Eugenic Legacies across the Pacific Islands

Eugenic Legacies across the Pacific Islands Wed, 15 Nov - Thu, 16 Nov 2023, HST. Graphic of Native women surrounded by the ocean and Pacific Island names.

Eugenic Legacies across the Pacific Islands

Wednesday, Nov 15th – Thursday, Nov 16th, 2023, HST, 10:00am – 2:00pm, Online

 

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“WE ARE EQUAL IN THE VĀ…. The concept of vā in certain Polynesian cultures is that of a “space between” that connects by dissolving or integrating borders that separate humans from each other. There is no racism in this sacred and spiritual space. Instead, in this space of potential, creativity, and wonder, we become conscious that we are all interconnected and that we are each other. Like water, fluidity connects us all to each other in the vā. Is this a model for humanity as we seek equality for all?” Vilsoni Hereniko.

This 2-day online symposium will surface and explore the long and ongoing legacies of eugenics and anti-eugenics in the Pacific through the themes of reproductive justice, disability, anthropology and repatriation, arts and culture and environmental justice, with the aim of inviting scholars, activists and artists from across the Pacific and beyond, to consider how we might imagine building an anti-eugenic future together.

Agenda Day 1

  • 11:45 AM – 12:15 PM Keynote: Pathologizing Native Hawaiian Parents
  •  12:15 PM – 1:30 PM Eugenic Legacies in Hawai’i
  • 1:40 PM – 2:45 PM Eugenics and Reproductive Justice in the Pacific
  • 2:55 PM – 4:00 PM Eugenics, Disability and Transitional Justice in the Pacific
  • 10:00 AM – 11:05 AM Eugenics, Anthropology and Repatriations in the Pacific

Agenda Day 2

  • 10:00 AM – 11:05 AM Eugenics, Anthropology and Repatriations in the Pacific
  • 11:15 AM – 12:20 PM Eugenics and Environmental Justice in the Pacific
  • 12:30 PM – 1:35 PM Eugenics, Anti-Eugenics and the Arts and Culture in the Pacific
  • 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Chairs sharing key takeaways
Headshot image of person smiling, Raphael.

Symposium Chair and CDS Faculty Member Dr. Raphael Raphael will be highlighted in the following sessions:

Day 1: 2:55 PM – 4:00 PM Eugenics, Disability and Transitional Justice in the Pacific.

Presenters: Juliann Anesi, Huhana Hickey, Scott Avery, Hilary Stace, and moderator Raphael Raphael.

Day 2: 1:45 PM – 2:00 PM Chairs sharing key takeaways.

Presenters: Maile Arvin, Vilsoni Hereniko, Kate Burry, Raphael Raphael, and moderator Milton Reynolds.