The Center for Okinawan Studies symposium, “LABOR MIGRATION: Historical & Contemporary Issues From an ‘Islands’ Perspective,” was held at the Center for Korean Studies Auditorium on March 1 & 2, 2012.  The symposium was held in joint collaboration with the University of the Ryukyus.  The keynote speaker for the symposium was Dr. Gary Okihiro of Columbia University.  Guest speakers were from Okinawa and the US mainland, as well as local speakers, including several UH faculty members.  The sessions covered topics such as: Languages & Labor Migration, Gender & Labor Migration, and Migration & the Performing Arts.  The day-and-a-half symposium brought about lively discussions after each session.  An educational field trip to the Bishop Museum and the Hawaii Plantation Village was also arranged for the guest speakers.  In keeping with the theme of the symposium, they were able to see the special exhibition, Tradition and Transition: Stories of Hawai‘i Immigrants, at the Bishop Museum and also view the model plantation houses at the Hawaii Plantation Village.

Additional support for this symposium was provided by the following: the Dean’s Office of the School of Pacific and Asian Studies; the UH Student Excellence, Equity and Diversity Fund; the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu Distinguished Visiting Faculty Fund; and, the Center for Japanese Studies’ Japan Studies Endowment.