Home - Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania

Welcome to ASAO
Dedicated to the anthropology of the Pacific region and its peoples.

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ASAO's next Annual Meeting is in 2027 in Apia, Samoa!

Stay tuned for more information here!

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Thanks to everyone who attended the
2026 ASAO Annual Meeting!
February 4 to 8, 2026
Virtual
List of Sessions

The Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania (ASAO) is an international scholarly society dedicated to the anthropology of the Pacific. ASAO welcomes anyone interested in the lives of Pacific people, including scholars working in Native/Indigenous Studies, Pacific Studies, Cultural Studies, and other disciplines.

For over fifty years, ASAO has served to connect scholars from across the globe and to further knowledge of the Pacific. Our annual meeting has played a role in the origin of several important pieces of Pacific scholarship, including Epeli Hau‘ofa's essay "Our Sea of Islands" and Marshall Sahlins's "Historical Metaphors and Mythical Realities".

Our annual meetings are intimate, discussion-based, and cooperative, especially in support of developing topics for publication. In addition, ASAO has a book series and a special publication series, and many other publications have emerged from ASAO sessions (including but not limited to those listed in this cumulative bibliography).

ASAO encourages the full participation of Pacific Islanders through the Pacific Islands Scholars Award (PISA). Its Collaboration and Reciprocity (CORE) program supports ASAO members interested in co-creating and disseminating projects together with source communities in Oceania and the diaspora whose outcomes will directly benefit those communities.

ASAO also publishes a newsletter three times per year, with useful information such as annual officer reports, meeting session reports, and community updates. Our social media accounts (see links at the bottom of the page) share ongoing news and events.

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