Centering the Pacific in global conversations
SEUTA'AFILI
PATRICK THOMSEN (PHD)
Queer Pacific Academic, Scholar-Activist, Writer and Social Commentator
Committed to the development of collaborative Pacific voices across multiple fields of academic scholarship and public discourse.
ABOUT
Born and raised in South Auckland, Seuta'afili Dr Patrick Thomsen is of Samoan descent and a Lecturer in Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and will become a Lecturer in Global Studies from 1 July 2021. As a newly-emerging Pacific academic he is also a well-known social commentator, researcher, freelance writer and activist concerned with SOGI Rights across the Pacific and in New Zealand.
He is also currently the Principal Investigator for the Manalagi Project, New Zealand's first Pasifika Rainbow Health and Wellbeing Project and is the Pacific Co-Lead for the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI).
He is available for consultancy work in all things Pacific and SOGI. Also currently taking on supervision of new UoA graduate students interested in conducting work on these areas:
* Gender and Sexuality
* Transnational Pacific Studies
* Critical Race Theory
* New Zealand Politics
* Pacific Queer Studies
* Korean Studies
LATEST RESEARCH ARTICLES
Higher Education Research and Development
January 2021
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, November 2020
The New Zealand Annual Review of Education, March 2020
The Journal of New Zealand Studies, December 2019
Journal of Homosexuality. December 2019
Journal of Regional Studies and Development. December 2018
NEWSPAPER PUBLICATIONS
September 27, 2020
Shakespeare once wrote that weary lies the head that wears the crown. For our lupe (doves) who’ve been sent abroad in search of a communal lumana’i or future, I say, weary lies the heart that carries the hopes and dreams of their communities, villages, and families.
There’s a Sāmoan saying about the toloa, or aquatic birds, which goes: E lele le toloa ae ma’au lava i le vai. The toloa may fly to many places, but will always return to the water. It means that we Sāmoans may travel far and wide, but we will always find a way to return to our home.
Not all of us find our way home, though.
CURRENT RESEARCH AND COLLABORATION
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR - MANALAGI: AOTEAROA PACIFIC RAINBOW LGBTIQA+ MVPFAFF HEALTH AND WELLBEING PROJECT
DECEMBER 1ST 2020 - NOVEMBER 30TH 2023
CURRENT AND DEVELOPING RESEARCH PROJECTS
* ASSOCIATE INVESTIGATOR - RAINBOW, INTERSEX AND TAKATĀPUI YOUTH SURVEY DR JOHN FENAUGHTY PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR.
* PACIFIC PEOPLES IN SOUTH KOREA
TEACHING
Current Courses Taught at The University of Auckland
GUEST LECTURES AND TALKS IN 2021
Semester 1, 2021
Introduces students to the discipline of Pacific Studies, framed by Pacific ways of knowing and doing and the expression and understanding of Pacific cultures. Topics covered include: health and wellbeing, ethnic and gender identities, spirituality, history, politics, sports and society, languages, performing arts, leadership and innovation and sustainability.
Semester 2, 2021
GLOBAL 200 introduces theories, methods and challenges of Global Studies research. Students engage with research design and methods in order to work in teams and independently to construct research proposals relevant to Global Studies majors and/or conjoints.
Semester 1 and 2, 2021 (TBC)
Semester 1
* Arts Scholars (What's a Samoan doing in Korean Queer Studies?)
Semester 2
* Asian 140
GET IN TOUCH
Contact Seuta'afili Patrick Thomsen (PhD) to discuss their published work, teaching, collaboration opportunities or for any other inquiries.
Room 201E Fale Pasifika Office Complex - Wynyard Street, Auckland Central
+6499236757