Geological in origin 'Pacific Rim' refers to a zone of high tectonic stresses along the
margins of the Pacific Ocean thus conceptually tying together the Americas the islands of the
South Pacific Australia and New Zealand as well as Southeast and Northeast Asia. The phrase
gained wider currency in the 1970s when the political and economic situation of the United
States necessitated a strategic reorientation in terms of spatial imaginaries and
concomitantly the coinage of a new transnational discourse. While the notion of the Pacific
Rim has seeped from the realms of politics business and trade into cultural studies scholars
increasingly challenge its logic of linkage along borders and develop alternative conceptions
favouring for instance an archipelagic approach. The volume contributes to the current debate
by offering expert geohistorical and theoretical discussions plus in-depth analyses of cultural
products including photography film TV music and literature.
