Dr. David Ga’oupu Matthew Palaita, Ph.D., is a professor of Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies and Ethnic Studies at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). He is Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies at CCSF. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Geography from the University of Washington in Seattle and a master’s and doctoral degrees in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Palaita’s academic career spans several colleges and universities across the U.S., building curriculum, giving lectures, teaching, and developing Critical Pacific Islands Studies programs centered on the lives of U.S. diasporic Pacific Islander/Oceania communities. His work on Critical Pacific Islands & Oceania Studies extends into K-12 school districts in California and into the San Francisco County jails bringing Pasefika knowledge and educational opportunities to justice-impacted students.
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