Viewing Diasporas from the Pacific: What Pacific Ethnographies Offer Pacific Diaspora Studies

Abstract

This article explores what long-standing analytical traditions in Pacific ethnographies can offer Pacifi c diaspora studies. In particular, I advocate researchers’ reconceptualizing their unit of analysis when interrogating the relationships between families and diasporas, and argue that family networks fashion diasporas’ longevity and tangibility. Emphasizing families’ social organization encourages Pacific diaspora studies to focus on how and when cultural differences have effects.