Visiting history professor Dr. Hermann Hiery will present a lecture entitled “Micronesians and Germans: Old Ties, New Perspectives” during which he will explore German colonial policies in the Northern Marianas from 1899 to 1914.
Hiery will focus particular attention on District Officer Georg Fritz and his relationship with the Ada family.
The second lecture, entitled “The Japanese occupation of Micronesia during World War I,” will be given by Yuko Maezawa. This discussion will cover Japan’s initial seizure of the Micronesian islands from Germany at the beginning of World War I.
Maezawa will also describe the conflicts that arose between Japanese military and civilian authorities concerning how these newly-acquired islands were to be administered.
Both lectures draw on historical documents held in German and Japanese archives including recently discovered records that provide a new perspective on initial Japanese colonial rule of Micronesia.
Hiery is chair for the Department of Modern History at the University of Bayreuth, in Germany.
He has authored a number of papers and books on Germany’s colonial activities in the Pacific during the early decades of the 20th century.
Maezawa is a PhD student in history at the University of Bayreuth.
This program is a part of the council’s ongoing community lecture series that provides public presentations on a variety of humanities-related topics.
Interested individuals are invited to contact council staff at 235-4785 or visit the Web site at www.nmihumanities.org.
