Hawaiian Studies
Encyclopedia
Hawaiian studies is an academic discipline dedicated to the study of Hawaiians
. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology
, history, English language
, ethnology
, Asian Studies
, and orientalism
were imbued with an inherently eurocentric perspective. Ethnic Studies
has predominantly been a study of minority settler cultures although Hawaiian Studies shares with Ethnic Studies
attempts to remedy problems with other academic disciplines by trying to study Hawaiian culture and people on their own terms, in their own language, acknowledging their own values.
, the discipline of Hawaiian Studies evolved out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, which saw growing self-awareness and radicalization of American Indians
and Decolonization
struggles around the world. Hawaiian Studies courses and then departments were established on campus around Hawaii. Thinkers like Franz Fanon, Ngugi wa Thiong'o
and Linda Tuhiwai Smith influence Hawaiian Studies.
While early Hawaiian Studies scholarship focused on the previously repressed histories and identities of Hawaiian groups within the context of the U.S., over time the field of study has expanded to encompass ontological/epistemological philosophy, transnationalism, comparative race studies and postmodernist/poststructuralist critiques. While pioneering thinkers relied on frameworks, theories and methodologies such as those found in the allied fields of sociology, history, literature and film, scholars in the field today utilize multidisciplinary as well as comparative perspectives, increasingly within an international or transnational context.
Professor Haunani Kay Trask
became the first tenured professor in Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
in 1986. She assisted Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa
, Jonathan Osorio and Kainalu Young in obtaining their doctorates on Hawaiian Studies topics and in becoming tenured professors in Hawaiian Studies. After years of battling, Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt and Trask were able to get funding to build a permanent home for the Center for Hawaiian Studies. it is not called the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.
The Center added two master's degree programs in Hawaiian Studies in 2005.
The center is now part of the Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge.
The Hawaiian Studies program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo
is centered more closely around the instruction of the Hawaiian language
. In 1997, the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language was established to complement its Hale Kuamoo. http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/academics/hawn/
The Hawaiian Studies program at the Brigham Young University Hawaii structures its instruction and research around perceived connections between Hawaiian culture and the Book of Mormon
and other doctrinal beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. http://w2.byuh.edu/academics/hwnstudies/
Hawaiian Studies has suffered most criticism by attorney William Burgess and retired high school mathematics teacher Kenneth Conklin. Their criticism is political and aimed at Hawaiian claims to justice and has never really attacked the actual scholarship of Hawaiian Studies scholars. http://www.kenconklin.com/
Native Hawaiians
Native Hawaiians refers to the indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands or their descendants. Native Hawaiians trace their ancestry back to the original Polynesian settlers of Hawaii.According to the U.S...
. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, history, English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
, Asian Studies
Asian studies
Asian studies, a term used usually in the United States for Oriental studies and is concerned with the Asian peoples, their cultures, languages, history and politics...
, and orientalism
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
were imbued with an inherently eurocentric perspective. Ethnic Studies
Ethnic studies
Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of racialized peoples in the world in relation to ethnicity. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology, history, English, ethnology, Asian studies, and orientalism...
has predominantly been a study of minority settler cultures although Hawaiian Studies shares with Ethnic Studies
Ethnic studies
Ethnic studies is the interdisciplinary study of racialized peoples in the world in relation to ethnicity. It evolved in the second half of the 20th century partly in response to charges that traditional disciplines such as anthropology, history, English, ethnology, Asian studies, and orientalism...
attempts to remedy problems with other academic disciplines by trying to study Hawaiian culture and people on their own terms, in their own language, acknowledging their own values.
History
In HawaiiHawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, the discipline of Hawaiian Studies evolved out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and early 1970s, which saw growing self-awareness and radicalization of American Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Decolonization
Decolonization
Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the unequal relation of polities whereby one people or nation establishes and maintains dependent Territory over another...
struggles around the world. Hawaiian Studies courses and then departments were established on campus around Hawaii. Thinkers like Franz Fanon, Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngugi wa Thiong'o
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a Kenyan author, formerly working in English and now working in Gĩkũyũ. His work includes novels, plays, short stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children's literature...
and Linda Tuhiwai Smith influence Hawaiian Studies.
While early Hawaiian Studies scholarship focused on the previously repressed histories and identities of Hawaiian groups within the context of the U.S., over time the field of study has expanded to encompass ontological/epistemological philosophy, transnationalism, comparative race studies and postmodernist/poststructuralist critiques. While pioneering thinkers relied on frameworks, theories and methodologies such as those found in the allied fields of sociology, history, literature and film, scholars in the field today utilize multidisciplinary as well as comparative perspectives, increasingly within an international or transnational context.
Professor Haunani Kay Trask
Haunani-Kay Trask
Haunani-Kay Trask is a Native Hawaiian academic, activist, documentarist and writer. Trask is a professor of Hawaiian Studies with the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and has represented Native Hawaiians in the United Nations and various other...
became the first tenured professor in Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
in 1986. She assisted Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa
Lilikala Kame'eleihiwa
Lilikala K. Kameeleihiwa is a Hawaiian historian and director and professor at the University of Hawaii's Center for Hawaiian Studies. Her earliest work was published under the name of Lilikala L. Dorton....
, Jonathan Osorio and Kainalu Young in obtaining their doctorates on Hawaiian Studies topics and in becoming tenured professors in Hawaiian Studies. After years of battling, Gladys Kamakakuokalani Brandt and Trask were able to get funding to build a permanent home for the Center for Hawaiian Studies. it is not called the Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.
The Center added two master's degree programs in Hawaiian Studies in 2005.
The center is now part of the Hawaiinuiakea School of Hawaiian Knowledge.
The Hawaiian Studies program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo
University of Hawaii at Hilo
The University of Hawaii at Hilo, UHH, or UH Hilo is one of the ten branches of the University of Hawaii system anchored by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii...
is centered more closely around the instruction of the Hawaiian language
Hawaiian language
The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
. In 1997, the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language was established to complement its Hale Kuamoo. http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/academics/hawn/
The Hawaiian Studies program at the Brigham Young University Hawaii structures its instruction and research around perceived connections between Hawaiian culture and the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
and other doctrinal beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. http://w2.byuh.edu/academics/hwnstudies/
Criticism
Hawaiian Studies has always been opposed by different elements. Proponents of Hawaiian Studies feel that this is a reactionary movement from the right. They point out the rise of the conservative movement in the United States during the 1990s which saw the discipline come increasingly under attack. For proponents, the backlash is characterised as an attempt to preserve "traditional values" of Western culture, symbolized by the United States. For some critics, this actually is a slant by the proponents to disparage criticism by false association to right wing ideology. They have no objection about Hawaiian culture being legitimate topics of academic research. What they object to is the current state of Ethnic Studies which they see as characterised by excessive left wing political ideology or Hawaiian claims to justice which, in their view, greatly undermined the scholarly validity of the research. However, Hawaiian Studies has been accused of promoting "racial separatism", "linguistic isolation" and "racial preference".Hawaiian Studies has suffered most criticism by attorney William Burgess and retired high school mathematics teacher Kenneth Conklin. Their criticism is political and aimed at Hawaiian claims to justice and has never really attacked the actual scholarship of Hawaiian Studies scholars. http://www.kenconklin.com/