Reflections on Relationality and Positionality from Pacific Scholarship

Abstract

This paper had its genesis in a panel convened by the Department of Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University (ANU), in 2023. The panel emerged from debates and musings among our colleagues, as we sought to increasingly acknowledge the significance and implications of Pacific research methodologies. Reflecting upon positionality and relationality is not a new process, but it takes on specific characteristics depending on the context in which research is being undertaken. For doctoral students, this issue can be particularly acute. The aim of this collection is to share with a wider audience the multiple standpoints and critical gazes that reverberate within and about Pacific scholarship.