Making History in Honolulu

Catalog description

Stremlau and Mortensen Since the mid-nineteenth century, Honolulu has been a site of political, economic, and cultural significance. Designated as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha III in 1850, Honolulu now serves as a capital of a settler state. While Honolulu’s population is nearly a quarter Indigenous and Pacific Islander, the city’s diverse population today also reflects a complicated history of migration from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. This course explores the production of historical narratives about this complex city. How have different groups created, explained, memorialized, and remembered the past in Honolulu? Course materials include scholarly monographs, essays, and articles in addition to primary sources, films, music, literature, and site visits. Students will design and complete an independent research project, which can be a paper or other creative product, on a topic of historical significance and personal interest about Honolulu. Course members will spend spring break on a trip led by faculty and conduct research in some of Honolulu’s many archives. Davidson College will finance all course-related travel. Satisfies a History major and minor requirement. Satisfies the Historical Thought Ways of Knowing requirement. Prerequisites & Notes Intended for History majors and minors and will require permission to enroll.