about us

The future can not be predicted.

However, each of us has a role in the construction of whatever futures do come to pass. Humans have never before had more influence over the futures of our environment, our biology, and indeed, of all life. Futures studies encourages the contemplation of many possible futures, and facilitates dialogue between groups with competing or conflicting visions.

The Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies (Hawaii Futures), established by the Hawaii State Legislature in 01971, is one of the world's most renowned institutions for futures research, consulting, and education. It has been instrumental in the training of two generations of futurists, in the development and spread of judicial foresight, and in bringing foresight and futures thinking to organizations, agenices, and businesses around the world. The Center, in its theories, methods, design and praxis strives to be THE LIVING EMBODIMENT OF FUTURES STUDIES.

Activities of Hawaii Futures are overseen by pioneer futurist Jim Dator, who for nearly a half century has sculpted the very discipline of futures studies. In addition to ongoing professorship, Dator has acted as Secretary General of the World Futures Studies Federation, produced numerous publications on futures studies and emergent issues, and consulted with governmental, military, business, educational, religious, and public-interest organizations in over 40 countries.

about Jim Dator Professor, and Director of the Hawai'i Research Center for Futures Studies Department of Political Science University of Hawaii at Manoa (The Center is also an Affiliate Campus of the International Space University, Strasbourg, France) Mailing Address: University of Hawaii 2424 Maile Way, Saunders 632 Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA Phone: 1-808-956-6601 Fax: 1-808-956-6872 Email: dator@hawaii.edu http://www.futures.hawaii.edu

 

Jim Dator is Professor and Director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, Department of Political Science, and Adjunct Professor in the Program in Public Administration, the College of Architecture, and the Center for Japanese Studies, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa; Co-Chair, Space and Society Division, International Space University, Strasbourg, France; former President, World Futures Studies Federation; Fellow and former member of the Executive Council, World Academy of Art and Science.

He also taught at Rikkyo University (Tokyo, for six years), the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, the University of Toronto, and the InterUniversity Consortium for Postgraduate Studies in Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia.

He received a BA in Ancient and Medieval History and Philosophy from Stetson University, an MA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Political Science from The American University. He did post graduate work at Virginia Theological Seminary (Ethics and Church History), Yale University (Japanese Language), The University of Michigan (Linguistics and Quantitative Methods), Southern Methodist University (Mathematical Applications in Political Science).

He is a Danforth Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Fellow, and Fulbright Fellow.

Major areas of specialization

--Political futures studies (especially the forecasting and design of new political institutions, and the futures of law, education, and technology)

--Space and society, especially the design of governance systems for space settlements

--The political-economic futures of North America, the Pacific Island region, and East Asia, especially Japan and Korea

--Media production and the politics of media, and the effects of these media on political and other human relations and consciousness

Selected funded recent RESEARCH AND TRAINING PROJECTS:

"Through a Brushwood Door: Should Korea Become a Conserver Society?" Report to Korean Telecom (2009)

"Governmental foresight? Of course!" Governmental Foresight and Future Governances project of the Korean Institute for Public Administration (2009)

"Evolution and futures of governmental foresight" Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology 20th Anniversary Conference and the European Parliamentary Technology Assessment Network 2009 Conference, Houses of Parliament, London, UK (2009)

"Campuses 2060: Futures of Higher Education", a continuing joint project with Professor Ray Yeh, the UHM College of Architecture (2009)

Program development for the Futures Center, Anne Arundel Community College, Maryland (2009)

Futures workshops and program articulation for the Futures Program of San Diego City College, California (2009)

Report, Ten Things Every Korean Leader Must Know about Climate Change in the 21st Century, Plus Four Alternative Futures. August 2008 For the Government of Korea
Design Management Institute workshop (2007)

Report on "The futures of families in countries experiencing declining fertility" for the Korean Commission on Women and Children, Government of Korea (2007)

Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Legislative Task Force Kickoff Conference (2006)

"Environmental Scan, 2005." Continuation of funded research conducted every two years for the Office of Planning, Judiciary, State of Virginia, 1994-2005.

Recent PUBLICATIONS:

BOOKS
Many Parts, One Body: How the Episcopal Church Works. Church Press, 2010
Democracy and Futures. (with Mika Mannermaa and Paula Tiihonen). Helsinki: Parliament of Finland, 2006
Fairness, Globalization and Public Institutions: East Asia and Beyond (with Dick Pratt and Yongseok Seo). Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2006.
Advancing Futures: Futures Studies in Higher Education. New York: Praeger, 2002. ALSO published in Korean in 2008

Recent ARTICLES
"Humans and Space: Stories, Images, Music and Dance," in Farthest Shores: A 21st Century Guide to Space, Joseph N. Pelton and Angelia Bukley, eds., Apogee Books, 2010
"Alternative futures at the Manoa School" Journal of Futures Studies, Vol. 14. No. 2, November 2009, 1-18.
“The Unholy Trinity, Plus One,” Journal of Futures Studies, Vol. 13, No. 3, February 2009, p. 33 – 48. Also published in Korean in Shindonga, August 2008, pp. 450-459.
"Futures and Trial Courts," Widener Journal of Law, Vol. 18, No. 2, 2009
"Futures, Volumes One and Two: Then and now," Symposium on the 40th anniversary of the journal Futures, Futures Vol. 40, No. 1, 2008, pp. 893–926
"Court Futures Dialogue" in Carol Flango, et al., ed., Future Trends in State Courts 2007. Williamsburg, Virginia: National Center of State Courts, 2007, pp. 2-17
"Designing governance systems for Mars," in R. Harish, ed., Space Travel and Tourism: New Frontiers. Hyderabad, India: Icfai University Press, 2007, pp. 122-130
"Governing the Futures: Dream or Survival Societies?" Journal of Futures Studies, May 2007, 11(4): 1 - 14
"Religion and war in the 21st Century," in Tenri Daigaku Chiiki Bunka Kenyu Center, ed., Senso, Shukyo, Heiwa [War, Religion, Peace], Tenri Daigaku 80 Shunen Kinen [Tenri University 80th anniversary celebration]. (Tenri-Shi, Japan: Tenri Daigaku, 2007, pp. 34-51).
"Will America ever become a democracy?" in Mika Mannermaa, Jim Dator and Paula Tiihonen, eds., Democracy and Futures. Helsinki: Parliament of Finland, 2006, pp. 61-68.
"Alternative Futures of Policing in New Zealand," in Securing the future: Networked policing in New Zealand. Proceedings of a conference held on 22 November 2006. New Zealand Police, Wellington, New Zealand, pp. 4-14.
"The futures of information, literacy and lifetime learning: A symphonic meditation," Reference Services Review," Vol. 34, No. 4, 2006, pp.471-.
"Alternative futures for K-Waves," in Tessaleno Devezas, ed., Kondratieff Waves, Warfare and World Security. Amsterdam: IOS Press, 2006, pp. 311-317.
"Campus Futures," published simultaneously in Planning for Higher Education (Journal of the Society for College and University Planners), Vol. 34, No. 3, April-June 2006, pp. 45-48; Business Officer (Journal of the National Association of College and University Business Officers), Vol. 39, No. 10, April 2006, pp. 24-17; and Facilities Manager (Journal of the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers), Vol. 22, No. 2, March/April 2006, pp. 24-27.
"Korea as the wave of a future: The emerging Dream Society of icons and aesthetic experience" (with Yongseok Seo), Papers of the British Association for Korean Studies, Vol. 10. 2005, pp. 1-21. Also in Journal of Futures Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1,August 2004, pp. 31-44. Also in Susan Pares and J. E. Hoare, ed., Korea: The past and the present; selected papers from the British Association for Korean Studies BAKS Papers Series, 1991-2005. Oxford: Global/Oriental, 2008
"Universities without 'quality' and quality without 'universities," On the Horizon, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2005, pp. 199-215. (Voted the outstanding paper for 2006); also in Marcus Bussey, Sohail Inayatullah, and Ivana Milojevic, editors, Alternative Educational Futures: Pedagogies for Emergent Worlds. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, 2008, Chapter 6, pp. 90-110
"Assuming 'responsibility for your rose,'" in Jouni Paavola and Ian Lowe, eds., Environmental Values in a Globalising World: Nature, Justice and Governance. London: Routledge, 2004, Chapter 13.

about other futures folks

Dick Barber, Bindi Borg, Mathew Bradford, Stuart Candy, Joe Dolan, Jake Dunagan, Maria Guido, David Hagino, Debora Halbert, Jan Huston, Chris Jones, Jill Keesbury, Dede Letts, Ward Mardfin, Barbara Moir, Mark Nickum, George Omen, Vincent Pollard, Charles Portwood, Sharon Rodgers, Wendy Schultz, Takahiro Suzuki, Michael Sysiuk, Shunichi Takekawa, Sally Taylor, Salvador Valadez, Beth Walters, Anne Witebsky

Greg Aanestad, Marcelino Actouka, Chris Alper, Yoshihisa Amae, Lloyd Asato, Henry T. K. Au , Michael Babich, Toby Bailin, Dick Barber, Christopher Baruffi, Frecia Basilio, Kirk Bergstrom, Bill Buevens, Francine Blume, Michelle Bowman, Mark Bradley, Robin Brandt, Tom Brandt, David Brier, Jim Brock, Michael Buckley, Mitchell Cabral, Grace Caligtan, Cyrus Camp, Stuart Candy, Rosie Chang, Carolyn Ciccarelli, Joshua Cooper, Bill Danks, Malia Kupahu Davidson, Phil Dewan, Yury Di Pasquale, Kip Dooley, Shannon Dorsey, Robert Dziublowski, Gary Forth, Jenny Miller Garmendia, Fredrick Galtung, Barry Gills, Adrianne Greenlees, Robert Grossman, Keith Hamada, Charles Heaukulani, Dean Higuchi, Jan Huston, Sohail Inayatullah, Fred James, Chris Jones, Mark Justman, Darien Kadens, Kenn Kassman, Shawn Kelley, Stephen Kiser, Chris Klutz, Kelly Kraemer, Akiyo Kuramochi, Trudi Lang, Gary Lawler, Avigal Lemberger, Liza Lockard, Kaipo Lum, Sohail Mahmood, David Mason, Phil McNally, Takashi Mita, James Monma, Takuya Murata, Devin Nordberg, Jonathan Peck, Ramsey Pedersen, Anthony Pennings, Anna Powell, James Rae, Bob Reeves, Sue Reid, Aaron Rosa, Richard Rose, Miriam Rosenthal, Samporn Sangchai, Richard Scarce, Michael Scheiern, Wendy Schultz, Yongseok Seo, Jordi Serra, Susan Shawhan, Christa Slaton, David Smith, Siula Solomona, Rich Somerville, Hyeonju Son, Jesse Souki, Tony Stevenson, Betty Strom, Takahiro Suzuki, Chandra Tamarisa, Pam Tevebaugh, Donald Toews, David Thorp, Francis Tuifao, S. P. Udayakumar, Susan Umetsu, Salvador Valadez, Ronald Williams, Alita Wall, Darlene Williams, Charles Willson, Anne Witebsky, Tom Worth, Wayne Yasutomi, Anna Yue, Jan Zastrow, Chris Zivalich.

Robert Alm, James Anthony, David Arakawa, Dennis Arakaki, Lloyd Asato, Summer Banner, Lynda Belcher, Aeza Bolo, Bruce Bikle, Diane Borchart, Sarah Bott, Akili Calhoun, Fred Chaves, Wayson Chow, Betsy Christian, Celia Chu, Deborah Coombs, Carlice Cornett, Marie Couch, Bessie Cousar, Robert Crawley, Karen Curtis, Mike Dahilig, William Dang, Adam Dykes, Linda Ekroth, Libby Ellet, Bonnie Fackre, Kale Feldman, Connie Fisher, Theresa Flood, Susan Foster, Cauleen Glass, Louann Guanson, David Hagino, Susan Harding, Ed Henry, Ted Hong, Richard Hopper, Glenn Horio, Frank Hutchinson, Charles Impastato, Diane Kahanu, Dexter Kaiama, Alvin Kaohu, Kris Kaupalolo, Sandra Kim, Bryan Klum, Ken Kobayashi, Roland Kotani, Dennis Kull, Sanji Kumar, Bruce Lagareta, Greg Laliberte, John Leifhelm, Dede Letts, Kaipo Lum, Linda Luke, Richard Ma, Sarita MacLeod, Rodney Maile, Tom Mandel, Jim Mansfield, David Mason, Bill McMahon, Robert McNamara, Glenda Naito, Paul Nakamura, Lloyd Nakata, Karen Olovsson, Gail Paik, Glen Pascual, Mae Pattison, Dana Peterson, Matt Rohrer, Barbara Ryan, Virginia Ann Sablan, Nelson Santiago, Barry Sato, Malia Scanlan, Suzanne Schapiro, Doug Seelig, Elizabeth Shupe, Douglas A Stepina, Alvin Takahashi, Mark Takai, Chris Uebelein, Lorene Walker, Dawn Wasson, Kore Waymack, Tina Weatherby, Malcomb Webb, Dan Wedemeyer, Andrea Wells, George Wilkins

about other stuff

2006 Annual Report to the Hawaii State Legislature

Hawaii Futures operates within the Department of Political Science of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is an affiliate campus of the International Space University.

Aloha.