Abstract

Indo-Fijian American women are intelligent, strong, humble, and passionate leaders who have contributed significantly to higher education. This study explored how the life histories and experiences of four Indo-Fijian American women leaders influenced their leadership development and practice. Much of what is known about Indo-Fijian American women have been discovered by examining their Indo-Fijian American identity development. The lack of scholarship on Indo-Fijian American women’s leadership development and practice as a collective was the inspiration for this study. Specifically, the purpose of this dissertation was to: (a) to center the voices of Indo-Fijian American women by creating a platform to hear and listen to their experiences, (b) to develop research for those who identify as Indo-Fijian American to see themselves represented in literature, and (c) to add to the scholarship on the life histories and experiences that have influenced women of color’s leadership development and practices in higher education.

Several decolonizing methodological approaches were used to capture and center the voices of four Indo-Fijian American women leaders in higher education. I drew from Smith’s (2012) decolonizing methodologies, Bhattacharya’s (2019) Par/Des(i) framework, Lawrence-Lightfoot and Davis’s (1997) portraiture methodology, and Charmaz’s (2014) constructing grounded theory. Hamaar baatcheet captured the complexity, uneasiness, and messiness of Indo-Fijian American women’s diasporic identities, histories, and experiences. This approach helped center the life histories of Indo-Fijian American women leaders by incorporating culturally relevant ways of being, knowing, and doing throughout the study’s entirety.

Each kahani and hamari kahani revealed key findings that illustrated Indo-Fijian American women’s leadership development as a lifelong journey linked to an evolving diasporic identity in higher education. The work of each saati in this study is their Indo-Fijian American leadership practice. Collectively, Aadhaya, Anvita, Ektha, and Vidya’s leadership practices center their diasporic identities and cultural practices within their leadership to create safe spaces, a home, and a sense of belonging as leaders and practitioners in higher education.

Details

Title
Hamari Kahani - Indo-Fijian American Women in Higher Education Leadership
Author
Chand, Sushini
Publication year
2022
Publisher
ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
ISBN
979-8-209-88690-7
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2642859230
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.