This study explores the role of language in constructing identity and promoting belonging for seventeen Fijian college students at one U.S. based university in the Pacific Rim. Focus group interviews were analyzed for how students described the role that language played in constructing student identity and mediating connection. Analysis was grounded in post-structural perspectives of identity alongside vā – the Oceanic notion that encompasses identity and belonging. Students described themes of native language proficiency in reinforcing kinship relationships and in participating in cultural traditions and practices. They also expressed other ways of maintaining vā without proficiency in their native languages. Other students noted the affordances of speaking English to participating in global economies and global cultures, including schooling at the university. Implications highlight the need for educational policies, practices, and pedagogies that empower Fijian students to be successful in academic and public spaces, while helping them maintain connection to their ethnic communities and identities—to promote belonging, and to maintain their positions in the vā.

Comment les traditions orales kanak pourraient-elles agir au-delà de leurs frontières habituelles et influencer les processus de construction identitaire dans la société néo-calédonienne contemporaine ? Notre travail explore les interactions entre la tradition orale kanak et la tradition écrite néocalédonienne, en examinant les textes de réécriture, ces lieux de rencontre entre traditions qui constituent un espace de patrimoine commun. Cette thèse retrace les chemins d’une histoire, Le Chef et le lézard (dont on trouve de multiples versions dans les différentes traditions orales kanak), dans la tradition écrite. Sont élucidés les contextes historiques, politiques et littéraires des processus de production de versions de l’histoire, afin de mettre en évidence les forces en oeuvre, et d’éclairer la manière dont les représentations qui y figurent pourraient participer aux processus de construction identitaire. Les outils conceptuels employés sont la « réécriture », la « vā » (l’espace relationnel océanien d’échange et de rencontre),ainsi que la littérature comme « outil de renforcement communautaire ». La contribution originale qu'apporte notre travail consiste en démontrant le degré et l’étendue de l’intégration d'une histoire kanak dans le polysystème littéraire néo-calédonien ; en soulignant le rôle actif joué par des acteurs kanak dans les processus de réécriture ; en créant une métaphore étendue géographique du paysage littéraire néo-calédonien ; en témoignant de la richesse des traditions orales et écrites de Kanaky/Nouvelle-Calédonie ; et en constituant une passerelle entre les chercheurs/lecteurs non-francophones et la littérature néo-calédonienne. / How might Kanak oral traditions move beyond their usual boundaries and influence identity construction processes in contemporary New Caledonian society? This thesis explores the interactions between Kanak oral tradition and New Caledonian written tradition, by examining the (re)writings that are places of encounter between these traditions, and thus constitute a space of shared heritage. This study traces the pathways taken by a story, Le Chef et le lézard, (a number of versions of which are found in different Kanak oral traditions), as it moves into and within written tradition. The historical, political, and literary contexts of the (re)writing processes that produce versions of Le Chef et le lézard are elucidated, to demonstrate the forces at work and shed light on how the representations that figure in the (re)writings might participate in identity construction processes. The conceptual tools used in the study include: rewriting; vā (the relational space of exchange and encounter found throughout Oceania); and literature as a means of building community. The original contribution of this thesis has been to demonstrate the degree and the extent of the integration of a Kanak story into the New Caledonian literary polysystem; to highlight the active role played by Kanak actors in the rewriting process; to develop anextended geographic metaphor for the New Caledonian literary landscape; to bear witness to the richness of oral and written traditions in Kanaky/Nouvelle-Calédonie; and to create a bridge between non-Francophone researchers/readers and New Caledonian literature (oral and written).

Talking Story about Art and Life: Narratives of Contemporary Oceanic Artists and Their Work takes a narrative, biographical approach to examine the lives and selected works of five contemporary Oceanic artists living and working in Aotearoa New Zealand – Ioane Ioane, Ema Tavola, Brett Graham, Robin White, and Siliga David Setoga. The narrative methodology, inspired by the Hawaiian notion of “talking story,” utilises informal conversations as sites of knowledge production. This approach allowed more personal and varied information to emerge, which speaks to the pluralities of identity. Instead of focusing primarily on visually analysing the creative output of the artists, their artworks and practices are incorporated as aspects of their voices that contribute to the narratives of their lives. The participants told stories that engage with the complexities intrinsic to their lives, revealing areas to research for the purpose of supporting their narratives. The supporting research investigates the notion of vā, Oceanic curatorial practices, trickster discourse, insider/outsider discourse, and fa‘a Sāmoa. In carrying out this investigation, this thesis illustrates choices artists are making to express their voices on their own terms. Bringing to light these choices also reminds viewers/readers that we can actively shape our own narratives. By privileging the artists’ stories told in their own words, this thesis honours Oceanic oral traditions and moves forward our understanding of these contemporary Oceanic artists and their artistic practices.