An Ocean of Knowledge

In October, EAD faculty member Simon Penny organized a two-day symposium focused  on the remarkable – but almost lost – navigation and seafaring traditions of the peoples who traversed and settled one-third of the world. Participants considered the centrality of seafaring for pacific island cultures, focusing on the intersections of history, climate science and sustainability, and the significance of these traditions for contemporary environmental, social and economic issues for indigenous communities. The meeting brought pacific nation community leaders and traditional navigators together with anthropologists and climate scientists. Two new films premiered with Q+A with the filmmakers. The event included a tour of the Orthogonal works, UCI’s Micronesian-based boatbuilding project.

Dates: 18 & 19 October 2017, noon-10pm.

Location: Humanities Gateway, University of California, Irvine,

Co-sponsored by: UCI Illuminations, UCI Newkirk Center for Science & Society, UCI OCEAN Institute, UCI School of Humanities, UCI Claire Trevor School of the Art, and the National Science Foundation.