Twenty-Third International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

The Alexander & Baldwin Sugar Museum and the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives partnered in the mid-2010s in the only known effort to digitize and make available to the public a substantial collection of Hawaiian plantation employee records. This paper features a multi-disciplinary approach to these records and includes a discussion on the necessity of a comprehensive historical and sociological contextual understanding of the populations that the records document; the digital humanities work that has been done using the raw data from the records; and the digital future of the records.

Oceanic Journeys

Alvin Joseph
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Yann Martel’s novel "Life of Pi" recounts the extraordinary survival story of Pi Patel, a young boy stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger as his companion. While the novel’s premise is grounded in a literal journey of survival against the ocean’s unpredictable elements, this paper explores how Pi’s oceanic voyage becomes a metaphorical and philosophical journey. The paper argues that the ocean functions as a dual symbol: it reflects both the external struggle for survival and an inner quest for meaning, faith, and transformation. Through his time at sea, Pi undergoes profound physical, mental, and spiritual transformations, facing the duality of reality and illusion, reason and belief, as represented by his two versions of the story. Drawing on theories of survival literature, postcolonialism, and the metaphysical, this paper examines how the oceanic setting in 'Life of Pi" functions as a space for the exploration of human resilience, existential inquiry, and the interplay between narrative and truth. Ultimately, the ocean in "Life of Pi" becomes a symbolic arena where Pi confronts both the forces of nature and the profound depths of his own being.

Analyzing the Absence of Malice Movie, Focusing on Facts Vs. Assumptions

Sonika Lamichhane
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

This study examines the interplay between facts and assumptions presented in the movie Absence of Malice 1981. A reporter, Megan Carter, writes a news story on the front page of the newspaper that links Michael Gallagher, a businessman, to a murder investigation without verifying the information. The movie has shown how the reporter, Megan Carter, wrote the story without seeking confirmation and how a lack of verifying the information and premature reporting harm the people. Through visual analysis, this study considers the characters, plot, dialogue, and facial expression of the movie to analyze the importance of fact in the news story and how assumptions, prioritizing speed to cover the story, and a lack of verification of news can hamper the people and break the journalistic principles, i.e., accuracy, balance, and credibility. Furthermore, this study also draws connections to real-world instances of journalistic practices. This study highlights responsible journalism and the importance of cross-verification of information to safeguard the trust of the public and to maintain the credibility of the media houses.

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