Introduction

Aloha mai kākou!

I'm uluwehiokaaina, from Oʻahu, and I'm a PhD student at UH Mānoa, in the History department.  I spent all of my academic career previous to this in Hawaiian Studies.  Venturing out of that ʻike Hawaiʻi "bubble" has really opened my eyes to many things, and I decided that it might be good to share.  Who knows whether or not that ends up being a good call...

I am incredibly thankful for my time spent at Kamakakūokalani, because it has given me a different set of beliefs about history, which, I am finding, is very different from the way people in the History department look at things.  That's why I refer to Hawaiian Studies as a "bubble;" I don't mean that in a derogatory way...more so, now that I am no longer there, I have realized that Hawaiian Studies is a place where we all know and agree with each other on something that we consider to be fundamental: that our stories should be told by us, and from our own sources of knowledge.

That's why it was shocking to me when I went to the History department and realized that they do not believe the same thing.  

Therefore, this blog is about those instances where I must reconcile history as an academic discipline, with history being told with the proper respect to the culture and people whose story it is attempting to tell.  At times you will agree with me, and at times you won't.  That's ok.  This is merely about opening up the world to different viewpoints.

Mostly I intend to write about the books I am required to read for classes, but every once in a while I might tell of stimulating (or frustrating) class discussions that simply need to be shared...the former of which is what finally inspired me to start this blog.  That will be my next post!