Supporting Fiamalu’s education: a case study of affective alliances and Pacific Islander masculinity

ABSTRACT

Aspirations are embedded in social alliances and affectively realised. This article presents a longitudinal case study of the support and pastoral care in place for one Samoan-Australian male, Fiamalu, during his final year of compulsory schooling. Fiamalu’s path to higher education was precarious for numerous reasons, including losing both his parents in the months preceding his last year of compulsory schooling. Drawing on theories of affect, the analysis focuses on the dynamics of the affective alliance between Fiamalu’s elder sister and his year-level coordinator who supported Fiamalu. Fiamalu’s story furthers understandings of the diverse ways disadvantaged students can be supported. Furthermore, as Fiamalu was supported, he simultaneously remained committed to supporting those close to him, providing insight into the ways in which support is often reciprocal and intertwined with empathy.

KEYWORDS:

• Relationships
• support
• masculinities
• aspirations
• affect

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 I recognise that Fiamalu is Samoan and this is a unique culture within the Pasifika context. I use Samoan when referring to Fiamalu, though his words suggest he self-identifies as both Pacific Islander and Samoan, using these interchangeably.

2 In line with the ethics approval, the participants were informed that the researchers on the project ‘may or may not’ scan what was publicly accessible on their Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles prior to the interviews. Over the course of the longitudinal study, some social media accounts were abandoned and some new ones begun; therefore, it was difficult to keep track and only a cursory effort was made. Furthermore, what appears on social media is not always an accurate representation of one’s lived experience. When incorporating screenshots into analysis and scholarly publication, the researchers secured permission from the participant.

3 McDonald (2014) does call attention to the stereotypes, racialised athleticism and bio-racism linked to Pacific Islander bodies.

4 HSC stands for High School Certificate in New South Wales and indicates the completion of Year 11 and Year 12.

5 The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) can vary significantly between students. ATAR is the primary criterion for entry into most undergraduate-entry university programmes in Australia, and thus potential university participation.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Australian Research Council [grant number DE170100510].

Notes on contributors

Garth Stahl

Garth Stahl is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Queensland and Research Fellow, Australian Research Council (DECRA). His research interests lie on the nexus of neoliberalism and socio-cultural studies of education, identity, equity/inequality, and social change.