April 10

Prof. Kealani Cook: Leta Mai Kahiki Mai: John T. Baker in Oceania

Prof. Kealani Cook
Wednesday, April 10, 12:30-2:00 p.m.
“Leta Mai Kahiki Mai: John T. Baker in Oceania”
History Dept. Seminar Room
Sakamaki Hall A201

This talk follows the travels of former royal governor John Tamatoa Baker through parts of Oceania in 1907 as recorded in letters to Ke Aloha Aina.  Baker’s voyage allowed him to explore the cultural and historical relationships that connected Hawaiʻi to Oceania and the potential relevance of such connections at the start of the 20th century.  The voyage also forced Baker to grapple with the potential conflict between his embrace of Native-controlled agricultural entrepreneurship and Oceanic critiques of the destructive aspects of capitalism and empire.

Kealani Cook is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Hawai‘i, West O‘ahu.