New: Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research

As the state celebrates Hawai‘i Archaeology Week (Sept. 26-Oct. 2), two non-profit organizations join forces to launch the Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research, an open-access title that will soon accept submissions for its inaugural issue.

For more than three decades, both the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology (SHA) and the Easter Island Foundation (EIF) have been committed to promoting research and dialogue on the archaeology of Polynesia. While distribution of previous publications was limited to members, this new journal will be published open-access and freely available to all readers. Distributed by the University of Hawai‘i Press, the journal will publish peer-reviewed research articles, commentaries, and reviews that are of relevance to stakeholders and practitioners of archaeology and related research in Polynesia.

The Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research will be co-edited by Dr. Mara Mulrooney (board member of the EIF and current president of SHA) and Dr. Jillian Swift (board member and publications chair of SHA). The two editors developed the new journal as a forum to bring together important research and conversations around archaeology, history, and heritage management in Polynesia that are of significant relevance to both organizations. The new journal also brings into alignment several shared goals of the EIF and SHA, which include:

  • Encouraging research and dialogue about Polynesian archaeology, historic preservation, and public outreach among researchers, heritage professionals, and other stakeholders
  • Encouraging public education and appreciation of the aims and limitations of archaeological research, particularly through ethical archaeological practices and collaborative work with communities
  • Advocating for and assisting with the preservation, interpretation, and respectful treatment of archaeological sites and material culture

“The Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research will continue the tradition of publishing cutting-edge results of archaeological research in Hawai’i and throughout Polynesia, as well as providing a forum for discussion and debate regarding archaeological practice in the region,” notes Professor Patrick V. Kirch of UH Mānoa. Kirch has been involved with both of the organizations’ previous publications as a previous Editor and Editorial Board Member, and will serve on the Editorial Board for the new journal. “I expect that the Journal will be an essential resource for both scholars and the engaged public.”

This fall, the editors will review manuscripts through the journal submission system (forthcoming), and in 2023 the first issue will be published on eVols, the University of Hawai‘i’s open-access, digital institutional repository for both the university community and researchers around the world.

The Journal of Polynesian Archaeology and Research will replace two journals that will cease publication, Hawaiian Archaeology (published by SHA) and Rapa Nui Journal (published by UH Press in collaboration with the EIF). Over the past 30 years, Rapa Nui Journal published more than 33 volumes and Hawaiian Archaeology published 15 volumes and four special publications. The archive of both publications will also be freely available via eVols.

For more information, visit uhpress.hawaii.edu/title/jpar

About the Easter Island Foundation

The Easter Island Foundation was founded in 1989 with the aim of creating a library on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to house the collections of anthropologist William Mulloy and to encourage study and research about the island. The Foundation’s mission is to work towards the conservation and protection of Rapa Nui and its history, culture, and environment.  Its scholarship program annually provides assistance to college students of Rapanui ancestry to help with their educational costs. Additionally, the Foundation works to promote, stimulate, and disseminate research on Rapa Nui and other Polynesian islands by members of scientific, historical, and cultural disciplines.

About the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology

Founded in 1980, the Society for Hawaiian Archaeology’s mission is to promote and stimulate interest and research in the archaeology of the Hawaiian Islands through an annual conference, workshops, and other networking opportunities for its membership. It also seeks to serve as a bond among those interested in Hawaiian archaeology, both professionals and non-professionals, and aid in directing their efforts into more scientific channels as well as encourage the publication of their results.

Hawaiʻi Conservation Conference 2021

 

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Call for a Co-Editor for Rapa Nui Journal

Applications are invited for the position of co-editor of Rapa Nui Journal: The Journal of the Easter Island Foundation (RNJ). The journal is published by the University of Hawai‘i Press in partnership with the Easter Island Foundation. Dr. Mara Mulrooney has served as the journal editor for the past several years and is looking forward to sharing the editorial duties with one or two co-editors.

The journal, launched in 1986 as Rapa Nui Notes, serves as a forum for interdisciplinary scholarship in the humanities and social sciences on Easter Island and the Eastern Polynesian region. Each issue may include Research Articles, Research Reports, Commentaries or Dialogues, Book or Media Reviews and EIF News.

RNJ is published twice a year and welcomes contributions from a wide range of social, cultural, indigenous and historical disciplines on topics related to the lives and cultures of the peoples of Rapa Nui and Eastern Polynesia. Abstracts for articles may be published in English, Spanish, and Rapanui. We welcome submissions from scholars across Oceania, North and South America, and beyond.

The editors are expected to assist in raising the profile of the journal, provide support increasing submissions, and secure timely and appropriate peer-review of articles. Editors will make the final decision on manuscripts, informing both the author(s) and reviewers of the final disposition. The editors must show openness to communicating with scholars about diverse ideas, openness to a diverse range of methodologies, and eagerness to continue building the journal’s reputation.

In accordance with the University of Hawai‘i Press’ mission to publish high quality scholarship, the following criteria are considered in selecting editors:

  • established record of scholarship
  • evidence of understanding the mission of the journal and its operation
  • a vision for the journal’s future
  • record of responsible service to scholarly publishing
  • evidence of organizational skill and intellectual leadership

The actual costs associated with production and the online submission system for the journal are covered by the publisher.

Selection Process: (1) Applications will be received by the UH Press Journals Manager by Sept. 4, 2019.  (2) The applicants will be reviewed and ranked by the current journal editor and UH Press Journals Manager. (3) The top two candidates will be contacted by phone for an interview and to discuss the journal editorial workflow by Sept. 25, 2019. (4) The candidate selection will be made by Oct. 10, 2019. (5) The new editor(s) will begin working with the current editor and UH Press no later than January 2020. (6) All other applicants will be notified of the final selection.

Applications: The applications should include the following:

Vision Statement: Set forth your goals and plans for the content of the journal.

Co-Editors Background Information: Describe the qualifications and experience of each person on the editorial team that supports their inclusion. There is no need to include names of individuals that you would like to include on the larger editorial board. If you wish to include names of nominees for Book Review editors, you may; these individuals will be appointed by the editors after they are selected, so you are not required to include them in your application.

Institutional Support: It is important for candidates to examine the feasibility of serving as co-editor in light of the resources provided by the publisher and their own home university. If candidates expect to receive support from their host institution, we request a preliminary letter of support from a dean or other appropriate institutional official.

CVs for all potential co-editors (and if applicable, any associate editors).

For questions and further information about the application process, please contact: Pamela Wilson, Journals Manager, pwilson6@hawaii.edu. We encourage anyone who is considering an application and wants to discuss ideas or ask questions, to get in touch. The application packet should be no more than five (5) pages (excluding CVs), and must be received by Sept. 4, 2019.

Applications may be emailed as PDFs to Pamela Wilson, Journals Manager at pwilson6@hawaii.edu.

University of Hawaii Press, 2840 Kolowalu Street Honolulu, HI 96822

Tel: (808) 956-6790

https://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/


Celebrating Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month with Free Journal Content

We are proud to publish an extensive list of Pacific, Asian, and Southeast Asian studies journals. This Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month, explore and enjoy the following free journal content online:

Open Access Journals:

Asian/Pacific Island Nursing Journal

Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society

Language Documentation & Conservation

Palapala: a journal of Hawaiian language and literature

Free journal content online:

Asian Perspectives: The Journal of Archaeology for Asia and the Pacific (46#1, 2007)

Asian Theatre Journal: Official Journal of the Association for Asian Performance (23#1, 2006)

Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature and Culture (1, 2007)

Buddhist-Christian Studies: Official Journal of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (27, 2007)

China Review International: Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies (15#1, 2008)

The Contemporary Pacific: A Journal of Island Affairs (15#1, 2003)

Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review (3#1, 2014)

The Hawaiian Journal of History (49, 2015)

Journal of Daoist Studies (8, 2015)

Journal of Korean Religions (6#1, 2015)

Korean Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal on Korea and Koreans Abroad (29, 2005)

MĀNOA: A Pacific Journal of International Writing: New Writing from America, the Pacific, and Asia (19#1, 2007)

Oceanic Linguistics: Current Research on Languages of the Oceanic Area (50#2, 2011)

Pacific Science: Biological and Physical Sciences of the Pacific Region (71#4, 2017)

Philosophy East & West: A Quarterly of Comparative Philosophy (53#3, 2007)

Rapa Nui Journal: The journal of the Easter Island Foundation (30#2, 2016)

Review of Japanese Culture and Society (24, 2012)

U.S.–Japan Women’s Journal (45, 2013)

Asian Perspectives 58-1
Asian Theatre Journal 36-1 cover

Visit our website to learn more about our publications or to subscribe.

 

The Hermit’s Hut: Architecture and Asceticism in India

Ashraf-Hermit'sHutAlthough architecture continually responds to ascetic compulsions, as in its frequent encounter with the question of excess and less, it is typically considered separate from asceticism. In contrast, The Hermit’s Hut offers original insight and explores the rich and mutual ways in which asceticism and architecture are played out in each other’s practices. Relying primarily on Buddhist materials, author Kazi K. Ashraf provides a complex narrative that stems from the simple structure of the hermit’s hut, showing how the significance of the hut resonates widely and how the question of dwelling is central to ascetic imagination. In exploring the conjunctions of architecture and asceticism, he breaks new ground by presenting ascetic practice as fundamentally an architectural project, namely the fabrication of a “last” hut.

This innovative book weaves together the fields of architecture, anthropology, religion, and philosophy to offer multidisciplinary and historical insights. It will appeal to readers with diverse interests and in a variety of disciplines—whether one is interested in the history of ascetic architecture in India, the concept of “home” in ancient India, or the theme of the body as building.

November 2013 | 240 pages | 105 illustrations
ISBN: 978-0-8248-3583-5 | $50.00 | Cloth

Spatial Habitus: Making and Meaning in Asia’s Architecture

Ancient Ryukyu: An Archaeological Study of Island Communities

Ancient Ryukyu explores 30,000 years of human occupation in the Ryukyu Islands, from the earliest human presence in the region up to A.D. 1609 and the emergence of the Ryukyu Kingdom. It focuses on the unique geopolitical position of the islands, their environment, and the many human communities whose historical activities can be discerned. Drawing on the impressive work of dozens of local archaeologists who have brought the islands’ early history to life, Richard Pearson describes explorers and sojourners and colonists who arrived thousands of years ago, and their ancient trade links to Japan, Korea, and China.

Through analysis of work completed at about 120 sites described in dozens of rare Japanese government reports with limited circulation, Pearson is able to show that many modern features of the culture, politics, and economy of the Ryukyu Islands have very deep roots.

“This extremely important study in Pacific and island archaeology makes use of the huge database generated by Okinawan archaeology in the postwar era and places the Okinawan islands in the context of current theoretical debates within island archaeology in the Pacific and beyond. It is also a major study of premodern Okinawa. With its many valuable overviews and discussions, as well as its original analyses and interpretations, it will undoubtedly become the definitive text in English.” —Mark Hudson, Nishikyushu University

November 2013 | 432 pages | 36 illustrations | 20 maps
ISBN: 978-0-8248-3712-9 | $55.00 | Cloth

Mutiny and Aftermath: James Morrison’s Account of the Mutiny on the Bounty and the Island of Tahiti

Smith&Thomas-Mutiny-and-AftermathThe mutiny on the Bounty was one of the most controversial events of eighteenth-century maritime history. Mutiny and Aftermath publishes a full and absorbing narrative of the events by one of the participants, the boatswain’s mate James Morrison, who tells the story of the mounting tensions over the course of the voyage out to Tahiti, the fascinating encounter with Polynesian culture there, and the shocking drama of the event itself. It is based directly on a close study of Morrison’s original manuscript, one of the treasures of the Mitchell Library in Sydney, Australia.

The editors, Vanessa Smith and Nicholas Thomas, assess and explain Morrison’s observations of Islander culture and social relations, both on Tubuai in the Austral Islands and on Tahiti itself. The book fully identifies the Tahitian people and places that Morrison refers to and makes this remarkable text accessible for the first time to all those interested in an extraordinary chapter of early Pacific history.

“Morrison’s Account of the Mutiny on the Bounty has been known to scholars and students through Owen Rutter’s 1935 edition. Smith and Thomas draw on all the relevant scholarship in the seventy-five years since this edition, as well as their own distinguished research and expert understanding of Pacific cultures, to provide readers with an impeccable work of scholarship that will be an essential point of reference for all future writing on Tahiti at the time of first contact as well as on the Bounty mutiny itself.”—Rod Edmond, University of Kent

October 2013 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3676-4 / $45.00 cloth

New Catalog Available: Asian Studies 2013

Asian Studies 2013
The UH Press Asian Studies 2013 catalog is now available! The catalog has been redesigned to showcase our new and forthcoming Asian studies titles. (All books published prior to late 2012 and currently in print can be found at our website.) To view the PDF, click on the catalog cover image to the left.

Highlights include:

* An illustrated anthology of well-known masterpieces and unusual writing from 18th-century Edo’s counterculture — An Edo Anthology: Literature from Japan’s Mega-City, 1750–1850

*Four new titles in the Spatial Habitus series — The Hermit’s Hut: Asceticism and Architecutre in India, China’s Contested Capital: Architecture, Ritual, and Response in Nanjing, Architecture and Urbanism in Modern Korea, and Original Copies: Architectural Mimicry in Contemporary China

* Short fiction from Japan’s foremost Marxist writer, Kobayashi Takiji, including a new translation of an anticapitalist classic that became a runaway bestseller in Japan in 2008, nearly eight decades after its publication — The Crab Cannery Ship and Other Novels of Struggle

* A timely collection of essays exploring Japan’s role in global environmental transformation and how Japanese ideas have shaped bodies and landscapes over the centuries — Japan at Nature’s Edge: The Environmental Context of a Global Power

* An expansive new study on the varied roles Southeast Asia’s monumental remains (Angkor, Pagan, Borobudur, and Ayutthaya, among others) have played in the histories of its modern nations — A Heritage of Ruins: The Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia and Their Conservation

* Close description and analysis of the history, geographical whereabouts, and doctrinal positions of early schools of Buddhism by André Bareau, one of the foremost scholars of Buddhism of his generation — The Buddhist Schools of the Small Vehicle

* Two volumes in the new series Korean Classics Library — Salvation through Dissent: Tonghak Heterodoxy and Early Modern Korea and Imperatives of Culture: Selected Essays on Korean History, Literature, and Society

Understanding Chinese Tombs

The Art of the Yellow SpringsNo other civilization in the premodern world was more obsessed with constructing underground burial structures than China, where for at least five thousand years people devoted a great amount of wealth and labor to build tombs and furnish them with exquisite objects and images. For the most part, tombs have been mainly appreciated as “treasure troves,” the contents of which has allowed art historians to rewrite histories of individual art forms such as bronze, jade, sculpture, and painting. However, new trends in Chinese art history place the entire burial (rather than its individual components) at the center of observation and interpretation. Wu Hung’s The Art of the Yellow Springs: Understanding Chinese Tombs takes this to the next level by focusing on interpretive methods. It argues that to achieve a genuine understanding of Chinese tombs we need to reconsider a host of art historical concepts (including visuality, viewership, space, formal analysis, function, and context) and derive an analytical framework from the three most essential aspects of any manufactured work: spatiality, materiality, and temporality.

“Most informative and innovative. . . written in a lucid style that should appeal to both engaged and general readers. Wu Hung has again proven himself to be a ground-breaker of Chinese art history.” —David D. W. Wang, Harvard University

May 2010 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3426-5 / $50.00 (CLOTH)

Buddhist Archaeology, Architecture, and Icons of Seventh-Century Japan


Few periods in Japanese history are more fascinating than the seventh century. This was the period when Buddhism experienced its initial flowering in the country and the time when Asukadera, Kudara Odera, Kawaradera, and Yakushiji (the “Four Great Temples” as they were called in ancient texts) were built. Despite their enormous historical importance, these structures have received only limited attention in Western literature, primarily because they are now ruins. Focus has been placed instead on Horyuji, a beautifully preserved structure, but not a key temple of the period. In The Four Great Temples: Buddhist Archaeology, Architecture, and Icons of Seventh-Century Japan, Donald F. McCallum seeks to restore the four great temples to their proper place in the history of Japanese Buddhism and Buddhist architecture.

November 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3114-1 / $38.00 (CLOTH)

The Growth and Collapse of Pacific Island Societies Now in Paperback

The Growth and Collapse of Pacific Island Societies: Archaeological and Demographic Perspectives, edited by Patrick V. Kirch and Jean-Louis Rallu, is now available in paperback.

“This collection is a seminal contribution to the longstanding concern with demographic levels and change before and following European contacts with Pacific Island societies. . . . The essays represent exemplary interdisciplinary meshings and, in developing a new level of technique for this research, remind readers of the excellence of the earlier work as well. . . . Undoubtably, this will be a basic reference in Pacific Islands scholarship. Highly recommended.” —Choice

January 2008 / ISBN 978-0-8248-3148-6 / $35.00 (PAPER)

Choice Magazine’s Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 Announced

Each year Choice Magazine, the official publication of the Association of College and Research Libraries, compiles a distinguished list of Outstanding Academic Titles. The following five UH Press books were recognized for 2007. A complete list of titles will be available in the January 2008 issue.

The Flaming Womb: Repositioning Women in Early Modern Southeast Asia by Barbara Watson Andaya

“Andaya has penned the definitive volume on women in early modern Southeast Asia. Graduates and undergraduates will find Andaya’s work approachable and foundational to their understanding of Southeast Asian history, society, politics, and religion. . . . Andaya’s tightly argued book is masterfully organized and is the most comprehensive book to date on women in Southeast Asia. A must read for Southeast Asianists and historians of gender and women.” —Choice, February 2007

Displacing Desire: Travel and Popular Culture in China by Beth E. Notar

“In a half-dozen penetrating chapters, anthropologist Notar examines the relationship between cultural representations and physical transformation in this superb ethnography of place. . . . Besides the valuable contribution that this book makes to the literature on representation, popular culture, and tourism, it offers fascinating insights on a growing Chinese consumer society. Highly recommended.” —Choice, October 2007

Himiko and Japan’s Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai: Archaeology, History, and Mythology by J. Edward Kidder, Jr.

“The most comprehensive and persuasive treatment in English to date of the great ancient Japanese mystery that has captured the imagination of the Japanese: the location of Yamatai and the identity of its female shaman leader, Himiko. . . . In what must be the magnum opus and capstone of his illustrious career, Kidder meticulously and thoroughly examines all historical, archaeological, and mythological materials, creating a grand synthesis. . . . Highly recommended.” —Choice, October 2007

Korea’s Twentieth-Century Odyssey: A Short History
by Michael E. Robinson

“The wait for a succinct yet comprehensive history of modern Korea is over. This volume, deftly written by Michael E. Robinson, comes as a welcome alternative to histories of Korea too long or too complex for typical undergraduates. . . . Striking photographs throughout confirm this impressive volume’s status as the new standard in the field. . . . Essential.” —Choice, November 2007

The Growth and Collapse of Pacific Island Societies: Archaeological and Demographic Perspectives
edited by Patrick V. Kirch and Jean-Louis Rallu

“This collection is a seminal contribution to the longstanding concern with demographic levels and change before and following European contacts with Pacific Island societies. . . . The essays represent exemplary interdisciplinary meshings and, in developing a new level of technique for this research, remind readers of the excellence of the earlier work as well. . . . Undoubtably, this will be a basic reference in Pacific Islands scholarship. Highly recommended.” —Choice, October 2007