Browsing by Author "Tupuola, Anne-Maria"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Restricted
"'Adolescence': Myth or Reality for 'Samoan' Women? Beyond the Stage-Like Toward Shifting Boundaries and Identities."
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 1998) Tupuola, Anne-Maria
This study analysed the concept of 'adolescence' and investigated the tendency for some adolescent theorists in western academia to conceptualise personal and ethnic identity formation as essential developmental processes of adolescence. The theoretical direction of this current research, while acknowledging the contribution made by western academics in the area of adolescent development, including the growth of cross-cultural research for ethnic minority youth, differed in its analysis of adolescent processes within Samoan (traditional fa'aSamoa, New Zealand Samoa and Niu Sila Samoa) contexts. The appropriateness of adolescent theories that focus on individualism, that describe identity formation as progressive and stage-like and that prescribe specific stages for reaching an 'achieved' identity were questioned for young women of Samoan descent in New Zealand. Forty women of Samoan descent between the ages of 16 and 18 and born in New Zealand participated in this study. They helped to illustrate some of the problems with current concepts of adolescence and the assumptions made about personal and ethnic identity formation processes for ethnic minority youth. Their contributions accentuated the colonial, androcentric and essentialist connotations associated with the concept of 'adolescence' and with personal and ethnic identity formation expectations of ethnic minority youth in selected cross-cultural adolescent models. These women's perspectives emphasised the limitations of confining fa'aSamoa to a single definition in the 1990s and illuminated the complexities of gender roles in cross-cultural contexts (fa'aSamoa/papalagi) and the realistic cultural, ethnic and social shifts prevalent in the current and upcoming generations of youth of Samoan descent in New Zealand. Their diverse backgrounds also illustrated the influential roles of fa'aSamoa, westernisation, globalisation and popular culture in their human growth and identity formation processes. The research methodology was designed to incorporate both fa'aSamoa and papalagi research ethics and to acknowledge the current cultural and social shifts relevant to youth of cross-cultural and multi-ethnic backgrounds and identities. Research issues that were raised relate to the ambiguous and, at times, contradictory role of the researcher, the diverse communication and learning styles of the participants which dispel the stereotyped myth that Pacific populations have a preference for group activities. The advantages of creating a methodology that is creative in structure and format and that suits and complements the needs of most participants, researcher included, were discussed also. The implications and key findings of this study are outlined in the closing sections of this thesis. Some of the issues that arose from this research were: the significant role of culture (in its broadest sense) and gender in making sense of the concept of adolescence for differing populations; the differing meanings of fa'aSamoa in different contexts and situations in the 1990s; the appropriateness or inappropriateness of concepts such as cultural hybridity and diaspora and ethnic labels such as 'Samoan' and 'New Zealand born Samoan' in making sense of the identity processes for youth of Samoan descent in New Zealand. This was important as many seem to be of migratory heritage and/or are of mixed ethnic and cross-cultural backgrounds, affected by the influx of globalisation, popular culture and media. Overall, this thesis highlights the need for greater caution in making universal assumptions about adolescent development, adolescent processes and the life styles of young women of Samoan descent in the 1990s. The objective of this thesis is not to provide conclusive answers because 'culture' and the lifestyles of youth of Samoan descent in New Zealand are forever changing, experiencing ongoing socio-cultural shifts. Instead, the issues raised in this current study emphasise the limitations of 'boxing' realities and experiences under single labels, the complexities of being an 'insider' researcher and the heterogeneity of the lifestyles and experiences of young women of Samoan descent in New Zealand in the 1990s.
Restricted
"Critical Analysis of Adolescent Development – a Samoan Women's Perspective."
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 1993) Tupuola, Anne-Maria
Research on adolescent development has mushroomed during the last sixty years. It has been encouraging that developmentalists have, because of social and cultural differences, come to question the universality of the stages of human development. With reference to the Samoan culture, the findings of Margaret Mead in her text Coming of Age in Samoa broke new ground in that her conclusion claimed that the Samoan adolescent girl did not experience the storm and stress which was then the norm of adolescent development.Norm of adolescent development refers to the theories popular in Mead's era which seemed to suggest that adolescence appeared tumultous in nature. She claimed that this was due to the difference in environment. "A Samoan Women's Reading Of Coming of Age in Samoa" has, within a contemporary context, the intention of asking - What is adolescent development from a Samoan perspective? Had Mead defined and interpreted adolescence within a Samoan or a Western context? Was adolescence part of the Samoan girls' life experiences at the time of her research in the 1920s? Although Mead had accurately related culture to the shaping of the lives of the Samoan girls, her perception of fa'aSamoa and the adolescent girl seemed ethnocentric and eurocentric in nature. "A Samoan Woman's Reading Of Coming Of Age In Samoa" examines this and provides an alternative and Samoan perspective of Mead's findings and on fa'aSamoa and adolescent development. "Tama'ita'i Samoa - Contemporary Issues" was written at the request of the participants. Issues which had a great impact on us women were discussed in depth. The complexity of the Samoan culture and its expectations of Samoan women were emphasised. Our objective was to present an alternative perception of adolescence by analysing it within a Samoan context without the intention of producing a new developmental theory. Participants seemed to question the psychological and psycho-analytical definition of adolescence during Mead's era and suggested that adolescent development was a social concept prevalent in Western and industrialised societies. Many of us therefore found this to be a foreign concept which, will, with the exposure and impact of Westernisation, if not already present, become part of the Samoan girls' life. Within the last decade there has been an emergence of third world indigenous scholars and people in the research and literary arenas. An underlying reason has been the drive for self-empowerment in both the research method and literary structure. In joining with these groups this ethnography prioritizes collaboration, communalism, consensus, dialogue, narration, reciprocity and self-reflexivity, features which complement our own culture. Finally, "Critical Analysis of Adolescent Development - A Samoan Women's Perspective" is an alternative ethnography which allows us indigenous members to take control of our own research and our own text.