Hawaiian Identity

Paper Summary:

The paper focuses on the artistic works of Gaye Chan, an artist, professor and chair of the Photography Program in the Department of Art at the University of Hawaii. The paper explains the layers of meaning behind Chan's "A Dot and a Line" (2003) and "Fragmente Delicto" (2002). The paper portrays how these works depict the tension between Western, immigrant and Hawaiian identity. The paper also shows how both works center on acknowledging and remembering immigrant and indigenous narratives and, in particular, how they relate to the location of Hawaii. The paper highlights Chan's contention that the acceptance of Western ideas of a "successful" life is forced upon Hawaiians and comes with a burdensome price. The paper appends color pictures.

From the Paper:

"The majority of Hawaii's population consists of immigrants and their descendants, most of which were brought over from Asia as cheap laborers to work for the early colonist plantations. Hawaii's Asian community continues to grow, nourished by subsequent waves of Diaspora. Immigrant and Native narratives are abundant and unique but similar in dealing with oppression which inevitably shapes their identities congruous to hierarchies of power involving colonist and tourists. Consequently, a vast number of Asian immigrants and especially indigenous Hawaiians continue to be one of the most socially and economically disadvantaged groups in their own home in large part due to Hawaii's dependency on tourism, the second largest industry following the military. However, each community possesses a richness of lineage: the sacrifices and achievements of their ancestors searching for "success" in the new world."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sharma, Nandita. Essay "A Dot and a Line." Gaye Chan website. <www.gayechan.com>.
• Morse, Marcia. Artweek 34: "Gaye Chan at the Honolulu Academy of Arts," No 8 25-6 O 2003: UCB library online journal.
• New Zealand and Aotearoa. Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand>. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aotearoa>.
• Flagrante Delicto. Wikipedia. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagrante_delicto>.
• Contemporary Museum of Honolulu. Flagrante Delicto: Photographs by Gaye Chan. September 27, 2002 - February 4, 2003. <http://www.tcmhi.org/ex_fhc1fall02.htm>.

More papers on Hawaiian Identity:

• Term Paper # 131501 : "Hawaiian Diabetes"
• Article Review # 108871 : "Adolescent Identity Development"
• Research Paper # 6329 : "Ethnicity and National Identity"

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