MAP-UA 508 - Cultures and Contexts: The Pacific Islands

Institution:

New York University

Subject:

Description:

The Pacific Island region sweeps from Easter Island in the East to Papua New Guinea in the West, a vast "sea of islands" that has been a crucial space of exchange: of perspectives, materials, people, and ideas. What can we learn from the study of this region, a set of islands with both commonalities and differences that is often imagined as one "place"? We examine the cultures of the Pacific Islands, moving from the first migrations of indigenous navigators through the age of European exploration and colonialism, to the local experience of World War II and contemporary engagements with globalization. We also study the area's unique cultural configurations of ritual practice, cosmology, and society. Along the way, we engage directly with the voices of Pacific islanders, from those who participated in the voyages of Captain Cook, to indigenous artists who reflect on these complex and entangled histories. Other primary sources include museum collections, film, painting, and other visual representations. This comparative approach enables us to understand debates about colonial encounter, primitivism, cannibalism, cargo cults, nuclear testing, resource extraction, and the morality of diet, from a Pacific perspective.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nyu.edu

Phone Number:

(212) 998-1212

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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