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” (January 30–March 31, 2026), the symposium hosts a keynote and a roundtable discussion to help establish the interdisciplinary context of the symposium’s theme, and a showcase event of Hamilton Library’s own collections relating to second language education, assimilation, and ethno-nationalism in the Japanese communities in Hawaiʻi in the 1920s–1940s. In addition, there are two brown bag workshops featuring research outputs from scholars overseas. There are guided exhibition tours during the symposium, and a reception on the last day. For the complete schedule of events, please download the event program.

The exhibition is held at the Bridge Gallery, Hamilton Library, between January 30 and March 31, 2026. To attend a guided tour, please meet the Japan Studies Librarian, Mitsutaka Nakamura, at the Bridge Gallery for one of the following scheduled tours:

• March 24 (Tuesday), 10:30–11 a.m.
• March 25 (Wednesday), 11–11:30 a.m.
• March 27 (Friday), 1–1:30 p.m.

The symposium is open to the public. Students and faculty members of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and friends, donors, and members in the Hawaiʻi community are especially welcome.