How did the creation of globalized scientific discourses interact with the way states in the Pacific redefined national pasts and futures?
My article “Oceanic Knowledge and National Space-Time in Pacific History” explores the uses of historical knowledge and environmental science in the construction of national pasts and futures in the Pacific since the 19th century. From Darwin’s observations on the temporality coral reef growth to native Hawaiian responses to evolution theory and geological arguments about space and future directions of the Japanese nation, my paper puts places and processes into a conversation that are rarely connected in the history of global science.
The paper concludes with a reflection on present-day Tuvaluan efforts to curate future memories of a homeland likely to be flooded within few decades––underlining that the meanings of scientifically construed futures are ultimately positional and they inform how nation states redefine their claims over space and time.
Download the article on Project Muse.
Awards
- Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) “Diploma of Merit” and short listed for SAGW Early Career Award, 2024.
