Open events

The session featuring Dr. Alice Te Punga Somerville will explore the intersections of Indigenous literary studies, Pacific studies, and decolonization. As a literary scholar, poet, and activist, Te Punga Somerville's work centers on expanding Indigenous literary practices, considering the diversity of Indigenous literary archives, and resisting colonial frameworks through storytelling. As a Māori literature scholar from Aotearoa now working at UBC on unceded Musqueam territory, questions of location are particularly relevant to her thinking about literary production, especially the shared oceanic contexts that complicate and reframe discussions of territory that so often focus on land. Her session will highlight the importance of relationality in Indigenous writing, focusing on the connections between Indigenous peoples across the Pacific and their shared histories of resistance. Te Punga Somerville’s interdisciplinary approach integrates literary, cultural, and environmental contexts, offering a unique perspective on the power of storytelling in decolonizing education and fostering Indigenous resurgence. The session will offer an inclusive space for dialogue, bringing together scholars from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to reflect on how Indigenous literary practices inform critical conversations on decolonization, environmental justice, and collective belonging.

This session will be presented in English with French captions.