The Hawaiians
The Hawaiians
Health, Justice, and Sovereignty
This chapter outlines the historical impact of colonization and the resulting complex of interlocking oppressions. To add to the discussion, the chapter introduces the concept of “victim blaming” to illustrate attempts to change the consequences of past injustices—that is, change the victims themselves—without addressing the ongoing oppression that was in fact the true cause of the problem. The chapter argues that the oppressive colonial conditions maintained by the criminal justice, employment, and education bureaucracies are concealed by social service organizations that attribute Hawaiians' health crisis to the self-destructive practices of Hawaiians themselves, focusing their efforts on “blaming” Hawaiians for what are actually the ongoing effects of colonization. These conditions, the chapter argues, will not change until Hawaiians are able to achieve the political and economic self-determination they need to support and care for themselves.
Keywords: colonization, victim blaming, social service organizations, health crisis, oppression
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