STEP · Introspective Movement: Hula Lessons about Social Transformation through Ecosomatic Practice

This project examines Hawaiian hula dance as a decolonial spiritual practice, which expands the possibilities of living a sustainable and fulfilling life at old age. While traditional Hawaiian ways of living and relating with the land serve as an inspiration for environmentally conscious groups, there is little awareness of the reality of native Hawaiians, who have been expropriated and marginalised in their own land since the annexation of Hawaii by the USA in 1898. Ethnographic fieldwork in California and Hawaii will allow to understand how Hawaiians have used cultural practice to challenge the USA impositions and to transform stereotypical views about Hawaiian culture, gender, and sexuality. I will combine collaborative ethnomusicology and learning to perform as a research method with ecosomatics – the study of the subjective experience of self in relation with the natural world – to learn how hula practice responds to the pressing need of embedding personal transformation and spiritual experience in social reality and struggle. This study will constitute a significant step in advancing the research on gender and sexuality to include understudied experiences of older people. In particular, I will explore the impact of creative self-expression and gendered movement of the physical and mental wellbeing of older women practitioners. Contributing to timely conversations in ecomusicology, I conduct ecosomatic analyses of hula and highlight the socio-environmental relevance of introspective movement. Inter-institutional support of Royal Holloway and University of California will allow to realise this innovative research, which will share a new understanding of human-nature relationships with the academic community and the broader society. Research and training with adherence to high-quality EU standards will enhance the career of the researcher and contribute to the academic excellence of both institutions.