Don Brenneis
Subtle, deeply attuned alike to everyday talk and extraordinary circumstances, and beautifully written, State of Suffering is an exceptional contribution. Susanna Trnka draws broad themes of violence, pain, identity, and ongoing struggles to sustain life and community together with an exceptionally rich, compelling, and brilliantly particular understanding of Fiji and Fiji Indian lives.
Veena Das
"This powerful book is original in its conception, rich in ethnographic detail, and very clearly written. Susanna Trnka has made a strong contribution to the larger issues pertaining to the analysis of violence, state of emergency, and reconstitution of everyday life. Trnka's book signals a new generation of scholarship in the study of violenceit is, indeed, a splendid achievement. I am sure it will become standard reading in courses on violence, diaspora, island societies, and social suffering."
John Kelly
An unflinching portrayal of politically engendered suffering, this vital book should open eyes across the Pacific and around the world to the real consequences of Fiji's ethnic division and the Fiji coups. This is an insightful and courageous ethnography, brushing history against the grain, essential reading for anyone who ever imagined Fiji as a paradise.
Veena Das
This powerful book is original in its conception, rich in ethnographic detail, and very clearly written. Susanna Trnka has made a strong contribution to the larger issues pertaining to the analysis of violence, state of emergency, and reconstitution of everyday life. Trnka's book signals a new generation of scholarship in the study of violence—it is, indeed, a splendid achievement. I am sure it will become standard reading in courses on violence, diaspora, island societies, and social suffering.