Inaugural Lecture: Michelle Keown In brief Speaker - Michelle Keown (Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature, University of Edinburgh) Title - ‘A Story of a People On Fire’: exploring the legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands through literature and visual culture Series - Inaugural Lectures at the University of Edinburgh Venue - Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square Register now on Eventbrite About the lecture Between 1946 and 1958, the US undertook 67 nuclear bomb tests in the Marshall Islands, which were at the time incorporated into the US Strategic Trust of the Pacific Islands, allowing the US to exploit the Marshall Islands as a military colony. The nuclear tests resulted in the forced displacement of Bikini Islanders, and decades of exile for the people of Enewetak, as well as high levels of residual radiation that make certain islands uninhabitable for an estimated 25,000 years. This lecture explores creative writing and visual narratives produced during an interdisciplinary research project that investigated the cultural, environmental and human health legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands during the Cold War. Professor Michelle Keown’s Marshallese Arts Project resulted in a range of new creative works that explore the continuing impacts of this nuclear testing, including poetry by Marshallese author and environmental activist Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner and Jerakiaarlap, a graphic novel by Hawaiian artist Solomon Enos. In her public Inaugural Lecture as a Professor at the University of Edinburgh, Michelle will explore the legacies of the nuclear testing with illustrative slides taken from Jerakiaarlap, as well as still images from Kijiner’s videopoem ‘Anointed’, which focuses on the Runit Dome, a huge pit of nuclear waste located in Enewetak atoll. Find out more about research in English Literature, including the Marshallese Arts Project About the speaker Michelle Keown was born and grew up in New Zealand, where she completed a BA in English and Linguistics, and an MA in English Literature (specialising in Maori Literature in English), at the University of Waikato. She completed a PhD in Postcolonial Studies at the University of Kent and subsequently took up a Lectureship in Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Stirling. In 2005, she joined English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, where she teaches courses on Postcolonial writing, Modernism and empire, the Graphic Novel, and Antipodean settler writing. She was appointed Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature in 2019. Read about Michelle Keown's research and teaching How to attend This lecture is a free, in-person event held on the University of Edinburgh campus. It is open to all. The event will not be live streamed - tickets (bookable via Eventbrite) are for access to the venue. However, the lecture may be photographed and/or recorded and added to the University website afterwards. If you would prefer not to appear in any recordings, please contact us in advance or speak to us on the day. It's not a problem. Book now on Eventbrite About Inaugural Lectures Inaugural Lectures are free public talks by recently-appointed Professors and Chairs at the University of Edinburgh where they share their work with a wide audience, inviting reflection and discussion on its broader implications. Browse more Inaugural Lectures on the University of Edinburgh website Are you interested in English Literature at Edinburgh? We offer a wide range of undergraduate programmes, taught masters, and research degrees, including a Masters by Research and a PhD. As an undergraduate, you will read works of literature written in English from around the world, and encounter a range of ideas about the nature and purpose of literary study. Our courses explore the relationship between literary texts and the construction of national, international and imperial cultures. Working with colleagues in LLC and across the wider University, we are able to support postgraduate research which crosses boundaries between languages and disciplines. Find out more about studying English Literature Related links Visit the Marshallese Arts Project website [external site] Apr 26 2023 17.15 - 18.15 Inaugural Lecture: Michelle Keown Join us for 'A Story of a People On Fire', an Inaugural Lecture celebrating the appointment of Michelle Keown as Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature. This free public talk explores the legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands through literature and visual culture. Lecture Theatre G.03 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Register now on Eventbrite
Inaugural Lecture: Michelle Keown In brief Speaker - Michelle Keown (Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature, University of Edinburgh) Title - ‘A Story of a People On Fire’: exploring the legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands through literature and visual culture Series - Inaugural Lectures at the University of Edinburgh Venue - Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square Register now on Eventbrite About the lecture Between 1946 and 1958, the US undertook 67 nuclear bomb tests in the Marshall Islands, which were at the time incorporated into the US Strategic Trust of the Pacific Islands, allowing the US to exploit the Marshall Islands as a military colony. The nuclear tests resulted in the forced displacement of Bikini Islanders, and decades of exile for the people of Enewetak, as well as high levels of residual radiation that make certain islands uninhabitable for an estimated 25,000 years. This lecture explores creative writing and visual narratives produced during an interdisciplinary research project that investigated the cultural, environmental and human health legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands during the Cold War. Professor Michelle Keown’s Marshallese Arts Project resulted in a range of new creative works that explore the continuing impacts of this nuclear testing, including poetry by Marshallese author and environmental activist Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner and Jerakiaarlap, a graphic novel by Hawaiian artist Solomon Enos. In her public Inaugural Lecture as a Professor at the University of Edinburgh, Michelle will explore the legacies of the nuclear testing with illustrative slides taken from Jerakiaarlap, as well as still images from Kijiner’s videopoem ‘Anointed’, which focuses on the Runit Dome, a huge pit of nuclear waste located in Enewetak atoll. Find out more about research in English Literature, including the Marshallese Arts Project About the speaker Michelle Keown was born and grew up in New Zealand, where she completed a BA in English and Linguistics, and an MA in English Literature (specialising in Maori Literature in English), at the University of Waikato. She completed a PhD in Postcolonial Studies at the University of Kent and subsequently took up a Lectureship in Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures at the University of Stirling. In 2005, she joined English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, where she teaches courses on Postcolonial writing, Modernism and empire, the Graphic Novel, and Antipodean settler writing. She was appointed Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature in 2019. Read about Michelle Keown's research and teaching How to attend This lecture is a free, in-person event held on the University of Edinburgh campus. It is open to all. The event will not be live streamed - tickets (bookable via Eventbrite) are for access to the venue. However, the lecture may be photographed and/or recorded and added to the University website afterwards. If you would prefer not to appear in any recordings, please contact us in advance or speak to us on the day. It's not a problem. Book now on Eventbrite About Inaugural Lectures Inaugural Lectures are free public talks by recently-appointed Professors and Chairs at the University of Edinburgh where they share their work with a wide audience, inviting reflection and discussion on its broader implications. Browse more Inaugural Lectures on the University of Edinburgh website Are you interested in English Literature at Edinburgh? We offer a wide range of undergraduate programmes, taught masters, and research degrees, including a Masters by Research and a PhD. As an undergraduate, you will read works of literature written in English from around the world, and encounter a range of ideas about the nature and purpose of literary study. Our courses explore the relationship between literary texts and the construction of national, international and imperial cultures. Working with colleagues in LLC and across the wider University, we are able to support postgraduate research which crosses boundaries between languages and disciplines. Find out more about studying English Literature Related links Visit the Marshallese Arts Project website [external site] Apr 26 2023 17.15 - 18.15 Inaugural Lecture: Michelle Keown Join us for 'A Story of a People On Fire', an Inaugural Lecture celebrating the appointment of Michelle Keown as Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature. This free public talk explores the legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands through literature and visual culture. Lecture Theatre G.03 50 George Square Edinburgh EH8 9LH Find the venue: 50 George Square Register now on Eventbrite
Apr 26 2023 17.15 - 18.15 Inaugural Lecture: Michelle Keown Join us for 'A Story of a People On Fire', an Inaugural Lecture celebrating the appointment of Michelle Keown as Professor of Pacific and Postcolonial Literature. This free public talk explores the legacies of US nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands through literature and visual culture.
