Applied / Engaged / Activist / (ultimately) Kuleana Anthropology in the Classroom and Beyond – An Interview with Professor Christine Yano

Abstract

Christine Yano has recently retired as Professor of Anthropology at the University of Hawaii. She has conducted research on Japan and Japanese Americans with a focus on popular culture. At the University of Hawaii, she taught a course called ‘Applied/ Engaged/Activist (ultimately) Kuleana Anthropology’. This is predicated upon the idea that we need not choose between scholarship on the one hand, and community engagement on the other, and it encourages consideration for how anthropologists can nurture lasting relationships with those whom they work with. In this interview, the concept of ‘Kuleana’ driven anthropology is introduced and Christine unpacks the realities of publishing with students, decolonizing the curriculum, sparking student interest, and building trust in the classroom.