In the heart of the Pacific Ocean, Hawai'i exists at a global crosscurrent of indigeneity and race, homeland and diaspora, nation and globalization, sovereignty and imperialism. In order to better understand how settler colonialism works and thus move decolonization efforts forward, Staking Claim analyses competing claims of identity, belonging, and political status in Hawai'i.

Judy Rohrer grew up in Hawai'i and earned her PhD in political science from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. Rohrer is the director of the Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility at Western Kentucky University. She is the author of Haoles in Hawai'i.