Abstract
This study examines pan-Oceanic identity envisioned by Epeli Hau'ofa at The Oceania Center of Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies and the changes it has undergone over time. Drawing on the re-territorialization of culture, I ask why this movement emerged, what kinds of tensions have arisen, and how Hau'ofa's vision has changed over time. Through interviews and participant observation at OCACPS, I discovered three areas of tension- ethnicity, marketing/tourism and changing spatial relations. Instead of a community that represents all of Oceania, OCACPS has a strong Fijian presence. The new desire for marketing/tourism directly contradicts Hau'ofa's original vision of keeping tourism away from OCACPS. Finally, OCACPS has moved from a space where all worked and created under one roof to a space that has been physically divided and negotiated by the people daily. The original vision set forth by Hau'ofa may no longer be the guiding force of OCACPS, as the current artists and academics are engaged in an ongoing process of redefining the meaning of pan-Oceanic identity.
Advisor
McConnell, David
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Pykare, Shelby Cheyenne, "Riding the Red Wave: Constructing Pan-Oceanic Identity at the Oceania Center For Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies" (2013). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 1147.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/1147
Disciplines
Social and Cultural Anthropology
Keywords
pan-oceanic, identity
Publication Date
2013
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2013 Shelby Cheyenne Pykare