ʻInoke Hafoka | Brigham Young University Hawaii (original) (raw)

Peer Reviewed Articles by ʻInoke Hafoka

Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, 2024

Pacific Studies is an interdisciplinary field that began in the twentieth century in Australia, A... more Pacific Studies is an interdisciplinary field that began in the twentieth century in Australia, Aotearoa, and the United States (Mawyer et al., 2020). The field sought to understand the area and region of Oceania, but later, many scholars took more critical approaches to Pacific Studies. These approaches have provided more perspectives from those connected to and in relation to Oceania. The authors provide a historical account of Pacific Studies being introduced into Hawaiʻi (first within the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu) to then illustrate how it has become situated within the Koʻolauloa region of Oʻahu where Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi (BYUH) is located. The purpose of sharing this historical account of Pacific Studies in Hawaiʻi, and more specifically BYUH, is to provide invaluable insights into the evolution of the academic discipline. There is a deeper appreciation for the present state of Pacific Studies and its potential future direction when past decisions and outcomes are recognized and understood within institutions and places. The authors look forward to fostering transparency, critical reflection, and informing decision-making processes to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of the Pacific Studies field.

Pacific Studies, 2023

During the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Tonga's national team made it into the semifinals, unleas... more During the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Tonga's national team made it into the semifinals, unleashing a powerful spirit of Tongan identity across the globe. Drawing from the borderlands concept and the Tongan tāvā theory, we analyze intersecting tensions of identity and colliding contexts during the tournament. Tonga's team (mostly composed of players who chose Tonga rather than playing for the nation-states of their birth) revealed the limits of national identities while reinforcing them. Indigenous performances of sipi tau (war challenge/posture dance) and ancestral memories of kasivaki (ancient Tongan sport), cultivated feelings of māfana (exhilaration) in players and fans. The feelings of māfana generated from performing Indigeneity within the borderlands context of the world stage revealed and transcended modern boundaries of identity. We argue that māfana, as a pre-Christian (Indigenous) Tongan spiritual phenomena, helps to identify and define performances of Tongan Indigeneity.

Journal of College Student Development, 2023

Stemming from a participatory action research approach, this qualitative study examined the role ... more Stemming from a participatory action research approach, this qualitative study examined the role of family in the civic development of undocumented Asian college students. Guided by the- ories of civic development, family politics, and family activism, this study presents three portraits of undocumented Asian college students to draw attention to the central role of both given and chosen families in supporting undocumented Asian (Chinese and Filipino) students’ civic development and engagement. Through the three portraits, we highlighted the intergenerational and intragenerational transmission of civic values and engagement and a broader conceptualization of family in the lives of undocumented Asian students. This research has important implications for under- standing how family is a central pillar of activism and resistance against an oppressive society for undocumented and mixed-status immigrant families.

American Psychological Association, 2022

State and higher education institutional contexts play a powerful role in either restricting or a... more State and higher education institutional contexts play a powerful role in either restricting or advancing equitable policies and programs for undocumented students in higher education. This article examines the public discourse on undocumented students in higher education across state contexts (California, Tennessee, and Georgia) through a content analysis of news media. Findings show that the content of the news media varies greatly by state. However, the news about the three states was similar in their portrayal of young undocumented immigrants as all Mexican and deserving of public benefits. A better understanding of the public discourse at the state level has important implications for advancing policies and programs for undocumented students in higher education. The findings call for more research that examines how media shapes the public discourse on undocumented students and how this discourse thereby impacts higher education institutions.

Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2022

This study examines the perceived changes in the geography of student support for racial/ethnic m... more This study examines the perceived changes in the geography of student support for racial/ethnic minoritized students after pursuing federal Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) designation and grants. Specifically, this qualitative multiple-case study examines the decision-making related to, and perceived changes in, space and place aimed at supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students at three AAPI–serving community colleges. The three themes related to changes in the geography of student support for AAPI students as a result of the MSI grant that emerged from the study were: (a) from symbolic to physical space; (b) supporting AAPIs helped support other minoritized student populations; (c) the last theme demonstrates that, as a result of creating these spaces, students were more integrated into the campus community. A common thread across each of these themes is the saliency of race in the design, creation, and resulting impact of creating space in the geography of student support for AAPI students at each of the campuses. The study concludes with implications regarding the role of postsec- ondary institutions in (re)creating physical and symbolic spaces. Institutional agents must be mindful of the targeted groups that exist within their campus when considering these implications to create a welcoming campus environment.

Journal of Global Indigeneity , 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of Pacific peoples, including partaking of the... more The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the livelihoods of Pacific peoples, including partaking of the ancestral elixir of kava and the associated social gatherings and ritual ceremonies. The cultural practice of kava-drinking has adapted over the years and is very diverse, yet it remains a major form of social engagement in the lives of most Pacific communities. These challenging and unprecedented times connected communities have become physically isolated in various ways according to the responses by different nations. We draw from Tongan philosophy in order to explore 'fonua,' and its complex meaning that includes 'land, placenta, customs, people.' We suggest that in the context of Aotearoa during strict isolation measures, the meaning of fonua as 'the people' increased as kava gatherings ceased in their usual fashion, shifting into only those in the home or in cyberspace. The online version of kava is far from ideal, but nonetheless became a crucial form of nurturing fonua (one's people) during the Covid-19 era. In addition, as access to kava also became limited, the pedagogical methods of kava gatherings and relational values used to learn customary and community-based knowledge became the most practical and adaptable part of kava culture to maintain through online tools. In this paper, we reflect on this shift and the Indigenous lessons it offers for higher education and cultural identity. 2

Oceania, 2020

Pacific Islanders in diaspora are disproportionately contracting COVID-19, experience hospitaliza... more Pacific Islanders in diaspora are disproportionately contracting COVID-19, experience hospitalization and develop complications. In Utah, Pacific Islanders have the highest contraction rate in the state. Pacific Islanders constitute only 2% of the state’s population, but represent 4% of the those infected with COVID-19, begging the question how we might explain the high rates of contraction? As community engaged scholars and practitioners, we offer discussion, insight, and commentary on the COVID- 19 pandemic affecting Pacific Islanders in Utah. Grounding this discussion is a history of the Pacific Islander community as an essential workforce that dates back to the 1850s, before statehood. We argue that historical discrimination against these early Pacific Islanders shaped the way this group is racialized as essential laborers today. The authors offer this assertion along with practices and proto- cols that honour cultural norms of socialization, which we see is the pathway to provide safe measures that are relevant to the Utah Pasifika community.

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples, 2018

Story dialogue known as talanoa is increasingly finding its place as a Pacific research method. T... more Story dialogue known as talanoa is increasingly finding its place as a Pacific research method. The authors situate talanoa as an Indigenous concept of relationally mindful critical oratory. Approaching talanoa from mostly a Tongan lens, it is argued that it can contribute to broader discussions of Indigenous research methods and epistemology. The authors address the talanoa literature that has defined it as an open or informal discussion, and respond to questions that have emerged from challenges in implementing it practically in academic research. Indigenous Oceanic thought is used to interpret talanoa as a mediation between relations of Mana (potency), Tapu (sacred/restrictions), and Noa (equilibrium), which is a gap in the talanoa literature. Talanoa is grounded as a continuum of Indigenous knowledge production and wisdom present from the past that is adaptable to research settings. Centring Moana (Oceanic) epistemology in talanoa challenges dominant research methods to adapt to Indigenous paradigms, rather than attempting to Indigenize a Western one.

Book Chapters by ʻInoke Hafoka

Washington Press, 2021

This chapter seeks to theorize how Tongan/Moana/Pasifika youths collapse the spatial and temporal... more This chapter seeks to theorize how Tongan/Moana/Pasifika youths collapse the spatial and temporal displacement of racialized colonial diaspora experiences in New Zealand and Utah’s urban centers. They do so by asserting visions of autonomy in common kava drinking gatherings known as faikava in Tongan. We demonstrate how youths have fused ancestrally derived Indigenous social rituals of faikava with adoptions of Afro-American musics and culture such as Hip Hop and reggae, while drawing particularly from Shakurian philosophical concepts that imagine liberated sites of refuge. We do so in order to explore how some Moana youths are responding to structural violence found in church, state, and school projects of punishment that attempt to discipline Indigeneity and youth.

Teachers College Press, 2020

This chapter presents the historical context of the People of the Pacific and the challenges impe... more This chapter presents the historical context of the People of the Pacific and the challenges imperialism, colonialism, and (im)migration imposed on this community in the United States. The authors illustrate how all Pacific Islanders are Indigenous peoples while some have particular political relationships with the United States. We argue that data disaggregation for the population is a first step to acknowledging Pacific Islanders as indigenous peoples. Lastly, the authors offer implications of research for policies and practices that better support, and are more inclusive of the NHPI community.

NASW Press, 2014

Tongan Americans trace their heritage and ancestry to the island Kingdom of Tonga, a sovereign co... more Tongan Americans trace their heritage and ancestry to the island Kingdom of Tonga, a sovereign constitutional monarchy in the South Pacific (Hau’ofa, 2008). Tongans migrate to the United States primarily for educational and employment opportunities (Cowling, 1990). Of approximately 45,000 Tongan Americans, 18,500 were born outside of the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). About 63 percent of Tongan American families entered the United States before the 1990s and thus have lived in the United States for multiple generations. Tongans reside primarily in Hawaii, California, Utah, and Oregon. Their locations are strategically established to support a transnational life that includes frequent travel to Tonga for family and community events. This chapter will explore aspects of how Tongans have navigated the U.S. thus far.

Reports by ʻInoke Hafoka

APIA Scholars, 2023

Native Hawaiian and Pacifc Islander (NHPI) students represent a diversity of backgrounds, includi... more Native Hawaiian and Pacifc Islander (NHPI) students represent a diversity of backgrounds, including wide variations in histories, cultures, languages, and religions. They often bring to their educational experiences a number of assets, including the ability to speak more than one language, a deep commitment to their families and communities, and a desire to maintain rich cultural heritages. The NHPI community is one of the most overlooked groups in higher education, despite their unique lived experiences.

APIA Scholars, 2020

Amid a global pandemic that has fundamentally changed how higher education traditionally operates... more Amid a global pandemic that has fundamentally changed how higher education traditionally operates across the nation, it is critically important to understand how college campuses can continue to serve their students, with a special focus on the students who too often are overlooked and underserved. This report lays out the findings from these conversations, in combination with insights gleaned from focus groups of students who live in and/or attend college in the Pacific Islands, in order to shed light on how institutions, students and communities in the region have fared—both prior to the global pandemic as well as now.

APIA Scholars, 2019

The purpose of this report is to synthesize demographic and descriptive data on the current lands... more The purpose of this report is to synthesize demographic and descriptive data on the current landscape of NHPI students in higher education in the Pacific Islands and the continental U.S. While this report contributes to filling a gap in understanding the national trends in postsecondary education for NHPI students, it is beyond the scope of this report to fully contextualize their complex relationship to education within broader sociohistorical, political forces. Thus, this report should serve as a launching point to future research and other efforts to address the unique needs and challenges of NHPI students.

Dissertation by ʻInoke Hafoka

UCLA, 2021

One of the main reasons for Tongans immigrating to the United States (U.S.) was to enter into ter... more One of the main reasons for Tongans immigrating to the United States (U.S.) was to enter into tertiary schooling and further one’s knowledge within colleges and universities (Hafoka, ‘Ulu‘ave & Hafoka, 2014). As this has been an aspiration for many Tongan people entering the U.S. for themselves and/or their posterity, another location of knowledge attainment and financial sustainability has become a prevalent force within the Tongan U.S. diasporic community, the airlines. The study takes place in the Ano Māsima, or known as the Salt Lake Valley, due to the influx of Tongans that reside in Utah compared to other parts of the U.S. (US Census Bureau, 2015; EPIC, 2014; Davidson, 2011). The purpose of this study is to explore the phenomenon of how Tongans in the U.S. utilize the airline industry to maintain connections to the sources of Tongan knowledge, which is people (our relationships), and place (where they reside, and our homelands). Also, to better understand reasoning of the influx of Tongans within the airline industry. Through the lenes of Tā-Vā and Critical Race Theories, the study revealed knowledge of air travel to fly around the world to learn and connect, a sense of community and family nurtured within the workplace, and a form of knowledge production created through the undercurrents. The findings reveal content and resources to support marginalized communities (such as Tongans) through seeking to better engage with these groups beyond schooling, and recognizing recommendations regarding the study (such as data disaggregation (mixed race), labor and school experiences, etc.).

Editorial by ʻInoke Hafoka

Art/Research International: A Transdisciplinary Journal, 2024

For this special issue, we called for proposals focused within the Moana and its communities, bas... more For this special issue, we called for proposals focused within the Moana and its communities, based on Indigenous ways of experiential and creative criticality, nurturing of intergenerational relational rhythms, and post-COVID desires. This entailed creative forms of expression that embody Indigenous intergenerational sense-making and meaning-making within the post-COVID theorizing space.