ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author revisits doctoral research and considers what has changed in the experience of 'becoming Tongan' since that time. She considers the category of 'youth' which reaches beyond the teenage years. Childhood and youth have been an ongoing focus of the author's work as it extended to the global Tongan diaspora. One youth issue that has generated great concern in Tonga for many years is the inter-school violence that sporadically erupts into large brawls. Inter-school fighting is just one aspect of the violence that permeates the lives of many young Tongans. Tonga has reported high literacy rates for many years, however the quality of education being delivered has typically been poor. Given Tongans' dire predictions for many years about the effects of dangerous outside influences it is worth exploring why there has been so little change in some respects, and what has driven the key elements of transformation.
