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A Research Methodology for the Pacific

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Law Reform in Plural Societies

Part of the book series: The World of Small States ((WSS,volume 2))

Abstract

The debate on the appropriate research methods to be employed in research on and for indigenous people by both indigenous and non-indigenous researchers is a recent phenomenon. Pacific islands researchers are developing Pacific specific research methodologies for research on, by and for Pacific Islanders. This involves the use of research methodologies that are appropriate to the cultural environment of the Pacific Islands. Talanoa, a Pacific specific interview method fitting for Pacific research was developed to collect empirical interview data. The deliberate choice of research interview method adopted is to highlight that pluralism exists everywhere in Samoa. This is shown by the differences in which ‘Talanoa’ was employed to accommodate the variances between the village and state interviewees. For the purposes of this book, the interviewees are referred to as ‘respondents’. To promote the position that research methods must be relevant for Pacific societies the subject of studies, recent scholarly work on postcolonial and Pacific methodologies is worth mention.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Mutua and Swadener (2004), Bishop (2008a), pp. 145–183.

  2. 2.

    Chilisa (2012).

  3. 3.

    Ibid, 39.

  4. 4.

    Denzin et al. (2008).

  5. 5.

    Cook-Lynn (2008), pp. 329–346.

  6. 6.

    Begaye (2008), pp. 459–469.

  7. 7.

    Krog et al. (2008), pp. 531–546.

  8. 8.

    Bishop (2008b), pp. 439–458.

  9. 9.

    Meyer (2008), pp. 217–232.

  10. 10.

    Cook-Lynn, above n 5.

  11. 11.

    Battiste (2008), pp. 511–530.

  12. 12.

    Gonzalez and Lincoln (2006), p. 1.

  13. 13.

    Lincoln and Denzin (2008), p. 563.

  14. 14.

    Tupuola (1993), p. 175–189; Anae (1998), pp. 273–279; Tamasese et al. (1997).

  15. 15.

    Smith (1999).

  16. 16.

    Ibid 23.

  17. 17.

    Ibid 185.

  18. 18.

    Ibid 120.

  19. 19.

    Anae et al. (2001).

  20. 20.

    Baba et al. (2004).

  21. 21.

    Smith (2004), pp. 4–16; Nabobo-Baba (2004), pp. 17–32.

  22. 22.

    Mutu (2004), pp. 54–62; Taumoefolau (2004), pp. 68–76.

  23. 23.

    Baba et al. above n 20, 95–104; Mahina (2004), pp. 186–201.

  24. 24.

    Health Research Council of New Zealand (2005).

  25. 25.

    Robinson and Robinson (2005).

  26. 26.

    Thaman (2003), p. 10.

  27. 27.

    Melani (2010), p. 1.

  28. 28.

    Faafetai (2009), p. 96.

  29. 29.

    Ibid. Chapter 5 of Faafetai’s thesis discusses how Talanoa was successfully employed on a study of the Samoan community in Hawaii.

  30. 30.

    Halapua (2003).

  31. 31.

    Discussions between a representative of the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Samoa and Lalotoa Mulitalo (Samoa, 15 December 2010).

  32. 32.

    After taking a seat at the appropriate side of the Samoan fale (dwelling) the author and broker were greeted by the host family by utterances of genealogical names and families and ancestral gods to which the visitors are linked. The visitors do the same in turn. Where the visitors are from overseas, they are generally addressed according to their occupational statuses or utterances of references to their home country. People are linked to spaces and places which are uttered at the outset, respectfully giving identity to each present before addressing the purpose of the meeting. This is important to create good relationships.

  33. 33.

    The author is a member of the Samoa Law Society and a former Parliamentary Counsel of the Office of the Attorney-General, Samoa.

  34. 34.

    Vaioleti (2006), pp. 25–26.

  35. 35.

    Suaalii-Sauni et al. (2009), p. 205.

  36. 36.

    González and Lincoln, above n 12, 785.

  37. 37.

    Vaioleti, above n 34, 25.

  38. 38.

    Hycner (1985), pp. 279, 292.

  39. 39.

    Vaioleti, above n 34, 25.

  40. 40.

    Miles and Huberman (1994), pp. 248, 265, 267.

  41. 41.

    Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), pp. 248–253.

  42. 42.

    Wilkinson (2011), p. 170.

  43. 43.

    The Pacific Islands Legislative Drafters Forum held at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), Suva, 23–25 July 2012. The PIFS is acknowledged for allowing the author to undertake this survey at this forum.

  44. 44.

    Vanuatu, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Cook Islands, Federated State of Micronesia, Niue.

  45. 45.

    Samoa Parliamentary Debates (1990a, b), pp. 22–23, 2–4; Samoa, Parliamentary Debates (2010), p. 703. At the time of data collection for this thesis, the library of the Legislative Assembly of Samoa did not hold English versions of the parliamentary debates on the Village Fono Bill 1990 (Samoa). All references to parliamentary debates on this Bill are made to the Samoan version. The relevant debates were translated by the author for the purposes of this study. Effort was made for the translations to reflect the content of the reports as accurately as possible. The third Hansard report, which records parliamentary debates on the Casino Control and Gambling Bill 2010 (Samoa) is in the English language.

  46. 46.

    Samoa Commission of Inquiry into the Electoral Act Report 2001; Samoa Commission of Inquiry into the Electoral Act Report 2006; Samoa Commission of Inquiry into Matters relating to the Divergence Between the Decision Making Authority of the Alii and Faipule and the Formal Courts Report 2007; Samoa Commission of Inquiry into Matai Titles Report 2010; Samoa Commission of Inquiry into the Freedom of Religion Report 2010.

  47. 47.

    These Commissions were set up by Cabinet under the provisions of the Commission of Inquiries Act 1964 (Samoa).

  48. 48.

    Epati (1988), p. 169.

  49. 49.

    Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (2012). Pursuant to the Pacific Plan, the Pacific leaders met and identified agreed priorities to strengthen regional cooperation and integration.

  50. 50.

    Report of the Ministry of Finance Samoa (2012).

  51. 51.

    Patton (1990), p. 464.

  52. 52.

    Protestors demonstrated opposition through public marches and court proceedings challenging the RTR Act. These are discussed briefly in a review of the law reform work of the Samoa non-government organisations in Chap. 5.

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  1. TC Beirne School of Law, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

    Teleiai Lalotoa Mulitalo Ropinisone Silipa Seumanutafa

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Mulitalo Ropinisone Silipa Seumanutafa, T.L. (2018). A Research Methodology for the Pacific. In: Law Reform in Plural Societies. The World of Small States, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65524-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65524-6_3

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