A Paradise Lost - KOPS - Universität Konstanz

scholar, in 1991 has proven instrumental in creating, renewing and visualizing Pacific ties
that in turn have strengthened and cross-fertilized indigenous sensibilities and writings
both in Hawai’i and in the South Pacific. When running for the program’s presidency in
2002, Hereniko stated his vision of a Center of increased store: Asking why students and
scholars should not demand a Ph.D. program in Pacific Studies, 210 with options such as
delivering exams and theses in indigenous Pacific languages, he cleverly positioned this
ambition in a Polynesian value system, comparing a Ph.D. degree to the Oceanic status
symbol of a ‘fine mat,’ a hand-made object of family/clan pride, useful yet primarily
prestigious. His general objectives focus on a decolonization of education, a turn to
indigenous epistemologies. This shall include interdisciplinary/holistic approaches,
increased regional collaborations aided by modern technologies that enable distance
learning, and a wide distribution of activities through various media. Another important
aspect of Hereniko’s vision is an increased value placed on artistic creation and on
performative aspects of Polynesian culture, to be integrated both in teaching as well as in
student participation/expression in the program. A model could be the Oceania Artistic
Center in Fiji, where a multimedia performance directed by Epeli Hau’ofa exemplified a
harmonic association of traditional art forms and new technologies. Hereniko’s
conception echoes experi(m)ent(i)al ethnic/minority approaches to scholarship as
elaborated by Gloria Anzaldúa, Trinh Minh-Ha, or, in a Pacific context, Hau’ofa himself
in his essays “Our Sea of Islands” and “The Ocean in Us.” However, it is a self-confident
move with political implications to try and accommodate such approaches to the ‘learner
level,’ where decolonization has to take root if it is to succeed. An indication of the
results of Hereniko’s approach is that already many of his students are considering
creative vocations, and are facing the challenge of ‘artistic exams’ with much enthusiasm
and seriousness. 211
In spite of such recent visions, the university’s function as a colonial institution
has to be examined. One example is the history of its commitment to reach out to Asia on
210 Without degree programs, there will probably be no specialists hired, hence there will not be innovative
and in-depth classes offered. The ethnic studies departments will remain token concessions to political
correctness, but no motors of decolonization and ethnic scholarship.
211 My outline of Hereniko’s vision follows his candidate’s speech on May 9 th , 2002; personal attendance.
My experience with his teaching style and its results derives from auditing his spring 2002 class “Cultural
Identity in the Pacific Islands” (PACS 693).
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