The Construction Of Samoa National Identity And Independence Movement

In the 1920 s,the Mau Movement broke out in Western Samoa,a non-violent national independence movement seeking national liberation.During the Mau Movement,Samoa developed an identity centered on national identity,and a unified national identity was an important factor in the outbreak of the Mau Movement.“Samoa for Samoans” is the slogan of the Mau Movement and a symbol of the completion of Samoa’s identity construction.Therefore,this paper focuses on the causes,processes,and effects of the national independence movement and the construction of national identity on the Ma’u Movement.Chapter one discusses the background of the Mau movement.The brewing stage of Mau movement is also the paving stage for the construction of national identity.In this part,the main analysis of external and internal factors.The external factors mainly started from the fact that the colonial policy implemented by New Zealand intensified ethnic contradictions and formed different communities against colonial rule.The internal factors are mainly the awakening of national consciousness,the emergence of nationalism and the national cultural identity,which condenses different opposition communities together and constructs national identity.Chapter two discusses the process of Mau Movement.This part is the period that promoted the Occurrence of The Mau movement on the basis of the formation of identity,and also the period of deepening identity under the influence of the Mau Movement.It can be divided into three stages: in the first stage,the Matai(chiefs)of the upper class developed their nationalist ideology and mainly adopted petitions to express their dissatisfaction with the colonial government;in the second stage,the middle and lower classes began to awaken their national consciousness and participated in the Mau Movement under the leadership of the Matai,and confronting the colonial government was the main way of struggle.In the third stage,the idea of national identity spread widely in Samoan society,and Samoan women became the dominant force in the Mau movement,continuing the head-on confrontation with the colonial government and strengthening the common Samoan national identity.The third chapter is the influence of Mau movement.The Mau Movement has had an impact on Samoa itself,Eastern Samoa,relations with New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries.For Samoa,the Mau Movement helped Samoa build an identity,make up for deficiencies and push the country towards independence.For Eastern Samoa and Pacific Island countries,the independence movement of Samoa influenced the construction of identity and independence.As for the relationship with New Zealand,the Mau movement turned from confrontation to cooperation,which laid a foundation for the formation of cooperative and friendly relations between countries.