Dear BLUE peers,

We are happy to invite you to the latest BLUE reading seminar on Friday 11. October, kl.14.00 – 16.00.

In the seminar we will read the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 2024’s winner: "An Indigenous Ocean: Pacific Essays”by Prof. Toeolesulusulu Damon Salesa.

This seminar is dedicated to a Critical Pacific Studies approach and engages with the work of Indigenous Anthropology in and of Oceania.

We will examine the concept of the “Blue Pacific”, a movement of solidarity stemming from the Pacific Islands Forum, that is undergird by Tongan scholar Epeli Hau’ofa’s seminal work “Our sea of islands”.

Salesas further introduces notions of “indigenous time” and the complexity and power of narrative and place of place in the context of a plethora of indigenous languages across the Pacific Ocean / Te Moana Nui a Kiwa / Moananuiākea / Vasa Pasefika and more. Read about the book here https://www.bwb.co.nz/books/an-indigenous-ocean/

For this seminar we will focus on the Introduction (p.1 – 31) and Chapter 1 (p.31 to 81). Unfortunately, texts cannot be circulated, and the book must therefore be bought.

Since we realize that the delivery time of “An indigenous Ocean – Pacific Essays” might make it hard to complete the readings for our upcoming reading seminar, we would like to offer an alternative text for those of you who would like to join but cannot get the book in time. Please feel free to read Epeli Hau’ofa’s seminal essay “Our sea of islands” (1993) in preparation of the seminar as an alternative.

With this reading you will be able to add additional input to our discussion of Salesa’s work.

Please feel free to write to brendtner@cas.au.dk for further questions and to register. Online participation is also welcome.

Looking forward to hopefully seeing you soon.