Hawai'i Is My Haven: Race and Indigeneity in the Black Pacific

Hawaiʻi Is My Haven explores the paradox of Hawaiʻi as a multiracial paradise and site of unacknowledged anti-Black racism, highlighting the coarticulation and limits of race and the native/settler divide. Despite erasure and racism, nonmilitary Black residents consider Hawaiʻi their haven, describing it as a place to "breathe" and offer the possibility of becoming local.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 360 pages
\n Publication date: 24 September 2021
\n Publisher: Duke University Press
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This ethnography delves into the intricate tapestry of Black life in the Hawaiian Islands, drawing from a decade of immersive fieldwork with a diverse group of individuals. Nitasha Tamar Sharma sheds light on the paradoxical nature of Hawaiʻi as a purported multiracial paradise, where Black culture permeates every aspect of society, yet African-descended people often go unnoticed. Within this formerly sovereign nation, which defies the strict Black/White binary and the one-drop rule, non-White multiracials, including Black Hawaiians and Black Koreans, serve as poignant examples of the interplay between race and the native/settler divide. Despite the persistent erasure and racism faced by non-military Black residents, Hawaiʻi remains a sanctuary, described as a place where one can "breathe" and potentially become part of the local community. Sharma's insightful analysis of race, indigeneity, and Asian settler colonialism expands the horizons of North American debates in Black and Native studies, shifting them to the Black Pacific. Through her work, Hawaiʻi Is My Haven offers a profound exploration of the experiences and perspectives of African diaspora members in the Pacific, shedding light on the complexities of race and racism in this seemingly idyllic setting.

\n Weight: 522g\n
Dimension: 151 x 229 x 27 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781478014379\n \n