This course examines the relationship between food and identity in the Pacific, with a particular focus on themes of migration and home. A powerful symbol of cultural values, foods bind people to particular places and help to shape new communities. Perhaps in island environments especially, an understanding of foodways can unlock key insights into historical and current events such as war, decolonization, environmental changes, transitions to tourism-based economies, and concepts of health.

Oceans of History:  Humans and Environments in the Pacific examines the environmental history of the world’s largest geographical feature – the Pacific Ocean.  This class is simultaneously an investigation into the origins of the Pacific’s current ecological crises, the foundations of oceanic identities, and the multiple ways of understanding the ocean.  We will be reading historical, anthropological, and scientific research and weighing the merits of each approach.  Lectures will be supplemented by several site visits and guest speakers. 

What is food sovereignty, and who owns seeds, species, and recipes? Who grows and prepares our food, and how has this changed over the last 100 years? How should we consider human health, animal welfare, and environmental impact when it comes to food production and consumption? In this course we will raise more questions than we answer, as students take a holistic, critical approach to evaluating some of the regulations, processes, and injustices that are connected to producing our foods.

What are the basic elements that comprise all foods and what are the fundamental food processing techniques? What is biodiversity and what does it mean for our food system? What role do different production methods and consumer diets play in a future marked by climate change? How can we analyze the sensory qualities of food products, and how do these qualities affect consumer preferences?