Pacific Islands Studies Research Guide
This guide lists only subject-specific resources for Pacific Islands Studies. General information about academic research, searching for books and journals, finding specialized sources, and help with evaluating and citing sources, is available on the Research Guides page.
This guide was created for UH Hilo courses, so some links may not work for Hawaiʻi Community College students - please see a librarian about access.
On this page:
General Pacific Islands Studies Resources
- Center for Pacific Island Studies ScholarSpace
- Publications and papers from the Center for Pacific Island Studies, including some issues of The Contemporary Pacific.
- Journal of the Polynesian Society Archive
- Access issues of the Journal of the Polynesian Society from 1892-2016. More recent issues can be found through Academic Search Complete.
- New Zealand Electronic Text Collection
- The New Zealand Electronic Text Collection comprises significant New Zealand and Pacific Island texts and materials held by Victoria University of Wellington Library.
- New Zealand History
- This is a website created by the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Includes information about Māori traditions, culture, and history.
- Pacific Studies Journal
- Selected issues of the Pacific Studies journal from BYUH.
- Teaching Oceania Series (Center for Pacific Island Studies)
- Free, digital textbooks about Oceania from the Center for Pacific Island Studies at UH Mānoa.
Library Databases
Below is a list of library databases where you can find Hawaiʻi-Pacific journal articles, books, and more. These resources are limited to UH Hilo students, faculty, and staff. Use your UH username and password to log in. (Links are different for Hawaiʻi Community College students - please see a librarian about access.)
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) (UH Hilo access)
Over 9,000 full-text journals (about 8,000 peer-reviewed); PDF content for some dating back as far as 1887; searchable cited references provided for more than 1,500 journals.
Ebook Central (UH Hilo access)
Ebook collection from ProQuest of almost 200,000 full-text academic titles. Search within the complete text of each title. Create an Ebook Central account (not required) to download books for offline access and other features. Titles also listed in LibCat.
Ethnographic Video Online, Vol. III: Indigenous Voices (UH Hilo access)
A comprehensive resource of documentaries, feature films, and short films made by and for indigenous people and communities from around the world. More than 650 titles available.
JSTOR (UH Hilo access)
Access to select full-text academic journal articles, books, and primary sources in multiple disciplines. Archived journal coverage is from first issue of each title, but usually does not include current content. Spring 2025: some patrons have reported that JSTOR is very slow to display search pages and results - please be patient.
Pacific Islands Studies Topics
Moananuiākea (Pacific Islands)
Folklore and Cosmogony
Migration
Pre-colonial
Indigenous Identity
Wayfinding
Missionaries
Colonialism
Nuclear Refugees
Diaspora
Gender, Health, and Poverty
Contemporary Arts and Culture
Representation and Film
Identity Representation
Pacific Poetry
Resources in these guides originally compiled by Kawena Komeiji and Dr. Line-Noue Kruse at UH West Oʻahu.