UDTR — Radar mondial des droits de la Nature

Pacific youth at the frontiers of advocacy and activism

Identification

Clé publique

doi:10.82348/our-archive.00300

Auteurs

Tahere Si’isi’ialafia-Mau

Année déclarée

2026

Langue déclarée

en

Type source

dissertation

Première détection

2026-11-09T19:04:47.708484+00:00

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2026-11-09T19:04:47.708484+00:00

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Non effectuée

Résumé documentaire — langue originale

Academic scholarship about youth and participation in the Pacific is growing, however, little is known of the nuanced and complex experiences of Pacific youth engaging in advocacy and activism. This thesis responds to this challenge by exploring the motivations that drive Pacific youth to engage, and the outcomes of their participation. The thesis drew on a constructionist research paradigm and employed Digital Fōlauga as a methodological framework to engage with Pacific youth from across 15 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Digital tools (Google Form, Google Docs, Email, Zoom) were used to collect data and conduct in-depth interviews with participants. This study reconceptualises Pacific youth engagement in advocacy and activism by moving beyond conventional notions of formal participation and protest. By foregrounding political subjectivity, I examine how Pacific youth perceive and experience advocacy and activism. To interpret these experiences, I introduce an integrated analytical framework, drawing from Bourdieu's Theory of Practice - specifically habitus, capital, fields, doxa, and illusion - and a Samoan worldview that underpins social relations - vā feāloāloa'i. This synthesis theorises a framework of Relational Political Subjectivity, that accommodates and acknowledges shared Pacific worldviews. Shared principles ofholisticness, collectivism, guardianship and stewardship, and family and kinship[1] are not merely cultural background but are intrinsic to how Pacific communities are formed and operate, consequently shaping the lives of Pacific youth. Relational Political Subjectivity moves beyond Western paradigms of political engagement, demonstrating how youth participation and political agency in Pacific contexts is rooted in reciprocal relationships. This study found that, not only are Pacific youths compelled to address the injustices that confront their communities, advocacy and activism are perceived as an obligation to serve and protect their communities. Pacific youth in this study alluded to advocacy and activism as a process in which they see themselves as ‘becoming the change they want to see' by taking charge of their own development and the wellbeing of their communities. Their experiences imply that the ideas, insights, and practical measures emerging from their engagement are those that promote and propel attributes of service, empowerment, transformational leadership, solidarity, and resilience. Although the motivations were diverse, a common thread was the profound sense of purpose and obligation to safeguard their fa'asinomaga[2]. I employed this Samoan concept as a fitting cultural lens to understand the depth of what was at stake for Pacific communities which Pacific youth are so driven by[3]. The perspectives and experiences of Pacific youth in this study signify a generation of youth who do not view themselves as passive beings merely abiding by socio-cultural roles and responding to socio-economic and political exigencies. It is important to explore the motives that shape youth action and engagement in a rapidly changing Pacific, especially when such forms of youth engagement go against the grain of traditional discourses of youth participation. The findings from this research will help advance knowledge of Pacific youth in advocacy and activism, and an understanding of how they navigate their work in a rapidly changing Pacific. [1] Teariki, M. A., & Leau, E. (2023). Understanding Pacific worldviews: principles and connections for research. Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online, 19(2), 132–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2023.2292268 [2] "A Samoan concept that encapsulates a shared sense of identity, heritage, and a sense of belonging" (Si'isi'ialafia-Mau & Percival, 2025: 65). [3] Pacific youth in this study are driven by what was at stake if they do not engage – encompassing islands, collective identity, heritage, places of belonging, and genealogical lineages. Advocacy and activism are not merely for the good of society but recognising that losing these would mean losing cultural continuity and identity.

Identifiants

OPENALEX

W7171435884

DOI

10.82348/our-archive.00300

Repères documentaires

Famille documentaire

Thèse

Types déclarés par les sources

dissertation

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Sources

OpenAlex · Document 1 · Document 2

• DOI · https://doi.org/10.82348/our-archive.00300
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W7171435884

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