Date of Graduation

Spring 5-15-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in International and Multicultural Education (IME)

College/School

School of Education

Department/Program

International and Multicultural Education (IME)

First Advisor

Rosa M. Jiménez

Abstract

Prior to colonization, Palau practiced their own indigenous ways of knowledge and epistemologies in relation to their spirits, land, and community. Through Palau’s colonial and imperial relationships under Spain, Germany, Japan, and evidently the United States, these impacts throughout Palau’s history have affected the community’s traditional ways of knowing. From colonial influences, to the evident emigration of the Palauan diaspora, this created a new generation of Palauan-Americans, who were raised unfamiliar with their cultural heritage and language. This lack of cultural awareness for the Palauan-American diaspora raises concerns of loss of culture, sense of self and identity, and its impact on relationships to the island, family, and community. By recentering indigenous frameworks as a method towards cultural revitalization and as the focal point of learning Palauan culture, it can assist in offering decolonial and nuanced methods of acquiring, learning, unpacking, and critiquing knowledge today

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