A Different Kind of Vā: Spiraling through Time and Space
Contemporary Pacific
; 34(2):355-382, 2022.
Article
in English
| Scopus | ID: covidwho-2234798
ABSTRACT
This dialogue is a structured account of an experiment that we, as researchers in the Vā Moana–Pacific Spaces cluster at Auckland University of Technology, carried out during and between lockdowns in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021. The previous year, Vā Moana had begun to investigate how—without shared physical presence—virtual participation in events can uphold central Māori and Moana (Pacific) traditional values of tikanga (te reo Māori correct procedure, custom) and teu le vā (gagana Sāmoa nurturing relational space). Aspects of our research concern practices that continue to emphasize vā—as the attachment and feeling for place and relatedness—outside the Pacific homelands. These nascent practices contribute to an emerging understanding of place as an imaginary space of belonging, in which online environments (the digital vā) play a role. The outbreak of COVID-19 gave this general interest unexpected but sharp focus. In this essay, we present, contextualize, and analyze excerpts from three conversations between Vā Moana team members in Aotearoa. Held during, between, and after lockdown periods between March and November 2020, these conversations were conducted either fully online or in a blended format. In the latter case, some members met face-to-face in a "hub,” and others used online platforms to participate in reviewing and reorganizing our research relationships under the new conditions, using the challenge thrown before us as an opportunity for experimentation and change. © 2022, University of Hawaii Press. All rights reserved.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Scopus
Language:
English
Journal:
Contemporary Pacific
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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