Julian Aguon appointed Inouye Chair

Julian Aguon has been appointed the new Dan and Maggie Inouye Distinguished Chair in Democratic Ideals at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for Fall 2024. This position was created in 2005 to honor the late U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, along with his wife Maggie, for their lifetime of public service and promotion of democratic ideals and civic engagement. The Inouye Chair aims to bring leading scholars, artists, and public intellectuals to share their knowledge with the community at large.

The Inouye Chair has been held by a long list of esteemed individuals including historian of African American history John Hope Franklin, political activist and author Angela Davis, and Pulitzer-prize winning novelist, Viet Thanh Nguyen. The position is jointly administered by UH Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law and Department of American Studies.

Julian begins his term on September 4, with a public lecture to be delivered at the Orvis Auditorium. The breadth of Julian’s expertise and experience working across the Pacific region makes him an excellent fit as Chair. As Dean Camille Nelson from the William S. Richardson School of Law notes, “Julian Aguon is a powerful global voice in the courts, on the written page, and on the ground in communities across Oceania.”