Race and/or Ethnicity in Hawai‘i

Abstract

This chapter argues that ethnicity is the dominant organizing principle of social relations in Hawai‘i since the 1970s when it superseded race. This contention is based on the social construction of Hawaii’s constituent groups as ethnic groups rather than races, on the consequent lesser construction and assertion of racial categories and identities commonly invoked in the continental United States, and on the ongoing regulation of differential access to socioeconomic status by ethnicity and not race (or class). The chapter first discusses the conceptual difference between race and ethnicity, outlines the historical transition from race to ethnicity as the foremost structural principle of island society, reviews persisting ethnic inequality evident from 2010 U.S. Census data, and analyzes the racial dimensions of the shooting death in 2011 of a young Native Hawaiian by a U.S. State Department agent in Waikīkī. The argument that ethnicity is more significant than race as the primary principle of social organization in contemporary Hawai‘i is consistent with multiculturalism being the dominant ideology related to race and ethnicity in the islands rather than colorblindness as in the continental United States.

Exploring ‘islandness’ and the impacts of nature conservation through the lens of wellbeing

“…The pursuit of wellbeing can be hindered by social division and conflict, and is often exacerbated by development processes. A good example is Hawaii, which is often heralded as an island of tolerance and equality, where ethnic tensions are rising through unequal access to resources (Okamura 2008). Modernization and fast-changing social and cultural trends, whilst contributing to wellbeing for some, also have the scope to break down social cohesion, reminding us that social relationships, and their influence over wellbeing, are dynamic and ever-changing, perhaps particularly so in an island context.…”

Internalized racial oppression as a moderator of the relationship between experiences of racial discrimination and mental distress among Asians and Pacific Islanders.

“…The pervasiveness of racist experiences among API Americans has been consistently shown to be related to various indicators of their well-being and mental health (Alvarez, Liang, & Neville, 2016; Alvarez & Shin, 2013; Gee, Ro, Shariff-Marco, & Chae, 2009; Liu & Suyemoto, 2016; Mereish, Liu, & Helms, 2012; Miller, Yang, Farrell, & Lin, 2011; Okamura, 2008; Perez, 2005). For example, among Asian Americans, experiences of racial discrimination have been related to lower grades, physical symptoms, lower self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, suicide ideation, lower life satisfaction, and more anxiety and depressive symptoms (Cassidy, O’Connor, Howe, & Warden, 2004; Hwang & Goto, 2008; Rivas-Drake, Hughes, & Way, 2008).…”

A Preliminary Study of the Relationship between Perceived Racism and Cardiovascular Reactivity and Recovery in Native Hawaiians

“…The first key finding is that SBP recovery following exposure to both the blatant and subtle racial stressors was significant, with a greater degree of recovery following subtle stressor exposure than that following blatant stressor exposure for high- and low-perceived racism groups. This finding is unexpected as individuals who report more experiences with racial discrimination tend to demonstrate a lesser degree of recovery following acute stressor exposure than those who report less experiences [ 23 , 36 – 38 , 40 ]. However, this finding may be a function of the age (34 of 35 participants were between the ages of 18 and 30) of participants in this study.…”

“…Currently, Native Hawaiians are among the most socially and economically disadvantaged ethnic groups in Hawaiʻi. They are also more likely than other ethnic groups to be exposed to a greater number of environmental stressors (e.g., poor housing, low-paying jobs), experience higher psychological distress (e.g., depression, sense of helplessness), and encounter more acculturative stressors and racial discrimination [ 21 – 23 ].…”