Dissertation
Kids of Empire: Pacific Peoples and Diaspora Building Cultures of Defiance Through Storytelling, Poetry, and Rap Lyrics
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005231
Abstract
The question isn’t if U.S. empire will fall but when? In that light, there is a lot to learn about imperial mechanisms and evolutions, and to see how communities survive, resist, and defy the ever-evolving pillars of empire. From the late 19th century to today, Pacific peoples from the islands of the Philippines, Hawai‘i, Guåhan (Guam), and Samoa have at varying times resisted and struggled against colonization and imperialism by Spain, Germany, Japan, and the United States governments. With love and rage, Pacific peoples have fought back and resisted all imperial oppressions and continue to struggle in the pursuit of liberation. This dissertation will examine historical and contemporary storytelling, poetry, and lyrics of Filipinos and Pacific Islanders as they and their diaspora intersect with U.S. empire. Focusing on 20th and 21st century cultural productions, I will investigate what they reveal about U.S. imperialism, militarism, immigration policies, carceral systems, racialization, gendering, state violence, and capitalism. Using Pacific peoples’ cultural productions as a lens to scrutinize empire, we can see what resonates through space and time. Some of the artists looked at in this project are Bambu, Emcee Klassy, Terisa Siagatonu, The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Faith Santilla, Julian Aguon, and Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner. Ultimately, these cultural productions are part of a fueling for cultures of defiance. Geographical emphasis is on the U.S. continental west coast in efforts to contribute to the literature in Transpacific Studies in connecting islands, the west coast, and diaspora in the study of the intersections/connections between all imperialized communities and the ever-evolving condition of empire they confront and continue to defy.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- Kids of Empire
- Creators
- Teresa Carrasco
- Contributors
- John Streamas (Advisor)Rory J Ong (Committee Member)Lisa Guerrero (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Languages, Cultures, and Race, School of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 163
- Identifiers
- 99901019534101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation