The welcomed scholars from around the world this summer for an international gathering on the future of the humanities.
From June 25 to 27, the annual New Directions in the Humanities conference was held in Â鶹´«Ã½ for the first time.
UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç¡¯²õ event carried the theme “Oceanic Journeys: Multicultural Approaches in the Humanities.” More than 300 participants from 25 countries joined in person and online, including 31 UH faculty members and 24 Emerging Scholars, students awarded grants to attend, present, and build professional connections.
“Everyone was saying what an exceptional conference it was, not just feeding the mind, but the soul, heart and spirit by showcasing our UH Hilo ʻohana, Â鶹´«Ã½ Island community and Native Hawaiian culture,” said Patsy Iwasaki, a UH Hilo associate professor of English who served as conference chair.
K¨©paepae welcome
The event opened with a k¨©paepae ceremony. K¨©paepae translates to “stepping stones” and are traditional Native Hawaiian ceremonies of welcome. Led by Hawaiian studies lecturer Dane “Malu” Dudoit, traditional chants, pahu drums and p¨± (conch shells) set the tone of aloha ʻ¨¡¾±²Ô²¹¡ªrespect for the land and people of Â鶹´«Ã½.
Workshops invited participants to engage directly with Native Hawaiian cultural practices, while an alohawear exhibition at UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç¡¯²õ highlighted the history of fashion in Â鶹´«Ã½.
“We are thrilled to be able to showcase vintage Â鶹´«Ã½ fashion as part of the conference,” said English professor and member of the conference planning committee Leanne Day. “I am excited how the exhibit indexes Â鶹´«Ã½¡¯s history and helps center how fashion is a critical site of reckoning with settler colonialism, immigration and tourism.“
The four plenary speakers at the conference were all connected to the UH Hilo ʻohana: Manu Meyer, former UH Hilo education professor and now director of at UH West Oʻahu; Marianne Takamiya, a professor; Jacquelyn Pualani Johnson, emeritus professor of ; and Clint Anderson, assistant professor of .
professor Colby Miyose mentored Emerging Scholars, who gained professional development by moderating panels, engaging with experts, and connecting with international scholars.
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—By Susan Enright