Author: Mike Spencer

I am a Native Hawaiian of mixed race born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. I am currently the Presidential Term Professor of Social Work at the University of Washington and the Director of Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Oceanic Affairs at the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute. I teach courses on diversity and social justice, intergroup dialogue, community organizing, and community development.

Insider–Outsider reflections from a Native Hawaiian researcher and the use of community-based participatory approaches

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This article was the result of a keynote address given in the indigenous community of Yarrabah at the Creating Futures 2015 conference.  Creating Futures is a gathering of scholars, practitioners, and community members in which the populations of interest are Indigenous peoples from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, the residents of Australia’s neighbouring island nations, and people living with and recovering from mental and/or physical illness or disability in remote and tropical areas.

At this conference, I shared my perspectives on conducting community-based, participatory research (CBPR) specifically within the context of being a Native Hawaiian who has not lived in Hawaii for many years working with the Native Hawaiian community. The article speaks to the insider-outsider issues that many of us struggle with when we use community-based participatory approaches.  It also addresses the intersectionality of our multiple identities and encourages self-reflection as central to the process of CBPR.

Spencer, M.S., (2015). Insider-Outsider reflections from a Native Hawaiian researcher and the use of community-based participatory approaches. 23(6 Suppl), Australiasian Psychiatry, 45-47.

Click on the link below to view the full article.

australas-psychiatry-2015-spencer-45-7

Introducing Just Living 808

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Mahalo nui loa or thank you very much for reading Just Living 808.  There are several reasons I chose to write this blog.  First, I have been a social justice educator and researcher for over 25 years now and have published primarily in academic journals.  While I have had success in publishing close to 100 manuscripts, my reach has primarily been others in the academy.  I hope to change that by having my writing and thoughts accessible to a larger community of socially just minded people and perhaps even non-socially just minded folks as well.

My second reason for creating Just Living 808 is to find a platform where others can share their thoughts, not only with regard to my work but also contribute their ideas in collaboration.  I hold only a partial truth through my life experience and understand that I need to hear about the partial truths of others as part of the journey toward seeking a higher truth.  Your contributions will not only enhance my work, but in a small way, I hope that together, we can create new visions and solutions toward a just society.

In Just Living 808, I will include some of my previous work, but also contribute new and original work from my experiences in education and research.  I will also highlight some of the outstanding work that is happening in communities around the world that can serve as possible models for just living, but my work will focus primarily on my two homes, Detroit, Michigan and Honolulu, Hawaii.  Just Living 808 will also focus on indigenous ways of knowing, including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander cultures.

Finally, a note on why I call this blog Just Living 808.  For me, it is a reflection of the socially just life that I am pursuing, my own personal revolution.  But it is also not a life that I hope to fabricate, but organically live.  I hope my vision of social justice will be just living.  808, for those in Hawaii who know, is the area code of my homeland.

Thank you again for reading Just Living 808.  I hope you return and find many new and interesting ideas and thoughts that might be beneficial to you and your communities.  A hui hou!