| ID | 197113 |
| Title Proper | Philosophical vectors of oceanic diplomacy and development |
| Other Title Information | the Samoan wisdom of restraint meets the Australian indigenous relationalist ethos |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Lumā Vaai, Upolu |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In the inaugural Coral Bell School lecture on Indigenous Diplomacy, Mary Graham and Morgan Brigg challenge dominant Western ways of thinking by explicating the relationalist ethos. This ethos resonates very strongly with my work on Pasifika relationality and relational theology and philosophy. In my response to their lecture, I explain how contradictions, despite the influence of binary or either/or thinking, deserve to be viewed as ‘mutual’ rather than ‘competing’ through a ‘whole of life’ perspective that is often part of Indigenous peoples’ relational cosmologies. I then turn to resonances with ‘tōfā taofiofi,’ or the wisdom of the restraint from my Samoan culture, particularly in relation to decision-making. This and similar approaches suggest the value of slowing down and attending to the relational cosmos in our politics and diplomacy. The challenge, nonetheless, is how Indigenous peoples, both of Australia and the Pasifika, can shift their advocacy to another level to translate their wisdom to inform political and economic policies and development frameworks that are heavily controlled by Eurocentric structures of thinking and ordering. |
| `In' analytical Note | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol. 77, No.6; Dec 2023: p.677-681 |
| Journal Source | Australian Journal of International Affairs Vol: 77 No 6 |
| Key Words | Indigenous ; Relationality ; whole of life |