Racism Under Pax Americana: Okinawa, Hawai’i, Postcolonial Koreans in Japan

When and Where

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Online event

Speakers

Deokhyo Choi (University of Sheffield)
Dean Saranillio (University of Hawai’I at Mānoa)
Annmaria Shimabuku (NYU)
Takashi Fujitani (UofT)

Description

In recent years, many commentators have bemoaned the dissolution of the liberal capitalist world order that has been called “Pax Americana.” In this logic, the occupations of Germany and Japan have been declared triumphs that inaugurated a rules-based global order that lasted for more than seventy years. The United States has been figured as the “global good cop” that insured peace, security, and prosperity throughout the planet, so that its recent decline on the world stage and a supposed isolationist mood is now being countered by new visions calling forth another world order dependent upon the massive militarization of minor and major powers throughout the world. This panel begins with the acknowledgement that the period of Pax Americana was far from peaceful and non-violent for most of the formerly colonized, indigenous, and racialized peoples of the world. Despite national and state/provincial celebrations of inclusion, multiculturalism, and reconciliation, our three panelists with expertise across the Asia-Pacific--including on Okinawa, Hawaiʻi, and postcolonial Koreans in Japan--reflect on the limits of this discourse on Pax Americana.

PDF iconFeb 28, 2023 - Racism Under Pax Americana (2).pdf

Contact Information

Sponsors

Co-presented by the Dr. David Chu Program in Asia-Pacific Studies and the Centre for the Study of Korea at the Asian Institute