Kahoolawe Island and the US Navy

Starting from the U.S. military activities in Kahoolawe (an island in Hawaii) in the XX century – with particular focus on the events of Pearl Harbor – Kyle Kajihiro explores the legacy, damages, criticism connected with it, but also the impact of the U.S. colonization and the social scars that are still visible today. Reshuffling of identity, endangering spices social crisis, maritime and geographical alterations, change of political interest: these are the main issues approached by the guest, who does not fail to acknowledge that historically, the island served the U.S to strengthen its position in the Pacific. Environmental care is another sensitive elements within the Pacific region, which shapes the local political relations. Colonialism – which entails also U.S. bases on the Hawaiian Islands archipelago – affects the geopolitical balance in the regions. Demilitarization, Kajihiro insists, must be on a future agenda, as ecological contaminations go well beyond the military operation and has considerable and concerning impacts on the territorial landscape of the island today as well.

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