Basic Information

写真a

Noah Keone VIERNES


Title

Associate Professor

Nationality

UNITED STATES

Research Fields, Keywords

Political thought, cinema, documentary film, social movements, Southeast Asia, indigenous studies

E-Mail Address

E-mail address

Research Field

Political Thought, Social Movements, Visual Culture, Film Studies, Southeast Asian Studies, Indigenous Studies

Recent Activities

My work addresses the dynamics of creative media in social movements, cultural practices and political life. As a teacher and a documentary filmmaker, my courses in Visual Politics, Social Movements, Politics & Society of Southeast Asia and Comparative Politics emphasize the creative potential for documenting social change. My recent work addresses visual culture and political activism in Hawai'i, the aesthetics of protest in contemporary Thai cinema and art, and the role of sound and voice along the Thai-Malaysia borderlands.

Message to Students

My approach to teaching is inspired by experimentation, observation and connection with social, cultural, and political world(s). In this sense, I encourage students to explore the everyday lives of people that surround us. My courses pursue the concept of "the people" through participation and collaboration. In drawing from a transdisciplinary approach, I hope to show some of the global dynamics that impact the places we call home.
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Academic Background (Undergraduate Level) 【 display / non-display 】

  • Indiana University, Political Science, Political Science

    University, 1999/12, Graduated, UNITED STATES

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Academic Background (Graduate Level) 【 display / non-display 】

  • University of Hawaii at Manoa, Graduate School, Division of Politics, Political Science

    Doctor's Course, 2012/05, Completed, UNITED STATES

  • Roosevelt University, Graduate School, Division of Politics, Political Science

    Doctor's Course, 2005/08, Completed, UNITED STATES

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Degree Earned 【 display / non-display 】

  • PhD , Political Science, University of Hawai`i at Månoa, 2012/05

  • MA, Political Science, Roosevelt University, 2005/05

  • BA, Political Science, Political Science, Indiana University, 1999/12

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Professional Career On-Campus 【 display / non-display 】

  • Akita International University Faculty of International Liberal Arts Global Studies Program (Ryoiki), Associate Professor, 2021/04 -

  • Akita International University Faculty of International Liberal Arts Global Studies Program (Katei), Associate Professor, 2018/04 - 2021/03

  • Akita International University Faculty of International Liberal Arts Global Studies Program (Katei), Assistant Professor, 2013/09 - 2018/03

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External Career 【 display / non-display 】

  • Visiting Scholar, University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Political Science, Visiting Scholar, 2022/03 - 2022/08

  • University of Hawai`i, Hilo Department of Political Science, Full-time Instructor, 2012/04 - 2013/03

  • University of Hawai`i at Manoa Department of Political Science, Part-time Instructor, 2006/04 - 2012/03

  • Roosevelt University Department of Public Policy, Research Assistant, 2004/04 - 2005/03

  • Roosevelt University Institute for Metropolitan Affairs, Research Assistant, 2003/04 - 2004/03

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Academic Society Affiliations 【 display / non-display 】

  • Journal of Integrative and Innovative Humanities, 2024/09 - , JAPAN

  • International Visual Sociology Association , 2019/01 - , UNITED STATES

  • International Studies Association, 1900/04 - , JAPAN

  • Association of Asian Studies, 1900/04 - , JAPAN

  • Thai Writer-Translator Directory, 1900/04 - , JAPAN

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Field of Expertise 【 display / non-display 】

  • Politics

  • Aesthetics and studies on art

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Academic Papers 【 display / non-display 】

  • What is a Channel?, i na ki‘i ma mua,na ki‘i ma hope / images at front, images at back , 2025/06, Noah Keone Viernes

    Research paper (other scientific conference materials, etc.), Single Author, English

  • Beyond Republics, Beyond Republics, vol.2023 (1) (p.73 - 96) , 2023/06, Noah Viernes

    DOI:EISSN 1923-5615, Research paper (scientific journal), Single Author, English

  • Restricted Vision: Censorship and Cinematic Resistance in Thailand, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies , vol.52 (4) (p.634 - 657) , 2021/12, Noah Keone Viernes

    DOI:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022463421000990, Research paper (scientific journal), Single Author, English

  • State Monstrosity and the Political Resonance of Dissident Cinema, Pelikula, vol.6 (p.19 - 26) , 2021/12, Noah Keone Viernes

    Research paper (scientific journal), Single Author, English

  • Drones, Cinema and other Protest Cameras in Thailand, The Aesthetics of Global Protest: Visual Culture and Communication (p.171 - 190) , 2019/11, Noah Viernes (Edited by Aidan McGarry, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Olu Jenzen, and Umut Korkut)

    Research paper (scientific journal), Multiple Authorship, English

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Books 【 display / non-display 】

  • When Cinema Resonates: Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Political field of Images, Routledge Press, 2025/12, Alicia Izharuddin, Patrick Campos (Editors), Noah Keone Viernes (Contributor)

    Scholarly Book, Multiple Authorship , English

  • Asian Sound Cultures: Voice, Noise, Sound, Technology, Routledge Press, 2023/04, Noah Keone Viernes

    Scholarly Book, Multiple Authorship , English

  • The Aesthetics of Global Protest Visual Culture and Communication, Amsterdam University Press, 2019/09, Aidan McGarry, Itir Erhart, Hande Eslen-Ziya, Olu Jenzen, Umut Korkut, Noah Viernes, et al

    Scholarly Book, Multiple Authorship , English

  • Readings for Academic Writing, AIU Press, 2016, Clay Williams, Rachael Ruegg, Naoko Araki, Mary Frances Agnello, Paul Chamness Miller, LIndsay DeWitt

    Textbook, Multiple Authorship , English

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Other Research Activities 【 display / non-display 】

  • Sovereign (Grant: Hoakea Source, Andy Warhol Foundation), 2024/04 - 2025/03

    Fieldwork

  • Sovereign (Grant: North Beach West Maui Benefit Fund), 2023/04 - 2024/03

    Fieldwork

  • Ka Leo (2023) Short documentary film at Museum of Modern Art, 2023/02

    Other

  • Sovereign (Grant: North Beach West Maui Benefit Fund), 2022/10 - 2023/03

    Fieldwork

  • Sound design for "Ramadan Nights", 2022/01 - 2022/02

    Book Review

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Other External Funds Procured 【 display / non-display 】

  • North Beach - West Maui Benefit Fund Inc.，2022/10 - 2023/03，Sovereign: Kuleana Land in Kauaula Valley, Maui

    Sovereignty is the power of the decision in the context of the law. But self-determination is only a small part of how the elements fuse together. As Mauna Loa erupts, the lava flows, and rent rises, taro farmers in Kauaula Valley, Maui build a movement to safeguard their claims to ancestral lands. This research creates a visual record to elucidate the legal, historical, and social dynamics that keep this community intact.

    Private Foundations

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Presentations 【 display / non-display 】

  • 42nd International Visual Sociology Conference, International Conference, 2025/06, Documentary and the Political Field of Fiction in the Films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Oral Presentation (general)

  • 2024 American Studies Association Conference, International Conference, 2024/11, Lahaina Fire Archives: Restoring Lahaina through Documentary, Ceremony, Law, and History, Oral Presentation (general)

  • Korean Association of Cultural Sociology International Conference 2024, International Conference, 2024/09, Diversity and Dynamics in Visual Research: Navigating Case Studies, Oral Presentation (general)

  • 11th Association for Southeast Asian Cinemas Conference, International Conference, 2023/08, Noise and Collectivity in Apichatpong Weerasethakulʻs Memoria, Oral Presentation (general)

  • Asian Studies Conference Japan (ASCJ), Domestic Conference, 2023/07, Zakariya Amataya and Michel Foucault's theorization of 'field' research, Oral Presentation (general)

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On-Campus Classes/Subjects In Charge of 【 display / non-display 】

  • 2025, Spring, PLS367-1_S, Politics and Society in Southeast Asia

  • 2025, Spring, GSP493-4_S, Seminar in Transnational Studies

  • 2025, Spring, CPS490-6_S, Capstone Seminar: AILA IV

  • 2025, Spring, PLS385-1_S, Social Movements

  • 2025, Spring, IGS200-1_S, Introduction to Global Studies

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Community Activities Outside University 【 display / non-display 】

  • Short Film: Hanauma: He Wahi Loli Maui，2025/05

    Hanauma: He Wahi Loli Mau (2025) is a 19-minute experimental educational program composed of an eclectic mix of audiovisual material. Through animations, a public service announcement, underwater adventures, portraits of sea, land, and sky, field recordings and soundtracks the short film weaves together different interpretations of place across time. Hanauma: He Wahi Loli Mau visualizes and amplifies creation stories and lived experiences of Hanauma Bay in the ahupuaa of Maunalua on the island of Oahu for culturally diverse audiences while remaining deeply rooted in the particularities of Hawaii.

  • Showcase of Apichatpong Weeresethakul short films，2025/01

    The workshop consists of gatherings to watch films, discuss readings, watch each other's work, and engage in activities around the stated themes. One of these three-hour sessions included a forum devoted to the work of Thai filmmaker Apichaptong Weerasethakul. After viewing the films, I was invited to provide a national and global context for his work while connecting core aesthetic elements into a film method for Hawaii-based artists and filmmakers.

  • Short Film: Ka Leo，2023/02

    Ka Leo gathers Native Hawaiian voices and layers them over images of the 2019 stand against construction of the 30 Meter Telescope International Observatory and desecration of Mauna Kea on Moku Keawe.

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