Charlot, John, 1941-2022

First son to Jean and Zohmah Charlot, John was raised in a world of art, culture, and religion, from Mexico to Hawai'i. After time at Harvard, U. of Louvain (Belgium), and U. of Munich (Germany), John eventually returned home, fashioned a career in teaching and research, most notably with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, and authored a wide range of scholarly articles and books, including "Chanting the Universe: Hawaiian Religious Culture", "Classical Hawaiian Education: Generations of Hawaiian Culture" and "A Kumulipo of Hawai'i." His work displays a rare blend of European training and Polynesian erudition. His broad foundation in philosophy and theology and his research in other Polynesian cultures and languages conferred deep insight into the richness of Hawai'i's oral and written literature and traditions. John nurtured an entire generation of teachers and scholars who continue to demonstrate that Hawaiian literature and religion are worthy of uncompromising academic study and merits the world's attention. His extensive contributions to the preservation of Jean Charlot's legacy and the setting up of Manoa's Jean Charlot Collection and Jean Charlot Foundation are invaluable. - excerpt from obituary

John Charlot was brought to Hawai'i as a child in 1949. He was educated in the mainland United States, Belgium and Germany and earned his doctorate in Religious Studies from the University of Munich in 1968. In 1972-1973, he worked in American Samoa, where he studied language and traditional literature. From 1975-1981, he created a sequence of courses in Hawaiian and Polynesian Religions at the University of Hawai'i. He has written books and articles on culture and religion, including "New Testament Disunity, Its Significance for Christianity Today, Dutton, 1970; "The Application of Form and Redaction Criticism to Hawaiian Literature," The Journal fo the Polynesian Society, 1977; and "The Arts," Atlas of Hawaii, The University Press of Hawai'i, 1973. - short bio from Chanting the Universe book jacket