Dwelling in a hyphen : Tongan diaspora and the question of home

Abstract

This thesis deals with the question of home in diaspora, hence the title, “Dwelling in a Hyphen.” It is also oriented towards three objectives. First, it is an attempt to examine how Tongans in diaspora define the idea of home. This is based on interviews of a selected group of Tongans in Auckland. There is no claim to Tongan exceptionalism here; rather it points to the fact that one's perception or imagination is always shaped by one's experience and the culture that one identifies with. In other words, one's definition of home depends on one's experience, and it varies from one culture to another. The second objective is to assess whether or not there is any link between the Tongan perceptions of home and the situations they experienced here in diaspora. This will be measured quantitatively based on information collected from each participant. Third, the work, based on the findings from research and interviews, hopes to offer an informed view of home for Tongans in Auckland to consider if they wish to become successful and make positive contributions not only to those in Tonga, but to the whenua that offer them challenges and opportunities: Aotearoa. The work is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the work as a whole by outlining its objectives, rationale, methodology, context, scope and structure. It sets the platform for discussions and analyses in the forthcoming chapters. Chapter 2 explores the notion of home by defining concepts that are key to this work, namely, 'hyphen,' 'diaspora,' and 'home.' Conceptual and contextual perspectives are discussed to provide a theoretical framework for the analysis in Chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 3 questions the notion of home by analysing the data collected from the participants and their responses to the closed questions. The first part of the chapter presents the characteristics of the interview participants. The second part analyses the data using various sets of variables. Questions of identity and home are central elements of this analysis. Chapter 4 gives the participants a space to speak about their views on different questions asked. Again, their responses are categories to their views on home, on being Tongan, on the current practices of Tongans in Auckland, and other issues they wished to talk about. The final chapter (Chapter 5) brings the work together into a conclusion. It presents the key findings from the research, and thus suggests some recommendations vis-à-vis the Tongan view of home and ideas for improving their lives in diaspora.