Prof Joy Hendry, who has been awarded a De Carle Distinguished Lectureship, opened her time at the university as keynote speaker at the two-day workshop Beyond Oceans: Rethinking Japan's Place in Pacific Anthropology, which attracted international participation.
Prof Hendry was based in Oxford, England, and her work meant she travelled a great deal, most recently to Australia to research the impact of Aboriginals' scientific beliefs on mainstream science. Aboriginal beliefs had an influence on water management and controlled burn-off practices, as well as climate change research.
She was yet to plan her New Zealand research, but would focus on the influence of Maori scientific beliefs on the mainstream here.
Best known for her work on Japan, Prof Hendry said that partly as a legacy of its role in World War 2, it still did not really consider itself part of Oceania.
Reconsidering Japan's place in the Pacific was an exciting topic.
Prof Hendry will also guest lecture in several university departments within the humanities, and a public lecture is planned.
