Date of Award
Spring 2011
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Religious Studies
First Thesis Advisor
Erin Runions
Second Thesis Advisor
Anthony Shay
Rights Information
© Christine E. Chan
Abstract
Given the history of colonization and commodification in Hawai`i, it is no surprise that non-traditional performances are met with critical reception. However, in this thesis, I hope to destabilize the popular binary juxtaposition of authentic Hawaiian art and (mis)appropriated tourist kitsch. I argue that hula has been Orientalized and wrongly associated with religion not only by colonizers and the tourist industry, but also by those whose response to colonization is a call for purity and authenticity in the practice of Hawaiian culture. I am specifically referring to people who romanticize and mythologize hula and Hawai`i prior to European contact. Therefore, I am interested in presenting a retheorization of hula that (1) recognizes hula as a recycled tradition, (2) acknowledges the unique history of the indigenous people of Hawai`i, (3) does not limit participation to certain bodies, and (4) acknowledges, without over-emphasizing or de-emphasizing, the role of religion in the history of hula.
Recommended Citation
Chan, Christine E., "Beyond Colonization, Commodification, and Reclamation: Recognizing and Retheorizing the Role of Religion in Hula" (2011). Pomona Senior Theses. Paper 3.
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/3