Islands of Globalization: Pacific perspectives, Caribbean links
| See the IOG portion of the program and hear audio from the conference here. |
From 30 May through 4 June, the Islands of Globalization (IOG) team attended the 2005 Caribbean Studies Association Conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The IOG team conducted two
back-to-back sessions featuring panelists speaking about the IOG project, introducing Caribbeanists to the diversity of the Pacific Islands, reflecting on personal experiences with both regions, exploring common themes and issues relevant to both areas, and discussing possible future
collaborative opportunities. In addition, the IOG project presented a featured talk by Dr. Epeli HAU‘OFA on his own experiences in both regions, his thinking and writing about issues of globalization and culture, and his current work at the
Oceania Centre for Arts and Culture, University of the South Pacific.
Attending the conference was a highly effective means of solidifying relationships and linkages between
people and institutions in the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. A core group of interested scholars have committed to moving the project forward and continuing discussions about future collaboration. One
tangible outcome was the commitment to explore the creation of a profession Pacific and Caribbean Studies Association, which is currently underway.
