The goal of my research is the ethnographic exploration of the impact of nationalist ideology on local practice. Native bodies are a point of convergence for issues of power, decolonization, health and survival and for explicit critiques of the West. An example of this is the hypothesis articulated by Native health professionals that drug use among Native Hawaiians is a Western disease and sign of colonization. Corollary to this hypothesis is the assertion that drug treatment can be an effective means of decolonization and cultural revitalization. The research will investigate the efficacy of a drug treatment program influenced by the Native Hawaiian nationalist politics, in which mental and physical health is perceived to be achieved through methodologies that that stress indigenous traditions and the goal of political empowerment. Through participant observation and informal interviews an Native-run treatment program will be studied and compared with non-Native-run programs. The philosophy, world view, practice and efficacy of a Native-run program will be closely analyzed. The proposed research will determine the efficacy of a Native-run program in comparison with non-Native programs.
