The creation of diasporic communities and social transformation at “home”

A Samoan case study

Deborah Gough

Research program: Mobility and Exclusion

Contemporary emigration has resulted in equal numbers of Samoans living outside as within the homeland of Samoa. Rather than resulting in a weakening of culture one consequence of such phenomenal migration has been the growth of Samoan-identifying communities across the Pacific Rim. To varying degrees these diasporic communities adhere to Fa'aSamoa', a unique social and political system that forms the basis of all Samoan society. This thesis focuses on the way aspects of this system have been adapted in these communities and, moreover, the ensuing social and cultural transformations across the diaspora and in Samoa. Ultimately it will endeavour to consider the relevance of the findings for contextually appropriate and socially sustainable change in Samoa.