ABSTRACT
Engaging with the question, “What happens when the grounds of indigeneity get too fixed or move too far?” posed by Vincent M. Diaz and J. Kehaulani Kauani in the 2001 symposium, ‘Native Pacific Cultural Studies on the Edge’, this chapter explores the diverse ways in which the notions of the shima (island) and Okinawan-ness are rooted and routed through the contemporary articulation of indigeneity. By paying particular attention to scholars of the Pacific Islands and Okinawa, this chapter proposes a way to rethink the field of Okinawan studies as it ascertains the discursivity of the field and demonstrates the necessity of humanizing research on Okinawa.
