Step 1: From Topic to Research Question

You may begin with a general topic:

• Hawaiian sovereignty

• Land and the Māhele

• Genealogy and identity

• Militarization in Hawaiʻi

• Language revitalization
   

Your first task is to refine that topic into a researchable question.

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To do this, you will:

• Narrow your focus by time, place, or community

• Identify key concepts in both English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

• Clarify what kind of sources you need (archival? newspaper? scholarly analysis?)

• Map related keywords and terms
   

Example

Topic: Hawaiian Sovereignty
Research Question: How did Hawaiian-language newspapers between 1893–1898 articulate arguments for sovereignty in response to annexation debates?

Notice how the question becomes specific in time, language, and source type.

 

Step 2: Building a Research Plan

Once you have a focused question, you create a pathway:

• What types of sources will help you answer it?

• Which research tools are most appropriate?

• What keywords will you use?

• What context do you need before interpreting the sources?
   

Research is iterative. As you encounter new information, your question may shift. That is part of the process.

 

Step 3: Grounding Your Inquiry in Context

Research in Hawaiian and Pacific contexts requires more than collecting sources.

As you develop your question, consider:

• How does place (ʻāina) shape this issue?

• How does moʻokūʻauhau inform this topic?

• Are you working with Hawaiian-language materials that require additional context?

• What historical power structures may shape the archives you are using?
   

Inquiry is relational. Your research question should reflect awareness of the knowledge systems you are engaging.