Pacific Island Worlds Symposium

Pacific Island Worlds Transpacific Dis/Position flyer

May 5, 2018 at UC Santa Cruz
8:30 am – 4 pm
Humanities 1, Room 210

In this symposium, artists and scholars explore creative expression and research that chart Pacific Island Studies in the 21st century. Speakers examine the Pacific Ocean as worlds of complex human interaction and dynamic spaces in which diverse communities have produced a range of cultural and political identity dis/positions through kinship, colonial histories, and diasporas. The symposium honors the memory of History of Consciousness alumi Teresia Teaiwa

Speakers will discuss performance and poetry, debates on cultural preservation, imaging Oceanic histories and places, the cultures of Pacific travel and diasporas, and Oceanic ecopoetics.

Speakers

‘Ava ceremony with student group Oceania Navigators Empowerment

James Clifford, UC Santa Cruz, Keynote

Diana Looser, Stanford University

Joe Balaz, Poet

Kiri Sailiata, UC Los Angeles

David Palaita, City College of San Francisco

Jane Chang Mi, Pepperdine University

Kaili Chun, Kapi’olani Community College

Jesi Lujan Bennett, University of Hawai’i

David Chang, University of Minnesota

Rob Wilson, UC Santa Cruz

Related Events

May 4, 2018

DARC 206

“Veritas”: Talk by Award-Winning Artist Kaili Chun, 2 pm

“Seeing the Unseen: A Telephotography Workshop” with Jane Chang Mi, 4:30 pm

All events are free and open to the public.

Paid parking available at Cowell, Stevenson, and DARC lots. Weekend free parking at East Remote lot. See parking map for more details.

For disability-related or other questions, please contact Stacy Kamehiro (kamehiro@ucsc.edu) or Kara Hisatake (khisatak@ucsc.edu).

Generously sponsored by: University of California Humanities Research Institute, The Institute of Arts and Sciences, The History of Art and Visual Culture Department, Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Porter College, The Clare Wedding Student Enrichment Endowment, and Cowell College.

Last modified: Nov 01, 2025