2014 Papua New Guinea Symposium: PNG and the World

The fourth annual Alfred Deakin Research Institute Symposium on Papua New Guinea, “PNG and the World,” will be held in conjunction with the Pacific Adventist University at the Koiari Park campus, Port Moresby, on 15 September 2014. For more information, see http://www.deakin.edu.au/alfred-deakin-research-institute/png/.

Combined ASAANZ/AAS Conference

The combined Association of Social Anthropologists of Aotearoa/New Zealand and Australian Anthropological Society conference will be held in Queenstown, Aotearoa/New Zealand, 10–13 November 2013. The conference theme is “Cosmopolitan Anthropologies.” The second call for papers and panels closes on 30 August 2014. For more information, contact ruth.fitzgerald@otago.ac.nz or see http://www.otago.ac.nz/anthropology/conf/.

Sea-Change: Performing a Fluid Continent
The 2015 Oceanic Performance Biennial will be held 23 July–1 August 2015 at Auckland University of Technology and will focus on the sea as a performative site and changing ecology. The Biennial links into a global body of performance work addressing themes of fluidity and change and calls for works that address Pacific oceanic ecologies. For more information, see http://emergentecologies.net/OPB/.

2nd Annual State of the Pacific Conference

The conference, hosted by the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University on 18–19 June 2014, will bring together academics, policy makers, business leaders, civil society representatives, and the media to discuss the important nexus between research and policy. The conference themes include “Political Development” and “Innovation and Experimentation in Development”. For additional information, visit ips.cap.anu.edu.au/ssgm/state-pacific-2014

OURMedia 2014

The Centre for Social and Creative Media at the University of Goroka will host the tenth OURMedia conference from 21–25 July 2014. The conference theme is “Diverse Communities Diverse Media” and will include dialogue among academics, activists, practitioners, artists, and policy experts about community media and media for social change. The OURMedia conference provides a space for collaboration in which needs and alternatives can be identified in the areas of communication and information infrastructure, policy, and research. For more information, visit cscm-uog.org/wp/

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The 2nd Pacific Islanders in the Arts (PACITA) Showcase took place 16–20 April, thanks to the vision and perseverance of Loau Dr Luafata Simanu-Klutz (UHM Samoan Language and Literatures). PACITA included an exhibition and workshop by visiting artist and poet Dan Taulapapa McMullin, “Island-style” welcome ceremony, a film festival, and a “Parade of Student Poets, Actors, & Musicians.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Raukura Roa (UHM Māori Program) and Aaron Sāla (UHM Music Department) opened PACITA with a ceremony featuring song, oratory, and dance by faculty and students. Thursday included “Our Sea of Movies,” a showcase of short films and documentaries by Pacific Islander filmmakers curated by Michele Tupou (Kapiʻolani Community College) and Alice Te Punga Somerville (UHM Department of English). After the film festival, festivities continued at Mānoa Gardens with poetry, songs, and other performances by students.

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The 2014 Center for Pacific Islands Studies Student Conference “Expressing Oceania: Pacific Islands Scholarship on the Page, on the Stage, and Beyond” took place on 8 April in UHM’s Center for Korean Studies auditorium and in Hale Pasifika. The 2nd annual conference was organized by the center’s graduate assistants—Lee Kava, Jocelyn Howard, and Candi Steiner—to involve both undergraduate and graduate students.

Students from UH Mānoa, BYU–Hawaiʻi, and Chaminade University shared and demonstrated ways that they creatively engage with Pacific Islands scholarship. Panels covered topics including storytelling, poetics and politics, genealogy, and creative expressions and were facilitated talanoa style by CPIS graduate students to encourage open discussion.

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Asia and the Pacific in German Culture
This two-day conference at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 14–15 February 2014 will explore Asia and the Pacific in German Culture and, inversely, German culture in the Asia-Pacific region. Continue reading →

The State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University will be hosting the inaugural State of the Pacific conference, 25–26 June 2013 in Canberra. The aim of the conference is to bring together academics, parliamentarians, policy makers, business leaders, civil society representatives, and the media to share and discuss policy-relevant issues and research on and about the Pacific region. The conference will be structured around the following three themes: State of Democracy (including such things as elections, new states, constitutions); Challenges Facing Small Island States (including issues to do with viability, climate change, migration); and Land (including livelihoods and food security). For more information e-mail ssgm.admin@anu.edu.au.

The Te Kotahi Research Institute at the University of Waikato is organizing a conference to explore indigenous knowledge and research through the themes of innovation, well-being, and inspiration. The conference will be held 30 June–3 July 2013 at Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton, Aotearoa/New Zealand. For more information, see http://www.waikato.ac.nz/rangahau/hemanawawhenua.

The Australian National University is organizing a conference that will explore the theme of “Pushing Boundaries” and will engage delegates in discussion about significant and controversial issues facing the Asia-Pacific region. Students of all disciplines from all around the world are encouraged to apply. The conference will be held from 30 June to 5 July 2013 at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. For more information, see http://asiapacificweek.anu.edu.au.

The 2nd Marianas History Conference will be held on Guam from 30 to 31 August 2013. The conference theme will highlight the deep and rich history of the Mariana Islands, while also bridging the archipelago’s political division, which dates to the late 1800s.  Papers and posters will fall under the following categories: Ancient History; Early Colonial (17th–18th centuries); Late Colonial (19th–early 20th centuries); World War II; Recent (post-war); and Oral History and Genealogical Research. For additional information, see http://guampedia.com.

The 2013 Oceania Development Network Conference will be held  11–12September 2013 at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji. Regional issues discussed will include addressing inequality, opportunities for equality, Pacific voices on gender, structure and opportunities for change, and Pacific policies promote inclusive development and social protection. For additional information, see http://www.gdn-oceania.org.

The 2013 Hawaii Library Association Annual Conference will take place on 8–9 November 2013 at the Aulani (Disney Resort & Spa) at Ko Olina on O‘ahu. This year’s conference theme is “Teaching Library Instruction & Information Literacy: Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions.” For more information, see http://hla.chaminade.edu.

The Pacific Islands Political Studies Association (PIPSA) 2014 conference will be held at the University of French Polynesia, Papeete, Tahiti from 3 to5 June 2014. The theme is Political, Economic and Legal Governance in Pacific States and Territories.” The theme covers a broad range of issues relating to the Pacific, and presenters may choose to focus on a theoretical aspect, policy approach, comparative study of countries and territories, individual case studies, or a broad regional approach. The conference will be collaboratively organized in tandem with GDI (Gouvernance et Développement Insulaire), a research group affiliated with the University of French Polynesia as well as the University of Hawaiʻi and the Australian National University. The deadline for the 300-word abstract is 1 November 2013 and the deadline for the paper is 30 April 2014. The abstract and paper in Word format must be sent to Kerryn Baker, PIPSA Secretariat, Australian National University at Kerryn.Baker@anu.edu.au.

The World Conference on Indigenous Peoples will be held in New York in September 2014. The conference will focus on Pacific issues that include climate change, health equality, decolonization, land and cultural protection, violence against women, and militarization. These issues will be discussed along with other global concerns indigenous people throughout the world are experiencing. For additional information, see http://www.eiseverywhere.com/ehome/index.php?eventid=56983&tabid=104922.

The ʻAha Moʻolelo Hawaiʻi is a Hawaiian literature, history and writing symposium. 2012 is the first gathering of scholars and practitioners of Hawaiian literary arts and history in conversation with indigenous Pacific and North American writers and scholars. As Moʻolelo Hawaiʻi becomes established as a multi-disciplinary, multidimensional field of study, we hope to lay the foundation for an annual conference, where scholars, practitioners, and supporters of moʻolelo Hawaiʻi can come together on a regular basis to discuss and learn about different perspectives and issues in the discipline. Continue reading →

Waves of Change: Climate Change in the Pacific Islands and Implications for Hawai‘i
The Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is organizing a two-day conference to explore the environmental, social, cultural, political and economic impacts of climate change in the Pacific Islands, as well as the implications for Hawai‘i and other metropolitan centers. The conference will feature natural scientists, policymakers, academics, university and high school students, teachers and community members. It will include the presentation of papers, panel discussions, and artistic expressions. The conference will be held 4–6 April 2013 at UH Mānoa. Continue reading →