2026-02-07
The overarching research question asks: How is global capital investment in local foods reshaping food system risks in post-plantation Hawaii?
To answer this, the dissertation analyzes three cross-cutting dimensions of the “Accumulation by Localization” strategy, examining how legitimation, policy, and risk operate across all case studies.
- Legitimation: What local narratives do corporate actors construct to build legitimacy?
- Policy: Leveraging these narratives, what policy actions do firms pursue to capture resources and markets?
- Risk: What material outcomes and food system risks result from this capture?
| Theme | Research Question | Analytical Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Legitimation | What local narratives do corporate actors construct to build legitimacy? | Documenting the construction of local identity, values, and benefit claims as social license strategy. |
| Policy | Leveraging these narratives, what policy actions do firms pursue to capture resources and markets? | Tracing firm activities across legislative, administrative, and legal arenas and their resource outcomes. |
| Risk | What material outcomes and food system risks result from this capture? | Evaluating production realities, market displacement, and emergent food system vulnerabilities. |
2025-06-08
How have global food regimes restructured risk and resilience in Hawaii’s food system from Western contact to the present?
2025-06-01
How have global food systems influenced the evolution of vulnerability and resilience in Hawaii’s food systems from Western contact to the present?
How has Hawaii’s food system been restructured by global food regimes?
How have global food regimes restructured Hawaii’s food system?
a hypothesis of mine is that crises reshape temporarily (bending towards local provisioning), but the global regime effects are the more dominant force that restructures whole systems
How have global food regimes restructured risks, crises, and responses in Hawaii’s food system?
- How have risk and resilience of Hawaii’s food systems been shaped by global food regimes?
- How has risk and resilience in Hawaii’s food system been restructured by global food regimes?
- How have global food regimes restructured risk and resilience in Hawaii’s food system?
TODO
- Specify the dimensions of risk and resilience you will examine.
- Define the time frame or particular global events/regimes of interest.
- Clarify the scale of analysis (e.g., state, island, community).
Older scales approach: How/does global food regime change (as an embedding scale) influence regime status in Hawaii’s agrofood system (focal scale), and are there effects (read: vulnerability, risk, resilience) to householder food provisioning (embedded scale).
2024-08-29 Draft
How has resilience in Hawaii's food system changed over time in response to global food regimes and shifting risk?
Public shorthand version
How has resilience in Hawaii's food system changed over time?
Operational research questions:
- How have global food regimes restructured risk in Hawaii’s food system?
- How have food crises reshaped Hawaii’s food system?
- What approaches have been critical to retaining functional capacity in Hawaii’s food systems during disruptions?
Smaller Research Questions:
- How have global food regimes influenced the development of Hawaii’s agrofood system?
- What are the key changes in Hawaii’s agricultural landscape over different global food regimes?
- How have global food relations restructured risk in Hawaii’s food system?
- How have risks and vulnerabilities in Hawaii’s food system shifted over time?
- What types of hazards have historically impacted Hawaii’s food system?
- How have vulnerabilities within Hawaii’s food system evolved in response to global and local changes?
Chapter 3:
- How have local food production strategies and policies interacted with global food relations to shape the evolution of Hawaii’s food system?
- What role have local policies and initiatives played in enhancing or undermining food system resilience?
- How have local and global interactions influenced the development of resilience strategies?
Crisis Chapter
- What crises have reshaped Hawaii’s food system, and how has the system responded?
- What major food crises have occurred in Hawaii, and what were their immediate impacts?
- How did these crises lead to long-term changes in food production, distribution, and consumption patterns?
- To what extent have historical disruptions and crises in Hawaii’s food system led to long-term changes in food system resilience?
- What are the key factors that have contributed to the resilience of Hawaii’s food system over time?
- How have past crises informed current resilience strategies and policies?
Discussion or Conclusion
What strategies have been critical to retaining functional capacity in Hawaii’s food systems during disruptions? - What approaches have been employed to maintain resilience during periods of disruption and crisis?
- How effective have these strategies been in sustaining food system resilience?
2023-05 Drafting attempts…
How have global food regimes influenced the development and resilience of Hawaii's agrofood system over time?
Based on your notes, here are five sample objective overarching research questions for your dissertation:
- How have global food regimes influenced the development and resilience of Hawaii's agrofood system over time?
- What factors have contributed to the maintenance of food system resilience in Hawaii during periods of disruption and crisis?
- How have local food production strategies and policies interacted with global food relations to shape the evolution of Hawaii's food system?
- To what extent have historical disruptions and crises in Hawaii's food system led to long-term changes in food production, distribution, and consumption patterns?
- How do social, economic, and environmental factors contribute to the vulnerability and resilience of Hawaii’s food system in the face of global and local challenges?
How can local food systems become more resilient in the context of food crises and global food regimes?
How/does global food regime change (as an embedding scale) influence regime status in Hawaii’s agrofood system (focal scale), and are there effects (read: vulnerability, risk, resilience) to householder food provisioning (embedded scale).
Transclude of 2022-09-09-schrenk's-qtac#^4cb5f1
What have the key mechanisms of food system resilience in Hawaii been over time?
Carpenter et al. (2005) At crucial [historical] times when resilience mattered, what changed and how?”
Dwiartama (2014)
what does resilience mean in the context of agrifood studies?
- what resilience is in the context of agrifood studies
- how can we build a joint theoretical framework from a constructive dialogue between the three approaches?
- “what would a resilient agrifood system look like?”
What does food system resilience look like in Hawaii?
- What is the system?
- What are the risks?
- Topology map of risk through time
- What are the key mechanisms the furthered system function through disruptions?
5. What are the key factors of resilience in Hawaii’s food system?
What theoretical contribution might I make?
- What strategies have enabled Hawaii’s food system to remain resilient over the years?
- How has Hawaii’s food system managed to maintain its resilience in the face of various challenges?
- How has Hawaii’s food system adapted to maintain its resilience despite changing conditions?
- What measures have been taken to preserve the resilience of Hawaii’s food system throughout history?
- What factors have contributed to the resilience of Hawaii’s food system?
- How has Hawaii’s food system managed to withstand various disruptions while maintaining its resilience?
How to Approach
Updated 2025-06-01
Use Objective Questions
Make the overarching research question objective, so that findings can emerge even from conflicting evidence.
Avoid normative questions, as they force you to find an answer rather than analyze results.Examples:
- What basic healthcare is provided to all citizens? (Objective ✅)
- What basic healthcare should be provided to all citizens? (Normative ❌)
- How has urban gentrification affected community displacement in downtown neighborhoods? (Objective ✅)
- How should cities address community displacement from urban gentrification? (Normative ❌)
- What factors influence the adoption of renewable energy policies across different municipalities? (Objective ✅)
- What renewable energy policies should municipalities adopt? (Normative ❌)
Key Parts
A strong overarching research question is the foundation of a successful human geography dissertation. It shapes the direction, scope, and significance of your study. The following are the essential components and considerations for crafting such a question:
1. Thematic Focus and Relevance
- Your question should clearly identify the main theme or issue you wish to address within human geography, such as migration, urbanization, cultural landscapes, or socio-spatial inequalities16.
- It must be relevant to current debates and developments in the field, ensuring your research contributes meaningfully to ongoing academic conversations16.
2. Spatial and Temporal Scope
- Specify the geographical area (e.g., a city, region, or country) and, if relevant, the time period your research will cover. This helps narrow the focus and provides context for your analysis6.
3. Population or Subject of Interest
- Define who or what is being studied—this could be a specific community, demographic group, or even non-human actors in a post-humanist approach6.
4. Theoretical and Philosophical Orientation
- Indicate the theoretical lens or tradition guiding your inquiry, such as cultural, political, or feminist geography. This shapes the kinds of questions you ask and the methods you use6.
5. Nature of Inquiry
- Clarify what you aim to uncover, explain, or analyze. Are you exploring causes, effects, relationships, processes, or experiences? For example, “How does gentrification affect social cohesion in urban neighborhoods?“25.
6. Research Gap or Rationale
- Demonstrate awareness of existing literature and specify the gap your research addresses. This justifies the need for your study and highlights its originality15.
7. Feasibility and Clarity
Example Overarching Research Question
“How do recent patterns of urban migration influence housing affordability and social integration in [City/Region] since [Year]?”
This question includes:
- Thematic focus (urban migration, housing, social integration)
- Spatial and temporal scope ([City/Region], since [Year])
- Population of interest (migrants, residents)
- Nature of inquiry (influence/impact)
- Potential for theoretical framing (urban, social, or economic geography)
Additional Considerations
- Method Alignment: Align your question with suitable research methods (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed), as this will affect how you collect and analyze data.
- Academic Consultation: Consult with academic advisors and review departmental research interests to refine your question and ensure it fits within recognized traditions of human geography.