fiji were not markedly different. The indenture system, or girmit, was considered better than the slave trade, while others regarded it as only a change in name, with regulations to safeguard the colonial interest. The above authors have shown that, from the onset, the recruitment process, the passage from India to Fiji, life on the plantations and the coolie lines, and life after indenture were a duality: either emancipation or victimisation of Indian labourers. This paper highlights the dual nature of the indenture experience in Fiji.

中文翻译：

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被迫、愚弄或自由意志

本文探讨了 Totaram Sanadhya、John Wear Burton、Kenneth Gillion、Brij Lal 和 Satish Rai 作品中斐济契约经验的叙述和反叙述。斐济从 1879 年开始招募印度契约劳工，比其他殖民地晚得多。然而，斐济劳工的经历并没有明显不同。契约制度，或吉尔米特，被认为比奴隶贸易更好，而其他人则认为这只是名称的改变，有保护殖民利益的规定。上述作者已经表明，从一开始、招募过程、从印度到斐济的通道、种植园的生活和苦力线契约之后的生活是一种二元性：印度劳工要么获得解放，要么成为受害者。本文强调了斐济契约经验的双重性质。