A newly established award is paying tribute to prominent Pacific historian and former University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Professor Brij V. Lal who died in December 2021. Created to honor his significant contributions to the Pacific history field and scholarship, the Professor Brij V. Lal Award will honor exceptional articles published in The Contemporary Pacific, a journal by the UH Mānoa Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS).
“This award represents a wonderful testament to Brij’s scholarly legacy as the first editor of The Contemporary Pacific, as well as the generosity of the Lal family,” said Terence Wesley-Smith, UH Mānoa emeritus professor and chair of the journal’s review committee.
The first awardee
The first awardee was Monica C. LaBriola, an assistant professor of history at UH Mānoa. LaBriola received the recognition for her article, “Marshallese Women and Oral Traditions: Navigating a Future for Pacific History,” published in the journal’s fall and spring 2023 issues. Her work focuses on reevaluating the role of women in Marshallese history by analyzing oral and performative traditions.
“To say it is an honor to be the inaugural recipient of the Professor Brij V. Lal Award is an understatement—he was a true giant in the field of Pacific history. I hope Brij would approve,” said LaBriola.
Pioneering scholar
Professor Lal, known affectionately as Brij, was a pioneering scholar whose work greatly influenced the study of Pacific history, especially regarding Fiji and the Indian diaspora. In recognition of his impactful career, Lal’s family, CPIS and UH Mānoa established the annual award to honor a The Contemporary Pacific article that embodies the rigorous scholarship and depth of understanding Lal championed.
The Lal family shared their excitement about the award’s first recipient.
“We are delighted the winning article examines a nation’s history from the perspective of previously marginalised voices, and that it is written by an early career academic. I know Brij would also have wholeheartedly supported the award going to an article that reflects interdisciplinary historiography and embraces non-traditional sources of knowledge to provide a more nuanced understanding of a country’s history.”
This year’s award was based on articles published in 2023 and reviewed by Wesley-Smith, Emeritus Professor David Hanlon and Stu Dawrs, senior Pacific librarian.
