Michael Fusi Ligaliga is an assistant professor and Program Lead of Pacific Island Studies at BYU–Hawaii. His is currently teaching courses on peace and conflict in the pacific, framing the cultures of the Oceania and environmental issues and resource management. Michael has taught courses in indigenous studies, pacific health, pacific politics, contemporary pacific, and indigenous research methodologies. Outside of academics, Michael has also worked as a senior advisor for the Government Center for Dispute Resolution, Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), New Zealand Government. He also served as a Pacific advisor for Te Hiringa Hauora, a Health Promotion Agency for the New Zealand Government, to provide information, advice, research and resources to help prevent issues associated with health, poverty, personal and social harm. Michael is an Accredited Mediator with the Resolution Institute, New Zealand.
His research interests are family and domestic violence in the Pacific and the global Pacific diaspora. He also specializes in peace and conflict issues impacting the Pacific region.
He received his bachelor’s degree in political science and a minor in intercultural peacebuilding from BYU–Hawaii, and a master’s and PhD in peace and conflict from the National Center for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS), University of Otago, New Zealand. Michael is the first Pacific Islander to graduate with a doctorate degree from NCPACS. His thesis entitled Fa’a Samoa: Peacebuilder or Peacebreaker? Understanding Samoa’s Domestic Violence Problem: A Peace and Conflict Perspective, was awarded an exceptional thesis in the Humanities division representing the top 10 percent examined theses.
Michael hails from the villages of Saleimoa and Mutiatele, Samoa. He is married to Faalima Ligaliga (nee Fepuleai) and are parents to two children, Joanie and Leahcim.
Education
PhD, 2018, Peace and Conflict, National Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand
MA, 2015, Peace and Conflict, National Center for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Otago, New Zealand
BA, 2010, Political Science/Intercultural Peacebuilding
Courses
PAIS 390R Peace and Conflict in the Pacific
PAIS 300 Framing the Cultures of Oceania
Publications
Forthcoming: Michael Ligaliga and Helena Kaho “The Pasifikation of the peer-mediation process: Reflections on a pilot Pacific peer-mediation program in a South Auckland Secondary School” The Arbitrator and Mediator Journal (2022).
Devere, H., & Ligaliga, M. F. (2013). Covenant or contract: The Treaty of Friendship between New Zealand and Samoa 1962. Journal of Pacific Studies, 33(2), 95-111.
Te Maihāroa, K., Ligaliga, M., & Devere, H. (Eds.). (2022). Decolonising peace and conflict studies through indigenous research. Singapore: Springer Nature, 372p. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6779-4
Ligaliga, M. (2022). Indigenous conflict resolution: A Samoan oerspective. In K. Te Maihāroa, M. Ligaliga & H. Devere (Eds.), Decolonising peace and conflict studies through indigenous research. (pp. 215-229). Singapore: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6779-4_12
Ligaliga, M. F. (2022). Freedom from violence: A Samoan perspective on addressing domestic or family violence. In K. Standish, H. Devere, A. E. Suazo & R. Rafferty (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of positive peace. (pp. 583-610). Singapore: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-0969-5_31
Te Maihāroa, K., Ligaliga, M., & Devere, H. (2022). From decolonisation to ethical restoration. In K. Te Maihāroa, M. Ligaliga & H. Devere (Eds.), Decolonising peace and conflict studies through indigenous research. (pp. 307-328). Singapore: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6779-4_15
Te Maihāroa, K., Ligaliga, M., & Devere, H. (2022). Introduction. In K. Te Maihāroa, M. Ligaliga & H. Devere (Eds.), Decolonising peace and conflict studies through indigenous research. (pp. 1-19). Singapore: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6779-4_1
Te Maihāroa, K., Ligaliga, M., & Devere, H. (2022). Te Ao o Rongomaraeroa: Decolonising research in a space for peace. In K. Te Maihāroa, M. Ligaliga & H. Devere (Eds.), Decolonising peace and conflict studies through indigenous research. (pp. 173-192). Singapore: Springer Nature. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6779-4_10
Devere, H., & Ligaliga, M. F. (2013). Covenant or contract: The Treaty of Friendship between New Zealand and Samoa 1962. Journal of Pacific Studies, 33(2), 95-111.
Ligaliga, M. F. (2018). Faa Samoa: Peacebuilder or peacebreaker? Understanding Samoa’s domestic violence problem: A peace and conflict perspective. In A. Finigan, R. Richards & P. Vakaoti (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XV. (pp. 21). Dunedin, New Zealand: Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago. Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/pacific
Ligaliga, M. F. (2016). Faa Samoa: Peacebuilder or peacebreaker? Understanding Samoa’s domestic violence issues through Galtung’s typology of violence. In A. Finigan, M. Taumoepeau, I. Iati, P. Vakaoti & R. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XIII. (pp. 10). Dunedin, New Zealand: Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago.
Ligaliga, M. F. (2015). The Pacific peace paradox: A Samoa case study. In C. Matthewson, M. Taumoepeau, I. Iati, M. Inder, C. Pau & R. Richards (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices XII. (pp. 23). Dunedin, New Zealand: Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago.
Devere, H., & Ligaliga, M. (2013). Covenant or contract: The Treaty of Friendship between New Zealand and Samoa 1962. Proceedings of the Australia New Zealand Law and History Society (ANZLHS) Conference: People, Power and Place. Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/law/conferences/anzlhs.html
Ligaliga, M. F. (2012). Friend or foe? 1962 Friendship Treaty between New Zealand and Samoa: A Samoan perspective. In C. Matthewson, M. Taumoepeau, G. Burnett & I. Iati (Eds.), Proceedings of the Pacific Postgraduate Symposium: Pacific Voices IX. (pp. 39). Dunedin, New Zealand: Pacific Islands Centre, University of Otago.
Ligaliga, M. F. (2018). Faa Samoa: Peacebuilder or peacebreaker? Understanding Samoa’s domestic violence problem: A peace and conflict perspective (PhD). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/8180