Three Competing Research Perspectives for Oceania

Three research perspectives are currently competing in Oceania. A discipline-based perspective still dominates, though ever fewer people believe that disciplines produce superior forms of knowledge. An alternative, interpretation-based perspective is becoming more prominent, but this approach relies on confusing and contradictory claims about how interpretations connect to concrete activities. A practice-based approach seems better able to promote diversity and place-based autonomies in Oceania. Research that focuses on practices avoids the universalizing claims of discipline-based research. By treating cultures as dynamic repertoires of practices, a practice-based approach integrates interpretive and noninterpretive activities within a single research frame. Examples from many researchers, including Epeli Hau'ofa and Ty Kāwika Tengan, illustrate the benefits of a practice-based approach.