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Pacific-Asia lecture set for Monday
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Posted on Feb 02 2006
The NMI Council for the Humanities wishes to invite the public to attend a presentation on the Pacific region’s ever-expanding connections with Asia to be held at the American Memorial Park Visitors Center on Monday evening, Feb. 6.
Professor Ron Crocombe, professor emeritus of the University of the South Pacific, will present “Rejoining Asia: Trends in Pacific Islands’ Economic, Social, Political and Strategic Relations.”
Before World War II the external relations of virtually all of the Pacific Islands were limited to their respective colonial administrators, but in the post-war years there has been a steady growth of regional organizations among independent island nations.
Pacific-Asian organizations, on the other hand, were non-existent until the 1970s. Now there are over 700 such organizations reflecting an enormous network pulling the Pacific Islands into the Asian orbit.
During his 90-minute presentation, Professor Crocombe will explore the various economic, social, demographic, cultural and political factors that are responsible for this trend.
Professor Crocombe, who was born in New Zealand, has lived and worked in the Pacific Islands for half a century in various capacities, most notably as Professor of Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific.
During his 20 years at the university, Professor Crocombe gained an international reputation for his work on Pacific land tenure. He has also been instrumental in encouraging hundreds of Pacific Island students, teachers and administrators to write and publish literary works addressing a wide range of Pacific topics
The lecture, which is sponsored by the NMI Council for the Humanities, is free of charge. It will run from 6:30pm to 8pm. Interested individuals are invited to contact Humanities Council staff at 235-4785 for more information. (PR)
