"'Adolescence': Myth or Reality for 'Samoan' Women? Beyond the Stage-Like Toward Shifting Boundaries and Identities."

Abstract

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.