Dr Sam Pack

The Fiji National University is extremely thrilled to welcome the arrival of Fulbright Senior Scholar, Dr Sam Pack this weekend.

Dr Pack who is a Professor of Anthropology at Kenyan College in Gambier, Ohio will be providing a workshop in digital storytelling, offering campus-wide lectures and film screenings, and leading seminars on topics of mutual interest.

The various topics include – Digital Storytelling for Anthropological Research, the Role of Anthropology  in a digitalized era, Film Screening and Discussion, and many more.

His visit to the FNU is supported by Fulbright’s East Asian & Pacific Regional Travel Program (RTP) where the aim is to share the expertise of American Fulbright scholars already in the region more widely.

“I am spending this current academic year at the College of Indigenous Studies at National Dong Hwa University (NDHU) in Taiwan,” said Dr Pack.

“For the next stage of my academic career, I intend to shift my research focus to Oceania, and this program is a wonderful and serendipitous opportunity for me to build connections and establish collaborative relationships with colleagues at one of the major research institutions in the region.

“I am most excited about exploring the possibilities for collaborative research projects with colleagues at FNU.”

He added that Fiji had long been a dream destination of his and he looked forward to experiencing some of the culture and cuisine.

On Dr Pack

His research interests address the relationship between media and culture and specifically focus on an anthropological approach to the production and reception of television, film, photographs, and new media. He has authored almost fifty articles published in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes as well as two book manuscripts and three ethnographic films. Dr Pack teaches a wide variety of courses in cultural anthropology, visual anthropology, narrative history, Native American Studies, and Asian Studies. He possesses significant international experience having held over a dozen visiting positions at various universities around the world, most recently as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at National Dong Hwa University in Hualien, Taiwan during the 2023-24 AY.

For any enquiry, contact the FNU’s College of Humanities and Education Associate Dean Learning and Teaching (ADLT), Dr Victor Alasa on adlt-che@fnu.ac.fj  or 9793878.