Journal of Transnational American Studies

This paper visits, interacts with, and listens to place. Rather than ascribing narratives and frames to the spaces we study, it encourages scholars to take pause and to sift through the many layers of complex histories of and from place to uncover the stories not being told. As an example, this paper will focus on Kamilo, a beach located on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi, that has become known (in recent years) as “Plastic Beach.” It will use the beach as a means of grappling with issues of accessibility and (in)visibility and the dangers of colonial framings, and will reposition the beach not just as a place of crossing, but one of destruction and creation. It will also propose that working with and on spaces requires a consideration of the responsibilities that researchers have to the places they work in. This paper will not only uncover stories but will tell them, circling between personal experience, research, and critical reflection.