ABSTRACT
This chapter explores transgender notions of experience and identity in the context of the Pacific Basin, specifically in Tahiti, Hawai'i, Samoa, Thailand, and Southern California. It provides complicate theories of power and identity, as they are sometimes understood as manifestations of Western theory in the region. Gender can also be understood in reference to a theoretical logic for understanding power, as it is associated with narratives of history, archetypes, systems of logic, or traditions. The construction of gender has real effects in that gender is policed by others and according to social norms, where transgender individuals face higher levels of stigma and oppression based on their gender performances. Moreover, some Western theoretical assumptions about identity are questioned through Pacific Basin performative identities. While transgender identity performances are found in many Pacific Basin communities, the kinds of identity presentations vary widely.
