SYMPOSIUM: Japanese Language Education in Hawaiʻi in the Interwar Period

March 25, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Mānoa Campus, Hamilton Library, Room 306 and Bridge Gallery

The symposium, “Japanese Language Education in Hawaiʻi in the Interwar Period (1920s–1930s): Second Languages, Assimilation, and Ethno-Nationalism,” promotes interdisciplinary research, scholarly dialog, and source analysis concerning second language education, assimilation, and ethno-nationalism through the lens of the historical experience of Japanese communities in Hawaiʻi in the interwar period.

Building on an exhibition at Hamilton Library, “Rise & Fall of Languages in ‘Paradise’: Japanese Schools, Community Voices, and the Politics of Assimilation in Hawaiʻi” (Jan. 30–March 31, 2026), the symposium will host the following events in Hamilton Library Room 306:

  • March 24, 12–1 p.m. | Keynote Lecture: ‘Paradise’ in Translation – Japanese Hawaiʻi and the Making of ‘Local’
  • March 25, 12–12:40 p.m. | Brown Bag Workshop I: Emerging Perspectives on Language Education in Hawaiʻi
  • March 25, 1–3 p.m. | Roundtable Discussion: Language Education in Hawaiʻi in History – Second Languages, Assimilation, and Ethno-Nationalism
  • March 27, 10–11:30 a.m. | Library Collections Showcase Event
  • March 27, 12–1 p.m. | Brown Bag Workshop II: Japanese Language Corpus System Tutorial (Hamilton Library Japanese Language School Textbooks)

The symposium will also offer guided tours of the exhibition in the Hamilton Library Bridge Gallery with Japan Studies Librarian Mitsutaka Nakamura on these dates:

  • March 24, 10:30–11 a.m.
  • March 25, 11–11:30 a.m.
  • March 27, 1–1:30 p.m.

These events are open to the public. UH ԴDz students and faculty members, friends, donors, and community members are especially welcome. For the complete schedule of events, please visit the to download the program.


Event Sponsor
Hamilton Library, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Mitsutaka Nakamura, (808) 956-2309, mitsutak@hawaii.edu,

Share by email