Asia, Pacific, and Hawaiʻi in Regional and Global Contexts

One of our department’s core strengths is the comparative sociology of Asia, Pacific, and Hawaiʻi, in regional and global context. Our faculty offer area and language expertise on East and Southeast Asia. We also have a longstanding commitment to sociological research in Hawai‘i and its broader context of Oceania. Our faculty conduct research in Hawai'i, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, China, and Korea, often adopting transnational and comparative approaches. Topics of research include: family and gender, globalization processes, culture and individual agency, aging and health, law and society, criminal justice, colonialism, organizations and occupations, social stratification and social class, economic development, environmental justice and sustainability, science and technology, and criminal justice, among others.

Core Faculty

Sun-Ki Chai, Jennifer Darrah-Okike, Katherine Irwin, David Johnson, Aya H. Kimura, Le Lin, Manfred B. Steger, Wei Zhang

Related Courses

  • SOC 356: Chinese Society and Culture (3)
  • SOC 357: Japanese Society and Culture (3)
  • SOC 358: Sociology of Korea (3)
  • SOC 456: Racism and Ethnicity in Hawai‘i (3)
  • SOC 495: Topics in Sociology (3)