Lit & Culture: Pacific Women Warriors

Historical accounts of the Pacific from both within and outside the region have  illustrated the nature of Pacific Island cultures as Warrior Cultures: fearless, violent, confrontational, and skilled in the art of fighting and war-faring. But while Pacific Islanders still embody these warrior traits, the colonization of the Pacific has presented a different kind of enemy to fight: poverty, drugs, homelessness, obesity, domestic violence, gang violence and a slew of other cultural, economic and social foes. Moreover, the identity of the “warrior” is almost always presented as being male, although a genealogy of powerful women exist in our history.

In this course, we will read a variety of  literature (as well as music and film) that traces the making of what I contend represent the contemporary Pacific Island woman warrior: the single mother, the wise widow, the battered wife, the fierce grandmother, the neglected granddaughter, the survivalist. The tentative reading list includes Albert Wendt’s Pouliuli, Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider, Pi’ilani’s The True Story of Kaluaiko’olau (Frazier trans.) Alan Duff’s Once Were Warriors, and Matthew Kaōpi‘o’s Up Among the Stars; with other essays, poems, songs and a couple films to supplement our reading.


While much of our reading does concentrate on works from within the Pacific region, our articulations of the “warrior,” I hope, will extend beyond the cultural and geographic scope of the pacific. Given the broad range of issues our readings will cover, it is my intention that this course, while appealing to those interested in the genre of Pacific literature, will also speak to those who share the same social and economic struggles.

Assignments (100 Points each):

8 page Mid-Term Paper

Mid-Term Exam

8 page Final Paper

Final Exam

Individual Presentation

Reading Reflection Journal

Attendance Policy:

Attendance is mandatory