Cultivating Glocalized Leadership Through Contextualizing Native Hawaiian Ocean Ways of Knowing

• In Event: Learning from Indigenous knowledge(s) and pedagogies: toward equity in education

Proposal

Leadership programs, such as the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) of East-West Center (EWC), are beginning to shift their focus from a largely global one to one that includes local focus centering on indigenous ways of knowing and place-based learning. In particular, the APLP explores complexity leadership, that is, a shared leadership that acknowledges participants as experts, regardless of whether they are practitioners or scholars. The purpose of this paper is to examine educational leadership models and approaches that are focused on place-based learning and Indigenous ways of knowing. Data & Methods: The research questions are: (1) In what ways is place-based learning important to professional development programs? (2) What kind of place-based learning framework works better to advance place-based learning? We used two approaches: Meyer’s (2014) Hawaiian epistemology which focuses on the seven ocean ways of knowing; the other is through an auto-ethnographic lens of three participants that integrate theoretical approaches (i.e., critical hope, educational framework of critical thinking, and management system design). Selected Findings: Along with the respective theoretical concepts, as BIPOC and feminist co-authors, we have coupled our respective narratives that support why place-based learning could be vital for dismantling economic exploitation, colonization, and white supremacy. We argue that studying, learning, and dismantling oppression, including racial injustice, cannot be limited to just the Academy but also to professional development programs like APLP. Significance: In the realm of leadership development, perspective-taking is not merely an ancillary skill; it’s a vital component of critical thinking. It is a crucial tool that fosters effective communication, trust-building, and conflict resolution. Through place-based learning, the theoretical constructs of perspective-taking are seamlessly integrated with real-world applications, establishing a comprehensive and resilient methodology for nurturing this indispensable capability in emerging leaders.

Authors

• Staci B Martin, Portland State University

• Medardo Borromeo Bombita, University of Rizal System

• Khagendra Raj Dhakal, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok & Nepal Policy Institutute

• Gretchen McKenna Alther, East-West Center

• Ankit Jaiswal, United Nations Development Programme