Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Culture, Politica e Società

Preparazione di base nelle discipline demoetnoantropologiche

The course covers the geographical area of Oceania including Japan, it introduces students to the geography, societies, histories, cultures, economy, ecology and contemporary issues of Oceania, emphasizing Pacific Islander perspectives and experiences. The aim is to provide the very best education on a range of topics relating to the islands within Oceania including biogeography (ecology and environment basic geography of the region); history and culture (the great migrations and settlements of the Pacific, European contact era, 19th century, colonial era, 20th century and decolonization process); arts (film, literature, poetry); and contemporary politic issues (DSM, Marine Governance, Blue Economy, sovereignty).

The student will have to familiarize with the main themes of Pacific anthropology, gaining a critical and detailed knowledge of the case study. The student must know how to apply theoretical knowledge to contemporary issues and learn a comparative method that will enables them to apply these competences in a transversal way. The course will also provide students with an advanced vocabulary of anthropological and cultural studies. At the end of the course the students will be able to: a) locate and name the island groups, geographic regions, and political entities of Oceania, b) Discuss contemporary environmental, political and cultural issues in the Pacific Islands. c) Prove a profound knowledge of the historical, cultural, environmental and political situation of the Hawaiian Islands today.

The course will combine lectures, discussion, student’s presentation and documentary or film viewings.

Oral exam

The course will be centered around the three themes: (i) Sense of Places and geolocalization, (ii) Ecological Responsabilty, and (iii) Indigenous Sovereignity and conservation. However, in the course, papers covering topics such as Pacific people's issues, Japanese contemporary ecological and indigenous issues, Indigenous politics, Pacific history, Pacific religions and ecology will be offer to students. The focus of the course is within the Pacific countries themselves and presents Indigenous local, historical and contemporary perspectives. Pacific Islanders inhabit a vast oceanic realm encompassing fully one-third of the surface of the Earth, marine Plants like Phytoplankton, Kelp and Alga`s living in the ocean are responsible for 70% of the oxygen in the atmosphere. The Islands are also home to some of the most ancient and some of the most recent human settlements. Oceania is thus characterized by enormous ecological and cultural diversity; a human history rich in epic ritual, travel, narrative, and innovation. In the manner of their ancestors, Pacific peoples today have adopted a number of creative survival strategies in the face of rapid cultural, social, political, and economic changes. Among these are abilities to navigate multiple worlds that might include both Christian and indigenous spiritual practices, Western and indigenous lifestyles, and Western and “traditional” political and economic structures, while still maintaining a commitment to family and community relations.

Hau’ofa, E., We are the Ocean, University of Hawai’i Press, Honolulu, 2008.

Bambridge, T., (edit) The Rahui: Legal pluralism in Polynesian traditional management of resources and territories, Anu Press, 2016

Papers: choice between

• Aluli-Meyer, M., Indigenous Epistemology: Spirit Revealed, in «Enhancing Mātauranga Māori and Global Indigenous Knowledge», NZQA, Wellington, 2014, pp. 151-164.
• Andrade, C., A Hawaiian Geography or A Geography of Hawai’i?, in «I ulu I ka ‘āina land», University of Hawaii Press, 2014, pp. 4-22.
• Finney, B., Colonizing an Island World, in «Transactions of the American Philosophical Society», New Series, Vol. 86, No. 5, Prehistoric Settlement of the Pacific, 1996, pp. 71-116.
• Fujikane, C., Mapping Wonder in the Māui Mo’olelo on the Mo’o’āina: Growing Aloha ‘Āina Through Indigenous Settler Affinity Activism, in «Marvels & Tales», Vol. 30, No. 1, 2016, pp.45-69.
• Goodyear-Kaʻōpua, N., Protectors of the Future, Not Protestors of the Past: Indigenous Pacific Activism and Mauna a Wākea, in «The South Atlantic Quarterly», 116:1, January 2017, pp. 184-194.
• Mawyer, A., Jacka, J.K., Sovereignty, conservation and island ecological futures, in «Humans and Island Environments», Volume 45, Issue 3, September 2018, pp. 238-251.
• Mitsuharu Vincent Okada, The Plight of Ainu, Indigenous People of Japan, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Volume 1, Issue 1 (January 2012), pp. 1-14

Sai, D.K., American Occupation of Hawaiian State: A Century Unchecked, in «Hawaiian Journal of Law and Politics», 46, 2004, p. 53-63.

Students from Asian Studies can arrange the exam on a Japanese course of study