February 28

Today's reading included an article about helping, fixing and serving.
The difference between them is that helping someone implies that they are superior and the one being helped is weaker. Fixing implies that the one who is being fixed is "broken." Then serving, is seeing life as whole and being equals.
While trying to think of why we were required to read this article, I came up with this: While abroad, we can't have the mentality that we are helping or fixing the people or a person. My intentions are not at all to try to change anyone while I'm there, if anyone is changing, it's going to be me. I'm not trying to fix anyone or tell them what's right and wrong about their culture, because who am I to say that? It reminds me of the movie we watched called Barbecue Area which is about going into a city of white people and commenting on their culture and trying to fix their problems. It's a parody on how developed countries feel like it's their need to go into indigenous people and tell them what they need and want because their lifestyle is wrong and barbaric. This kind of attitude is extremely ego centric, and one that we should not have. I should be going in with the attitude of serving, and just loving the people in Tonga like Christ would!

February 25

Today we talked about ethics in a make-up class that I went to.
We talked about unethical research that has been performed in the past. A lot of these experiments taught us a lot, like the physicians who performed experiments on people in the Nuremberg trials. But, these experiments amoung others have ethical issues in that many of these people were forced into the experiments, were uninformed of what was really going on and many people died during the process.
Although none of our projects are going to be like this, we still have to consider ethical issues. We do have to get approval from IRB but we still have to make sure that out in the field we are being ethical to other humans.
For my project, the ethical concern I thought of was that I'm researching other people, and my findings might contradict how they feel and think about themselves and I might write things that are wrong in my speculations. In order to help solve this, I am going to make sure I show my notes to people I interview and write about so that they can look over it and make sure it is actually representative of what they say and how they live their lives.
I can't really know what other ethical things I might run into in Tonga considering I have never been there, but it's important to know where I stand and remember who I represent when I go there. I have to be able to make decisions on what I think is ethical and act accordingly. Even I am faced with the choice of doing something that might be unethical, I know I don't have to take the chance and I can be safe and choose not to do it if I am unsure.

February 23

Today the reading was on the Ophelia syndrome. She is a character in Hamlet who doesn't know how to think for herself which eventually leads to her suicide.
After reading this, I realize I have a little bit of the Ophelia syndrome. After taking theory classes and having to apply a certain theory to my research, I constantly wish that someone would just tell me what kind of ontology and epistemology to take into account for my research project because I couldn't decide for myself. Deciding for myself was too hard for me and I figured the easy way would be to have someone tell me. This way, I didn't have to know the material very well and I didn't have to study all the theories, just the one that my mentor told me to use.
I realize this kind of attitude inhibits my learning and profits my personal growth nothing. Thinking for ourselves, listening to different points of view, and challenging what we are taught are all parts of being able to actual learn, rather than parrot what we are taught.

February 22

Today we had a reading about rapport and access to the communities in which we are going to study. A few things I learned that I need to go is be friendly and charming in order to gain people's trust in order to be able to get good data for my research. It really helps that I am a woman studying women, considering men might not be willing to open up to me, and women would feel more comfortable sharing things with me. In addition to that, I will be able to gain access to the all-women working houses. In order to gain access to my community, I am relying mostly on my relationship with my host mother and sisters. I am hoping that through my relationship with them, I can get to work in the houses and make tapa or gnatu and be able to get references to other work houses as well to get as much data as I can. Another thing I'm doing to build rapport is I'm trying to learn the language. This will help because people will know that I am truly interested in them and that I want to learn.
Due to my short time in the field, I have to be able to gain access and trust as soon as possible in order to get as much data as I can. When I went to the Tongan ward, people were so friendly and inviting. I am hoping that the Tongans will be open and willing to share their culture and lives with me for a short time so that I can bring back what I have learned and be able to share it with everybody here.

February 16th

I wanted to talk a little about qualitative research as it relates to my field because I realize I haven't done a very good job with my research practices, I've just never been one to follow methods very well!
Sociology is full of quantitative research, where usually surveys are administered to a random sample of people in high numbers in order to find statistical significance that can be applied to the population.
Qualitative is different, in that data is non numerical and you can purposely select who to study and interview. Also, qualitative is aiming at discovery of a phenomena, where quantitative is more for testing a hypothesis. The methods for qualitative are a little more loose, and as long as you can justify what you're doing and why, then you're pretty much good to go. A lot of this has to do with the groundwork or theory in your research in order to give support to the way you are looking at your research.
There are many ways in which we can gather data, some of which we went through in our workshop on Friday, which include photography, interviews and group discussions, observations, observation/reflections etc. Some of the methods I will be using are group and individual interviews, mapping, and reflective observation. In my methods practice I wrote down what I observed and my reflections on it. It's extremely important to separate or somehow mark your reflections in order to separate them from what actually happened (I didn't really do a good job at this).
I also plan on doing some mapping, where I map out all the weaving houses and I want to mark family relationships within houses and between houses so that I have a good idea of who's related in order to interview them. For this type of research it's important to talk to a lot of people to make sure that your data is correct and be able to have them help you with your map.
Group interviews that I want to do include family groups that work together, and then the weaving house groups. While doing group interviews, it's a little harder to get personal data, so I plan on doing individuals as well. It's important to assure your interviewee that the interview is confidential so that they feel comfortable sharing things that they wouldn't want others to know. It's also important to take good notes, and also to let them see the notes and make sure that what you wrote down accurately reflects their attitudes and beliefs.
After collecting this kind of data, you can code and put a value to responses and then analyze them using statistics, but I will probably use more of a recursive abstraction of my data, where you summarize your findings and draw conclusions from your summaries.

Methods Practice 2

After class our group spontaneously decided to go to the Tongan ward where Sione introduced us and then let us have at it! We really wanted to go because we wanted to meet Tongans and be able to use this as our methods practice two.

We arrived at what was a 15 year old boy's eagle scout project. He fundraised and got donations for clothes and books to be sent to Tonga. As we arrived, they were just finishing packing the enormous box, which almost took up an entire bed of a truck. As soon as we got there and they found out we were going to Tonga, they wanted to get us to take a picture with the crate to send to Tonga, even though we had nothing to do with it being assembled! Right away, they were extremely welcoming and smiling and happy.

We walked into the cultural hall to find some people playing basketball and a bunch of boys sitting and eating. They had chicken curry vegetable stuff with rice and then "keke" which are basically fried dough balls. Along with that was some hot chocolate.

I sat down with the kids and started talking to them and immediately they were opening up and talking to me. They ranged from 1-15. The first table I went to, most of the kids were 7 to 9 and a two year old kid. I had them introduce themselves, and they all went around the table saying that they were cousins. They all pretty much seemed related and got along great. One kid went and brought another boy over to me, and said "this is my brother!" and I said, "really?" and then he said, "no... he's my cousin."

We talked about sports they liked and they asked me why I was here. I told them about my trip to Tonga and their faces lit up! They kept thinking we were going to be missionaries but I explained that we were students just going to study. Then they asked me if I was Polynesian, to which I replied no and I told them what my background is. One kid kept screaming "take me with you!!" and so I proceeded to ask all of them if they have ever been or would like to go. They pointed out the kids that had been and they all agreed that they wanted to go SO BAD. I thought it would be an interesting topic to study perceptions of their culture and Tonga of the children of immigrant parents. So after I talked to those kids, I moved to the next table.

At the next table the kids were a little older, from 8-15, including the boy who was doing the eagle scout project. All the kids agreed that they would want to go, one said he would like to go later but not right now, and he said he would like to go to Texas where the rest of his family is. The eagle scout kid told me that he never wanted to go to Tonga. Seeing that his response was a little different than the rest of the kids, I asked him why he said that. He said he liked it here just fine and he liked his school and didn't have any desire to go there.

Even though he said that, I could help but analyze what his attitude was (what he said) versus his behavior (what actually does). He seemed to try to distance himself from Tonga in saying that he didn't want to go, but at the same time, he still wanted to help the schools there by sending them books and supplies. He identified enough with Tonga or being Tongan that he wanted to help those that were there and less fortunate than him, however he had no desire to go and live there. This was interesting because one of the main source of Tongan income are actually remittances. These donations and foreign aid and remittances are what keep Tongan's head above water.

At the second table, after explaining my trip, asked me "what kind are you?" and I was't sure what he meant even though I assumed he meant what kind of Polynesian I was. So I asked him, "what kind of what?" and he said "are you Tongan?" I found it interesting that the kids assumed I was Polynesian probably because of my dark complexion, but one of the Tongans in my Tongan class said I don't look Polynesian and I could maybe pull off half. I'm guessing that after a while, kids realize there are more physical features to being Tongan than dark skin and hair, like the guy in my class who stated Tongans had flatter and wider noses and due to that and my blue eyes I don't really look Polynesian but at least I can pretend to be half!

From observing the Tongans at the Tongan ward, I can clearly see that there is a huge familial bond. Everybody is pretty much related and they all seem to band together and have close bonds. They knew each other fairly well and had a pretty strong connection to being Tongan.

February 9th

I've been super excited lately because I'm finally seeing how 3 or 4 sociology theory classes I've taken are finally applying to me doing actual research. Some of the things I've learned over the years are coming together in the different ways we can look at society, or a particular society, in this case, Tonga. I want to outline a couple theories we have talked about and how they determine why people act the way they do.
First I want to start with Durkheim. He had a theory about what he calls "social facts." These are the natural or metaphysical laws that are formed completely external from us that we take and internalize and follow. These are the CAUSES of what we do. A problem with that is that Durkheim doesn't account for why or how we actually choose to follow them. Especially considering, sometimes some people don't.
Weber outlines a few reasons as to why we act the way we do according to our culture, based on the fact that we are pretty rational beings, capable of choosing and interpreting what we do.
Value Rational Action- This is when you do something based on the rationality that it follows your values and you wouldn't be compromising your beliefs by acting this certain way. These can be religious or just good old fashion morals.
Instrumental Action- This is where we do things as means to an end. We act a certain way as an "instrument" to achieve a desired end or goal.
Affectional Action- This usually imprudent action is based on our emotions and how we feel at the moment in which we act.
A lot of Rational Choice theorists would argue that people ALWAYS do things according to what's "rational." They define this as whatever would bring the most reward for you personally and lead to the least pain or punishment. These theorists believe people are egotistical and will always choose the needs of themselves over the needs of a group. They only belong to group settings whenever the group provides a common good that they value or need. If they can achieve this without being in a group, they would do so. These theorists don't account for people having any other connection other than gain, such as a common language that would allow for these people to even enter in a group. This is a kind of pessimistic view of humans, in that they are selfish and greedy and they don't account for abstract ideas such as love, friendship and trust.

I tend to believe in sort of a synthesis of a lot of these ideals; I'm not going to be one to say that it's one way and not the other. I do believe there are "social facts" that sort of guide how we act and what we do, however we do have reasons for doing them other than they are just "rational," like all the reasons for action that Weber outlined. We have reasons and we are able to think for ourselves and act, but there are cultural norms that influence our actions.

February 6

Okay, I want to finalize my semi-final question here. This is where I'm going for now but hopefully it's going to stick.

QUESTION: How does working together in the weaving houses affect the female family members and their relationships with each other? Is this a place for bonding with their family or primarily for social interactions with other women? How does working together affect the strength of family ties? Will it be a positive or negative affect?


Some specific questions that I have concerning my new research topic are as follows:
Do women tend to stick with their family in the weaving house? Or do they talk amongst other women primarily?
Do the women see this as a lifetime bonding experience?
Do they see it as just a job and nothing more?
What kinds of things do the women talk about while working in the houses?
Do techniques for weaving get passed on through families?

I have some concerns over my topic being too narrow. Only in the sense that I am afraid I won’t find enough family members that word together to get a good representative sample, or that they women won’t have much to say on the topic. I expect I’ll have to do a lot of observation and see how the family members interact together when working. Then, I could maybe even contrast that with how they act together in the home as sort of a control variable. I wonder if the way they act in the work-place and in the home is different. I wonder if they get sick of spending so much time together! Although, that’s a pretty big culture leap, because I know I got sick of my family when we hung out too much but I’m sure their culture is so much different, and it’s probably not a “chore” to spend time with your family. Or maybe it is, in the form of working in the weaving houses for the women. I guess most of these questions are ones that can’t be answered until I get to the field.

Interview

I didn't know about the assignment until it was way to late to find a Tongan person and interview them :( So, I used a friend who served in Tonga on his mission.
The interview conducted was an informal, semi constructed question/answer session. I will outline the things he said about the culture.
FAMILY LIFE-
Men and women have different responsibilities. Men go to the bush and work during the day. Women take care of the home and the children and go to weaving houses during the day to weave or make gnatu. They make these in large groups and sell them to people for weddings, funerals, births and even to tourists. He mentioned that the women just sit there and discuss whatever comes to mind. It's their main source of social interaction. Something interesting he said is that entire communities raise all the children together and everyone is willing to punish, discipline, feed and shelter any child. They also tend to give their children to other family members who don't have any. This sort of communal child raising technique is extremely interesting. Comparatively, in the US, parenting is extremely privatized and women especially want to be the only ones to influence and raise their child. This sort of way is very ethnocentric and I would argue that if affects the child's ability to open up to other things. The Tongan people practically live the consecration not just in family relations but in possessions as well. My interviewee told me not to be surprised when someone asks me for something of mine. And of course, I have to give it to them. I was a little concerned over this, because it's just in my culture that people own and possess their items and that's that. It's kind of like a little child playing with his sibling, and one wants a toy but the other says "it's mine!" This is interesting because when you think about it, the toys probably weren't purchased by them, and I'm sure the toy actually belongs to the parents who purchased them, and even they would argue that the toy is for both of them. It's kind of a silly and selfish way to live, if you think about it.
I asked him about food, specifically if I would lose weight on the trip.
He said we would eat a lot of roots and probably some fruit, but not a whole lot of meat which is reserved for special occasions. He said I should expect to have diarrhea a lot. He said he gained weight on his mission, but I don't really like sweet potatoes or yams so I'm banking on losing some weight! He said the fruit was so amazing, especially pineapple when they are in season. He said they would eat it til their tongues were bleeding.
I asked him about differences between LDS families and non LDS families.
He said that there wasn't that much of a difference, especially considering even those that are not LDS are still Christian. He said the biggest difference was probably alcohol consumption.
He showed me his tohi a molomona and I read a couple verses out of it while he checked my Tongan pronunciation. He said it wasn't all that bad!
He also showed me his ta'ovala, which are the traditional waist mats that Tongan's wear to special occasions. I tried it on and I have to admit I looked good.
He told me some stories about when he was there, which were wonderful. But, concerning my project I've included what's important for living there as a guest and then what's applicable to my research.

January 28 Literature Review Worksheet

Literature Review Worksheet (Part 1, before class)
Please answer each question according to your understanding of the academic discussion/literature surrounding your research topic. Answers likely will not be definitive and may include some speculation (which you should indicate as such). Be honest about what you do not presently know and where you can improve (you will be evaluated on your thoughtful completion of the assignment, not on whether or not you know all the answers).
1. What are the key concepts you’ve dissected within your own question? List related search terms.
Key concepts include gender and power and related terms include feminism, fahu, and kinship.



2. What additional key terms and concepts have you discovered in the literature?
Mehekitanga- sister
Socialized vs natural gender.
faka 'apa 'apa- respect
fatongia- kind of like an honor or privilege

3. What discipline or disciplines are your sources based within?
Sociological and anthropological disciplins.


4. What are some of the concepts that your sources generally agree on (underlying assumptions)?
Gender is partly socialized in each culture, but also there are natural laws concerning gender that transcend time and peoples.


5. Are there particular scholars or sources that seem to be referenced frequently in what you’ve read so far?
A lot of sources from the Journal of the Polynesian Society


6. What need is there for further research in the academic discussion? In other words, where are the gaps?
The gap that I’m seeing that I want to research is the difference between perceptions of power between women in our culture and the women in Tonga.