Decolonising Pacific research, building Pacific research communities and developing Pacific research tools: The case of the talanoa and the faafaletui in Samoa

Abstract

In building Samoan academic researcher capacity in Samoa, we argue that there is a need to first establish the kind of researcher community advocated by Linda Tuhiwai Smith, and to do so through developing research tools, such as the talanoa and faafaletui, in partnership with researcher capacity-building initiatives such as the applied postgraduate social and health research methods course (coded PUBX731-HSA505) run by the Centre for International Health, University of Otago, in partnership with the National University of Samoa. This paper offers a commentary on the talanoa and faafaletui as Pacific research methodologies, and asks what its value might be for researchers in Samoa. It reflects on the learning experiences of staff and students of the applied social and health research methods course in relation to the talanoa and faafaletui as Pacific research methodologies or methods. It concludes that developing Pacific research and researcher capacity in Pacific Island countries, such as Samoa, must include opening up spaces within these communities to critically engage what is Pacific or Samoan or indigenous about these research tools, methods or methodologies, and how they might differ in form or substance from other methods or methodologies.

Tafatolu (three-sides): A Samoan research methodological framework

“…A widely used Samoan research methodology is Fa'afaletui. Various components of this methodology have been used by researchers investigating Pacific people including Samoans and their issues, located within the region (McCarthy, Shaban, & Stone, 2011;Suaalii-Sauni & Fulu-Aiolupotea, 2014). Fa'afaletui uses the metaphor of the traditional practice of weaving.…”

To know more of what it is and what it is not: Pacific research on the move

“…The developments to the Kakala model can be read as critique, the results of explorations which have tested the model and strengthened it through refinement. Like Kakala, Talanoa as utilised in Pacific research has been subject to genealogical development since it was used by Halapua (Suaalii-Sauni & Fulu-Aiolupotea, 2014) and developed by Vaioleti (2011). For example, 'Otunuku (2011) proposes ten guiding principles for using Talanoa in research with Tongans, while Fa'avae, Jones, and Manu'atu (2016) discuss Talanoa of various kinds in a range of contexts.…”

“…We might also consider the further development of connections between theory from proximal and overlapping spaces, such as between Kaupapa Maori and Pacific theory, already investigated by several researchers (Mila-Schaaf & Hudson, 2009;Suaalii-Sauni & Fulu-Aiolupotea, 2014;Suaalii, 2017). Addressing such relationships through honest and careful critique can provide a clear sense of what is and is not being claimed, thus avoiding the obscurity of confusion and the colonialism of imposed aggregation.…”

Positionality and protocol in field research: Undertaking community‐based investigations in Samoa

“…The concept of talanoa , which is recognised as a culturally appropriate research method in the Pacific context (Suaalii‐Sauni and Fulu‐Aiolupotea, ), was adhered to in all interviews and meetings with Indigenous people. As explained by Farrelly and Nabobo‐Baba (: 319), this involves ‘engaging in dialogue’ which acknowledges the cultural and site‐specific context of the engagement, and focuses on developing rapport and shared understanding, beyond the focus of the study, in which empathy underlies the dialogue.…”