Program & Research

Indigenous Politics is one of the featured focus areas and formal specializations in the MA program in political science.

By specializing in Indigenous Politics students commit to more in-depth engagement with Indigenous studies as an academic field, as well as with communities who may be outside of the university but are imbricated in the social and political networks with which Indigenous Politics is concerned. Because of our specific location in Hawaiʻi, UHIP takes seriously the kuleana (responsibility and obligations) that we have to the ʻŌiwi communities and lands that allow us to engage in academic study in this place.

Our program allows students to participate in independent and collective inquiry into Indigenous social movements and epistemologies, politically-oriented artistic and narrative works, governing systems and ethics, Indigenous political theory, and praxis. We critically engage notions and practices of sovereignty, self-determination, language, and land use. As an innovative program, we pride ourselves on encouraging the use and development of alternative epistemologies and methodologies that reflect Indigenous worldviews and peoples.

The Political Science MA Program encourages scholarly inquiry and intellectual growth across a range of political themes. Whereas the PhD program is specifically targeted for those who aim to have a professional academic career, the MA program is useful for students who want to pursue careers in public service, the private non-profit and for-profit sectors, grassroots activism, teaching, or other fields. Offering both a thesis-option and an internship-option, the MA program in Indigenous Politics emphasizes community-engaged work and the development of leadership and research skills.

Our MA courses facilitate inquiry into a variety of issues including histories of interaction between Indigenous and settler peoples, the impact of settler colonialism on Indigenous life ways and thought worlds, and Indigenous engagements with states.

Graduate students from a variety of disciplines benefit from introductory and in-depth study of the historical and contemporary dimensions of Indigenous politics. We offer courses at the 600 level specifically for MA students in political science and other departments. While our 700-level courses are targeted at advanced students, usually at the PhD level, they are open to MA students. We recommend that MA students contact the instructor prior to registering for a 700-level course.

Our core faculty have mentored and served as thesis committee members for MA students in Political Science, Anthropology, Education, Sociology, History, Geography, Hawaiian Studies, Hawaiian language, Ethnomusicology and Pacific Studies.