HIST 288: Survey of Pacific Islands History

This course offers a survey of the major events, themes, and issues that make up diverse histories of the Pacific Islands region including Hawai‘i, meanwhile exploring the frequent intersections between Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian histories and historiographies. We will begin by considering island geographies, indigenous origins and origin stories, and various theories about the settlement of the islands. We will go on to explore the indigenous, early European contact, colonial, and contemporary periods with a focus on indigenous Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian experiences, interpretations, and historical agency. Throughout the term, we will consider themes such as indigenous historiography, inidigeneity, cultural encounter and change, comparative colonialisms, resistance, global conflict, land and sovereignty, urbanization, migration, climate change, and contemporary neocolonial challenges---with each offering important insights into the histories and cultures of the region.