Books by Erin Kahunawai Wright
Student Engagement in Higher Education 3rd Edition, 2020
This chapter provides an understanding of who Indigenous Peoples are in the US, their relationshi... more This chapter provides an understanding of who Indigenous Peoples are in the US, their relationship to higher education, and recommendations for designing meaningful, decolonial student engagement praxis. It begins with providing substantive contextual information about Indigenous Peoples. Theories and concepts key to (re)framing Indigenous students’ journeys to and through higher education follows. Moving away from the deficit-oriented perspective that blames Indigenous students for their perceived failures in education, we then offer an analysis of epistemological and structural issues facing Indigenous students as a way to reorient our thinking about higher education’s responsibilities to decolonize its epistemologies, methodologies, and methods of engagement with Indigenous students. We end this chapter by identifying multiple paths to nurturing Indigenous student engagement in higher education.
The Review of Higher Education, 2019
A Nation Rising chronicles the political struggles and grassroots initiatives collectively known ... more A Nation Rising chronicles the political struggles and grassroots initiatives collectively known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement, raising issues that resonate far beyond the Hawaiian archipelago, issues such as Indigenous cultural revitalization, environmental justice, and demilitarization.
What are the struggles, relationships and strategies that gave rise to what has come to be known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement? Who are the people who have shaped these movements? And what values, demands, strategies and
networks have defined this movement? This collection explores fifty years of Hawaiian displacement, resistance, and community renewal, covering the period from 1959 - 2010. The book focuses on land struggles and people’s initiatives that
explicitly call for sovereignty and self-determination, and it addresses the ways cultural practices, such as hula, religious worship, Hawaiian language and food production have shaped the Hawaiian movement. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs by Ed Greevy.
The introduction can be downloaded for free at scribd.com.
The Misrepresented Minority: New Insights on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and the Implications for Higher Education , 2013
Papers by Erin Kahunawai Wright
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2019
Abstract In this paper, we, a collective of wāhine ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian women), reflect on how ... more Abstract In this paper, we, a collective of wāhine ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian women), reflect on how we may hoʻokō (fulfill) our kuleana lāhui (nation-building responsibilities) through our positions in the academy. While doing this work has always already been tenuous given the occupied state of ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian nation), this tenuousness and the stakes of this work are perhaps even higher within the current political climate of the United States. Through dialogue, we consider the ways that we have striven to kūʻē (resist, stand up) through our research, teaching, and service and express our hopes for the students and broader community we hope to serve.
International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 2019
In this paper, we, a collective of wāhine ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian women),
reflect on how we may h... more In this paper, we, a collective of wāhine ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian women),
reflect on how we may hoʻoko (fulfill) our kuleana lāhui (nation-building
responsibilities) through our positions in the academy. While doing this
work has always already been tenuous given the occupied state of ka
Lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian nation), this tenuousness and the stakes of
this work are perhaps even higher within the current political climate of
the United States. Through dialogue, we consider the ways that we
have striven to kūʻē (resist, stand up) through our research, teaching,
and service and express our hopes for the students and broader community we hope to serve.
Since the Samoan youth took up the sport of American Football in large numbers in the 1970s (larg... more Since the Samoan youth took up the sport of American Football in large numbers in the 1970s (largely the children of post WWII migrants), the game has become an integral part of Samoan communities. While the Samoan presence has garnered a number of mainstream media segments, Tongan players are now compelling others to take notice. In the diasporic Tongan communities, it has a rising presence that has translated into ever growing numbers in the college and professional game. For players from Hawaiʻi (often of mixed Hawaiian and Asian ancestry), football has long been a part of local communities from the barefoot leagues of the early twentieth century to the branding of the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors. And yet for all the fanfare for those who “make it,” there are as many and more who do not. Popular wisdom holds that success in football means a college degree and a future (successful) career. But does it? Beginning in 2013, we began to pull together a group of interested scholars and practitioners to identify common commitments to addressing these issues and explore the possibilities for future work. In the following conversation, we discuss the issues that brought us together, our individual and collective investments, and future visions for this work.
PIER is a student-initiated, student-run outreach project that was conceived by, and created for,... more PIER is a student-initiated, student-run outreach project that was conceived by, and created for, Pacific Islanders. The purpose of this chapter is to shed light on the experiences of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander undergraduate students in navigating higher education. More specifically, we consider the processes, practices and strategies that led to the creation of the PIER project. While this chapter focuses on experiences of Pacific Islander students on one campus, we believe that this story can speak to the reality of Pacific Islanders on college campuses across the country. We offer a counter-narrative (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) to deficit perspectives of the educational experiences of Pacific people, and show how student activism can serve as a fulcrum for institutional change. Moreover, this chapter offers rare insight on student engagement and cultural community service activities from the distance of 15 years. Hindsight gives us a sharper perspective on the work we did, and continue to do (for those of us who have since pursued opportunities as administrators and researchers in the field of higher education). Our hope is that this story speaks to multiple audiences.
Californian journal of health promotion, 2010
The Pacific Islander (PI) community suffers disproportionately from illnesses and diseases, inclu... more The Pacific Islander (PI) community suffers disproportionately from illnesses and diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. While there are tremendous health needs within the PI community, there are few health care providers from the community that exist to help address these particular needs. Many efforts have focused on health care workforce diversity to reduce and eliminate health disparities, but few have examined the issues faced in the health care work force pipeline. Understanding educational attainment among PI young adults is pivotal in speaking to a diverse health care workforce where health disparities among Pacific Islanders (PIs) may be addressed. This paper provides an in-depth, qualitative assessment of the various environmental, structural, socio-economic, and social challenges that prevent PIs from attaining higher education; it also discusses the various needs of PI young adults as they relate to psychosocial support, retention and recruitment, and he...
Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 2010
The Pacific Islander (PI) community suffers disproportionately from illnesses and diseases, inclu... more The Pacific Islander (PI) community suffers disproportionately from illnesses and diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. While there are tremendous health needs within the PI community, there are few health care providers from the community that exist to help address these particular needs. Many efforts have focused on health care workforce diversity to reduce and eliminate health disparities, but few have examined the issues faced in the health care work force pipeline. Understanding educational attainment among PI young adults is pivotal in speaking to a diverse health care workforce where health disparities among Pacific Islanders (PIs) may be addressed. This paper provides an in-depth, qualitative assessment of the various environmental, structural, socio-economic, and social challenges that prevent PIs from attaining higher education; it also discusses the various needs of PI young adults as they relate to psychosocial support, retention and recruitment, and he...
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Books by Erin Kahunawai Wright
What are the struggles, relationships and strategies that gave rise to what has come to be known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement? Who are the people who have shaped these movements? And what values, demands, strategies and
networks have defined this movement? This collection explores fifty years of Hawaiian displacement, resistance, and community renewal, covering the period from 1959 - 2010. The book focuses on land struggles and people’s initiatives that
explicitly call for sovereignty and self-determination, and it addresses the ways cultural practices, such as hula, religious worship, Hawaiian language and food production have shaped the Hawaiian movement. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs by Ed Greevy.
The introduction can be downloaded for free at scribd.com.
Papers by Erin Kahunawai Wright
reflect on how we may hoʻoko (fulfill) our kuleana lāhui (nation-building
responsibilities) through our positions in the academy. While doing this
work has always already been tenuous given the occupied state of ka
Lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian nation), this tenuousness and the stakes of
this work are perhaps even higher within the current political climate of
the United States. Through dialogue, we consider the ways that we
have striven to kūʻē (resist, stand up) through our research, teaching,
and service and express our hopes for the students and broader community we hope to serve.
What are the struggles, relationships and strategies that gave rise to what has come to be known as the Hawaiian sovereignty movement? Who are the people who have shaped these movements? And what values, demands, strategies and
networks have defined this movement? This collection explores fifty years of Hawaiian displacement, resistance, and community renewal, covering the period from 1959 - 2010. The book focuses on land struggles and people’s initiatives that
explicitly call for sovereignty and self-determination, and it addresses the ways cultural practices, such as hula, religious worship, Hawaiian language and food production have shaped the Hawaiian movement. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs by Ed Greevy.
The introduction can be downloaded for free at scribd.com.
reflect on how we may hoʻoko (fulfill) our kuleana lāhui (nation-building
responsibilities) through our positions in the academy. While doing this
work has always already been tenuous given the occupied state of ka
Lāhui Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian nation), this tenuousness and the stakes of
this work are perhaps even higher within the current political climate of
the United States. Through dialogue, we consider the ways that we
have striven to kūʻē (resist, stand up) through our research, teaching,
and service and express our hopes for the students and broader community we hope to serve.