Global Tides, Samoan Shores: Samoan Policy Actors’ Responses to the Shifting Conditions of Education Aid and Postcolonial Possibilities for Education Reform

Abstract

In the years since Samoan independence in1962, and especially over the past 2 decades, the landscape of education aid to the Pacific Island nation of Samoa has changed dramatically as a result of ongoing geopolitical shifts and emerging global designs. Some of these include: rapid globalization across all spheres of human activity; the economic rise of Asia and the growing economic, cultural, and political role that China is now playing in the region; and shifts in the modus operandi of traditional donors such as Australia, all amidst continued talk of development partnerships and a post-2015 development agenda. These changes have affected Samoa in various ways and will continue to have tremendous implications for future education and development policy and practice. This article examines the emerging context in Samoa by analyzing data from semistructured interviews with a number of policy actors across different sectors of Samoan society, to obtain an understanding of the complexities, opportunities, and challenges that lie ahead. In ascertaining the central themes that emerged throughout these interviews, the article seeks to explore how Samoan policy actors are interpreting, negotiating, and responding to these ongoing shifts, and whether an opportunity exists for progress on the path to continued decolonization as articulated through Mignolo’s concepts of “colonial difference” and “border thinking.” This analysis offers initial insights regarding the extent to which education reform based on foreign aid in Samoa can be more closely aligned with local histories and current priorities.