On October 23 and 24 2024, the University of New Caledonia is organizing a conference on the Celts in the Pacific.
It will address the question of the Celtic diaspora in the region. This includes Bretons (eastern France), Irish, Scots, Welsh and Cornish people in England.
Research shows that so-called “Celtic” cultures are also present in the Pacific. In Australia and New Zealand, certain diasporas (e.g. Welsh or Cornish) maintained their traditions, languages, beliefs and religions while adapting to their new geographical, cultural and political environment.
In some cases, this was a way of differentiating themselves from the British colonialists. In New Caledonia, 371 Breton families chose exile over poverty, settling there in the second half of the 19th century. The same was true for a number of Irish, Scottish and Welsh immigrants, for whom New Caledonia was a second or even third stop after Australia or New Zealand.
The symposium will bring together historians, geographers, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, literary scholars, historians of religion, ethnomusicologists, mythologists and folklorists.
Guest speakers will include professors Pamela O’Neill (Sydney) and Malcolm Campbell (Auckland).
Also on hand will be documentary filmmaker Paula Kehoe and poly musician Laurent Guillaumot
