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Commentary: Embracing Culture as Essential to Pacific People

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 February 2012

Halaevalu F.O. Vakalahi
Halaevalu F.O. Vakalahi*
Affiliation:
George Mason University, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi, Ph.D., MSW, M.Ed. Associate Professor, MSW Program Director, George Mason University, Department of Social Work, 4400 University Dr., MSN 1F8 Fairfax, VA 22030. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

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The existing written literature on Pacific people is generally limited and available information is often incomplete, inaccurate or outdated. In many geographical locations, including the United States, literature focusing specifically on Pacific people is extremely sparse because it is often subsumed within broader coverage of people throughout the Asia-Pacific region. As such, the experiences are often trivialised. The Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology is filling gaps in contemporary psychology. It is exposing the world to the phenomenally rich and diverse cultures and people of the Pacific Rim. This is not only groundbreaking; it is also a form of social justice work. It advocates the use of a cultural lens in viewing the world and human behaviour; in this case a Pacific-culture lens that emphasises inclusivity, collectivity and reciprocity. Helping to promote a social justice movement that celebrates and honours the rich and extraordinarily diverse region of the Pacific will continue to contribute to the betterment of research, services and programming in today's diverse society. Furthermore, it will contribute to the journal's quest to become a preferred forum for the ??First People of the Pacific inside and outside of their Pacific home.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Pacific Rim Psychology , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , December 2011 , pp. 85 - 89
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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