Thread by @alice_tps

I have #thoughts to share for ppl who are on hiring committees for Indigenous Studies or Pacific Studies academic positions - my perspective here comes from my own connection with, and commitments to, both fields. (fwiw/ fyi they are *not* the same field)

Okay so there are quite a few positions being advertised in Insig Studies AND in Pacific Studies which is GREAT and exciting. Obvs. How many ppl have struggled for these positions over the years. Woohoo.

It is very possible (likely/ unavoidable) that people will be on hiring panels for these positions who dont know a lot about these fields. Lucky you! You get to learn a lot. But also, I am becoming increasingly 👀 territorial (maybe?)
about some of this… must be my old age! 🤷🏽‍♀️

The stakes for these appointments are very high. Because there are so few of them globally, each position In Indigenous Studies and Pacific Studies becomes a highly visible and valued node in the network of our fields/ disciplines.

So it becomes important not just for your institution but for many of the rest of us that the people
appointed to these positions are actually Pacific Studies or Indigenous Studies scholars.

Here are some tips! A checklist of things to expect: ✅ can articulate the field and its key texts/ thinkers ✅ can position self and work in relation to broader field ✅ has thought abt how to teach the field at intro and senior undergrad levels & where appropriate grad level

✅ has been trained in the field (ie name of qualification) OR has been supervised by ppl trained in the field and/ or who are active in the field who speak to the field in letters ✅ has deliberately sought to be at conferences and in networks connected to the field ✅

And here are some things that may *feel* enough but aren’t necessarily proof of connection to/ commitment to/ ability to teach the field ➡️being Indig and/ or Pacific (but without any of the things listed above) ➡️ Indigenous and/ or Pacific being a TOPIC but not field of study

➡️ grew up in a particular place/ in proximity to particular communities ➡️ able to speak a particular language (or practice particular cultural things etc) ALLOW ME TO BE CLEAR some of these are wonderful and crucial etc but are not proof of connection/ engagement with fields

Ultimately this is about citation & networks & conversations. A book or article or presentation on an Indig or Pacific topic may well be AMAZING but its topic doesnt *by itself* make it a work of Pacific or Indig Studies. What does? Its bibliography/ its circulation/ its stakes

If someone cant provide a clear accounting of the field, that’s a problem. Few people have been trained with PhDs in Indig Studies or Pacific Studies - there are too few institutions globally that offer such opportunities for study. However, this doesnt mean there’s no field

There are opportunities to engage with the critical work of Indig Studies and Pacific Studies - and isnt this why your institution wants to make this hire? In this field? (Aaah yes I know some ppl will be all Alice! We are inter/disciplines! lol yes I know but tweets are short)

People who do not have Indigenous or Pacific heritage *must* account for their relationships and accountability etc. Both fields have non-Indig/ non-Pacific ppl in them - but both fields do understand the importance of positionality. (And the politics of diversity etc in HE.)

Anyone working in these fields should be able to explain the stakes of their work for themselves and how that connects to their own heritage/
positionality. If they cant or wont do this - hmmm.

Other random top tips: ❌ never (in conversation or formal discussion) ask someone to answer questions abt blood work quantum. If you are dying to know what percentage XYZ they are, excuse yourself and go to a quiet spot and kick yourself in the head.

❌ do not assume that Indigenous means the same as race (or ethnicity) ❌ (where relevant) do not make comments about how lovely it must be to come from a tropical island and/ or make jokes about how research on Pacific islands must really be surfing and lying on the beach 😉

AND FOR EXTRA CREDIT 😎 consider that an applicant may be interested in hearing who else on campus works on these fields and/ or about relevant local communities - so find out the answers ahead of
time!

😎 understand enough abt the stakes/ politics of representation in both fields (ie is there need for *local* Indig expertise and/ or does this hire reproduce structures of over/ under representation in these fields globally?) but not so much you make
arguments you dont understand

😎 for Indigenous Studies, if you don’t understand the complexities of how ppl do/ can/ don’t describe themselves, and what terms like enrolled/ citizen/ federally recognised (etc) mean then hmmm politely ask someone to give you some support with how to be sensitive to this

😎 for Pacific Studies, don’t assume ppl who come from all places in the Pacific on a map automatically ‘do’ Pacific Studies. ie my own community (NZ Māori) has a complex history with the Pacific (someone should write a book on it 💡)

😎 also for Pacific Studies, Hawai’i is not the only place in the Pacific. So if someone can only speak to or about Hawai’i that’s cool for them but it doesn’t by itself make them a Pacific (region) specialist. (insert other examples here - Hawai’i is the one I bump into most)

Thank you for reading my little thread. I am sharing these tips bcs I want the best for our fields (disciplines! interdisciplines! etc), for scholars in our fields, for students seeking to learn in these fields, for allied fields and future colleagues who will learn so much

I have so many more thoughts abt how you treat them once they arrive 👀❤️ but that’s a story for another time ☕️

(oops obvs that was meant to say ‘blood quantum’ but hey probs dont ask abt their blood work either 🤦🏽‍♀️😂😂)