The University of Hawaiʻi Press has published its first ever open-access (OA) monograph that highlights U.S. marine practices affecting the indigenous communities of American Sāmoa. Authored by JoAnna Poblete, Balancing the Tides: Marine Practices in American Sāmoa is now available in both electronic formats and for-purchase prints.
Balancing the Tides explores the far-reaching influence of marine practices and policies in American Sāmoa, the American fishing industry and environmental programs, and global discussions about ecology and indigenous communities. Each chapter of the book demonstrates how American colonial efforts to protect natural resources intersect with indigenous adherence to customary principles of respect, reciprocity and native experiences and rights.
“Balancing the Tides is a sophisticated scholarship that investigates timely issues at the forefront of conversations in and outside of the academy,” said UH Press executive editor Masako Ikeda. “This makes it an especially well-suited book for OA; by making electronic copies available for download at no cost, we hope Dr. Poblete’s research about American Sāmoa will be more readily available to the people there, as well as to other important audiences, including policy makers and students.”
Poblete’s book is the first UH Press title to be produced through the Sustainable History Monograph Pilot, an initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that seeks to develop a viable model for publishing high-quality, digital-first scholarship by employing new production technologies.
“The OA edition of Balancing the Tides is really a landmark event,” said interim director Joel Cosseboom. “It not only sets a precedent for OA publishing at UH Press, but also contributes to our goal of serving indigenous communities throughout the Pacific.”
Poblete is an associate professor of history at Claremont Graduate University.
For more details and available open-access sites, visit UH Press.
