Department of Anthropology (UH Mānoa)
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| Department of Anthropology (UH Mānoa) | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Department of Anthropology |
| Institution | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
| Established | 1926 |
| Location | Honolulu, Hawaiʻi |
Department of Anthropology (UH Mānoa) is an academic unit at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa offering undergraduate and graduate instruction and research in cultural, biological, linguistic, and archaeological anthropology. The department serves as a hub for Pacific, Asian, Indigenous, and transnational studies, linking fieldwork in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands with scholarship connected to Asia and the Americas. Faculty and students engage with museums, federal agencies, tribal governments, and international partners including institutions in Japan, Philippines, Samoa, New Zealand, and United Kingdom.
History
The department traces roots to early 20th-century collections and teaching associated with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the territorial education system of Hawaiʻi (island), formalizing during the expansion of the University of Hawaiʻi in the 1920s and 1930s. During the postwar era the unit grew alongside regional initiatives such as the Pacific Science Congress and collaborations with the National Park Service on archaeological surveys at sites like Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau and Haleakalā National Park. Influences include visiting scholars connected to the American Anthropological Association, fieldwork traditions associated with Franz Boas’s intellectual lineage, and partnerships formed under programs like the National Science Foundation Pacific research grants and UNESCO-sponsored heritage projects.
Academic Programs
Programs include Bachelor of Arts and graduate degrees (MA, PhD) with emphases in archaeological anthropology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Coursework intersects with graduate programs at the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, and professional degrees at the William S. Richardson School of Law for Indigenous rights modules. Students undertake field schools that have operated in locations such as Maui, Molokaʻi, Guam, Palau, Tonga, and northern Australia under faculty-led grants from agencies including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Institutes of Health.
Faculty and Research
Faculty conduct research on topics ranging from Pacific prehistory and contact-era archaeology to human biology, language documentation, migration, and heritage policy. Recent projects include excavations tied to debates about voyaging and settlement connected to Thor Heyerdahl historiography, bioarchaeological analyses referencing methods developed by scholars influenced by Lewis Binford and Jane Goodall-adjacent primatology, and linguistic preservation work echoing initiatives like those of Ken Hale and Noam Chomsky critiques of language endangerment frameworks. Faculty hold fellowships from organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, the MacArthur Foundation, and the Fulbright Program, and contribute to editorial boards of journals like American Anthropologist, Journal of Pacific History, and Archaeology in Oceania.
Facilities and Collections
The department curates laboratory space for zooarchaeology, isotopic analysis, and ancient DNA following protocols similar to those at the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum. Collections are integrated with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum archives, the Hawaiʻi State Archives, and the university's own repositories, housing artifacts, skeletal assemblages, and linguistic corpora linked to field projects across the Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and coastal regions of Southeast Asia. Specialized facilities include GIS labs modeled on those used by the United States Geological Survey and conservation studios that collaborate with conservation programs at the Getty Conservation Institute.
Student Life and Organizations
Student organizations affiliated with the department connect under broader campus groups such as the Associated Students of the University of Hawaiʻi and clubs focused on Indigenous rights, archaeology field crews, and language revitalization. Honor societies and chapters associated with the Phi Beta Kappa-style liberal arts traditions and disciplinary associations like the Society for American Archaeology and the Linguistic Society of America provide networking and conference travel support. Field school cohorts have produced alumni who participated in international meetings such as the World Archaeological Congress and regional forums including the Pacific Islands Forum cultural sessions.
Community Engagement and Outreach
Outreach emphasizes partnerships with Native Hawaiian communities, state agencies like the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii), and cultural practitioners from Māori and other Pacific Islander communities. Initiatives include collaborative site stewardship with Hawaiian civic groups, oral history projects in collaboration with the Hawaiian Historical Society, and curriculum development for K–12 programs aligned with standards influenced by the Hawaiʻi Department of Education. The department contributes expertise to repatriation efforts guided by policies akin to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and engages in public archaeology projects supported by entities such as the National Park Service.
Notable Alumni and Contributions
Alumni have taken leadership roles in academia, museum directorships, and indigenous governance, with graduates serving at institutions including the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, University of Auckland, University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, and governmental positions within the State of Hawaiʻi and Pacific island administrations. Contributions include influential publications in regional prehistory, advocacy for language revitalization inspired by movements at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and preservation campaigns linked to ʻAha Pūnana Leo, and participation in transnational heritage diplomacy seen at events like the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.