Reclaiming the "true" Hawai‘i in a podcast: A discourse analysis of decolonial practices

Abstract

Due to Western colonization, traditional Hawaiian cultural practices and language were suppressed from the Native Hawaiian community. In the 1970s, a cultural uproar of sovereignty and cultural revitalization emerged, reviving Hawaiian practices, language, and identity for Native Hawaiians. Alongside this, the movement developed a trend of decolonial practices in Hawai'i. Utilizing discursive tools of tactics of intersubjectivity (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) and stance (Jaffe, 2009), this study examines a podcast hosted by two diasporic Hawai'i locals (referring to people born and raised in Hawai'i) to answer the question: how do Hawai'i locals discursively reclaim and decolonize Hawai'i history and practices from the continental United States? The results found that through affective, epistemic, and dialogic stance-taking, the two hosts of the podcast used their social identities to assert authority and authenticate and reject colonial narratives. Also, the diasporic placement of the participants showed some effect on their affective stance-taking. The findings concluded that the podcasters use their platform to educate their listeners about the "true" Hawai'i, presenting a decolonial narrative to a broad audience. Through the discussion of Hawai'i innovation and indigenous knowledge, the podcasters highlight the injustice the Hawaiian community faces due to Western colonialism. Their podcast contributes to a larger discourse of decolonial efforts in Hawai'i.