1st Hawai‘i Session
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United Nations University Global Seminar 1st Hawai‘i Session |
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(in order of presentations*)
Negotiating Identities Individual, National and Global Perspectives [full text]
Hans J.A. van Ginkel
In our modern, highly interconnected world people are increasingly characterized by their multiple identities. Increased mobility has made people more aware of their identity, but at the same time leads to loss of parts of one's identity in the process of taking on other identities as well.
"Identity" will be examined from a number of perspectives: Identity is formed on the levels of individuals and groups. There is the ever growing need in today's globalized world to at all times make a conscious effort to define one's identity individual or group with reference to positive qualities, and not to base it on negative comparisons to others. With increased movements of people, goods and information, it is today hardly possible to avoid frequent interaction with persons and groups whose identities are very different from our own.
Our modern society is one in which people of many different backgrounds live together in many different, challenging, continuously changing patterns. This will be even more the case in the future. It is our challenge to rise above polarized, binary perceptions of reality to a deeper understanding of the true nature of our diverse world and the caleidoscopic nature of humankind.
KO HAI, KO AU, KO MOMO: Towards Multiple Identity Formation
Konai Helu Thaman
This paper will trace the identity journey of the author through explorations of different identity formations in different contexts and the tensions that arise from these. The paper will emphasize the importance of place, human relationships and human interactions in this (identity) journey and makes a case for the acknowledgement and valuing of multiple identities that are context specific and culturally inclusive.
Between our Islands: Flows of Popular Music and Dance
Katerina Teaiwa
This presentation will discuss contemporary dance, popular music, and regional identities and feature video footage of dance in Kiribati and Fiji and at the Oceania Center for Arts and Culture based in Suva.
Routes, Spaces, Places and Identity: a personal reflection
Tarcisius Tara Kabutaulaka
This paper discusses culture and identity as products of physical and intellectual routes, spaces and places. It argues that, in the 21 st century, the cultures and identities of Oceania and its people should be defined by examining the intellectual and physical routes its people travel, and the spaces and places they occupy.
Here, I draw from my personal experiences as a Pacific Islander whose culture and identity is constructed by physical and intellectual spaces that reach beyond my village and the island of origin. While I am connected to, and proud of the Tasimauri community on Guadalcanal in Solomon Islands that I originate from, I am also aware of, and appreciate the other `spaces' and `places' that I have, so far, occupied. The routes that I take to get to these `spaces' and `places' have also been influential in my life and that of the communities I am connected to.
The paper shows that with the advance of technology and opportunities, 21st Pacific Islanders cultures and identities will be defined, not exc lusively by "tradition", but also by the new places and spaces they occupy and the routes that have taken them there.
Sandra Pierantozzi
This is a discussion of law, politics and ethnicity, which have forged government policy on land tenure, traditional systems, political and physical infrastructure, culture, people and the environment in the Republic of Palau.
Government Policies and Identity Politics in the Pacific
Robert A. Underwood
Using the Guam Chamorro experience of the past three decades, we will explore the relationship between "identity politics" as practiced in the United States and transported to Guam, indigenous claims and rights as made by the Chamorro people in their homeland and the hesitancy of government to make serious policy. The Guam experience offers many possible lessons.
First and foremost, the advocacy of indigenous rights by non-Indians made in an American government framework is difficult and confusing. It is problematic enough for Indians, but they are part of the Constitution. In the United States, the claims of other indigenous peoples like Chamorros are seen as extra-Constitutional and a demand for special rights for collectives of people which have no legal standing.
Secondly, the emergence of "identity politics" in American society where group characteristics define interests has been used to make false analogies to the indigenous experience. Racial minorities, ethnic-consciousness, class awareness, sexual orientation issues provide the basis for political action on the basis of a shared identity rather than just a shared interest. For many people in Guam, Chamorros are just another "identity" group with no special purpose.
Lastly, the field of cultural definition is laid open to competing interests. Indigenous groups must do more than just define their cultural existence. They must lay claim to a cultural essence which predates oppression and which would have had a different history had not colonial forces intervened. Chamorros have had not only to explain and understand their history, but they must prove their authenticity or they would have no special claim on their homeland. Government policy concedes the existence of the culture and promotes the essence, but stays away from issues of political power. The end result is government policy which supports the indigenous identity, celebrates the cultural essence but avoids giving it political power.
Mililani Trask
Self-determination is considered by indigenous peoples and international legal experts to be the most significant of human rights because it embodies the right of political freedom (status) and clearly establishes this freedom as the foundations for the collective (peoples) pursuit by all peoples of their right to economic, social and cultural development.
Despite this and as the direct result of colonization, indigenous peoples continued to be denied their fundamental right to self-determination. This lecture will examine how globalization and economic colonization figure into the dynamics of self-determination and how current systems that seek to support this freedom may in fact stand in its way.
Cultural Diversity and Education for Peace - the UNESCO Programmes
Marshall Conley
As defined by the United Nations, the "Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations " (UN Resolutions A/RES/52/13: Culture of Peace, and A/RES/53/243, Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace). This presentation examines the role that UNESCO has played as the lead agency in the UN family in the promotion of a culture of peace.
For peace and non-violence to prevail, we need to: "foster a culture of peace through education" by revising the educational curricula to promote qualitative values, attitudes and behaviours of a culture of peace, including peaceful conflict-resolution, dialogue, consensus-building and active non-violence. This educational approach should be geared also to:
Education for Peace and Cultural Diversity: Chasing the UNESCO Dream in the Pacific
Victor Ordonez
This presentation will draw upon the history and experience of UNESCO as it has articulated and pursued its goals for education, peace, and cultural diversity in its global efforts. It will look at the lessons it has learned from such major initiatives as its "Education for All" campaign, its landmark report on Education for the Twenty-First Century, and its ongoing "Towards a Culture of Peace" program and Values Education program. The second part of the presentation will look at the societies and education systems of the Pacific measure up with best practice and fundamental principles. Seeing how these systems handle issues of interdependence, relevance, curriculum, values, etc. could be a way to determine to what extent their education bureaucracies are parts of the problem or parts of the solution.
Presenting the Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation (PIAF)
Maire Bopp
Most programs on HIV/AIDS in the Pacific region focus on prevention. Although policy makers and activists have identified the great role of PLWHA in raising awareness and therefore prevent further spread of the virus, hardly any of them have gone to the extend of continuously trying to respond to the needs of people already affected/infected with HIV/AIDS.
What happens when you are already infected? Nothing. The Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation, the first regional NGO focused solely on HIV/AIDS in the Pacific Islands was set up to provide that missing approach. Based in the Cook Isla nds, it is dedicated to improving the quality of life for PLWHA and their families throughout the region, and to prevent the further spread of the disease. It hopes to achieve that goal through 5 areas of activities identified in the following themes:
PIAF is to complement and support national strategies; as the UNGASS Declaration has underlined, to succeed against HIV/AIDS, we all need to work together. So let's start building the bridges that will enable us to achieve the greatest for the benefit of all our people!
*Abstracts for Vilsoni Hereniko, Jon Osorio, Vick Holt Takamine and Moana Jackson were not available or not applicable at time of printing.