The Department of Ethnic Studies (ES), established in 1970 to teach “Our History, Our Way,” focuses on race and ethnicity in Hawaiʻi, the United States and Pacific. Through engaged Oceanic learning and research, students develop theoretical, methodological, ethical and participatory skills to analyze power relations and promote social justice. Students learn to think critically about society and popular culture, and to embrace multiculturalism.
Major Academic Areas
- Ethnic Identity
- Indigeneity
- Migration
- Representation
- Economic Change
- Social Movements
- Racism and Ethnicity
- Critical Multiculturalism
- Race and Gender
- Ethnic Conflict
- Land Tenure
- Field Work
Specialties
- Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian American histories of race, class, and gender.
- Histories of Native Hawaiians, Japanese Americans, Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Arab Americans, African Americans, and Native Americans.
- Ethnic and Race Relations in the United States and globally.
- Political Economy in Hawai‘i, the Pacific, Asia, North America, and Middle East.
- Service Learning and Civic Engagement emphasizing community-based research, praxis, and social justice.
Department of Ethnic Studies
Office: George Hall 301
Email: esdept@hawaii.edu
Telephone: (808) 956-8086
Website: ethnicstudies.manoa.hawaii.edu