Duke Kunshan University Humanities Research Center
Interdisciplinary Research Center in the Arts, Humanities, and Interpretive Social Sciences at Duke Kunshan University
Please join the Reading Group for “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education” on November 10, 2023, from 12:00 to 1:00 PM at AB3107.
Lunch will be provided.
We look forward to your participation in this enlightening event.
昆山杜克大学人文研究中心荣幸地宣布，我们将于2024年6月6日至8日在中国江苏省昆山市以线上线下相结合的方式举办关于“中西太空探索的精神”的学术会议，并向各界人士诚征提案。
本次会议旨在探讨不同文学、文化、宗教传统中的思想、人物、世界观和叙事如何与当代中外对太空空间的探索研究相联系。我们诚邀来自不同学术领域和背景的科学家以及作家、文学家等人文学者加入我们，参与到这场中外对话之中
本次会议将围绕跨学科研究的前沿领域 【太空文化】(Astroculture) 旨在理解太空时代的文化与历史（Geppert 2012）。虽然目前的宇宙文化研究侧重于欧美，但近年来对俄罗斯太空时代的研究也有所增加。然而，尽管中国对地外空间有着悠久的文化和科学研究史，对中国方面的太空文化研究却相对较少。我们的会议将致力于填补这一知识上的空缺，将对中国太空探索的文化研究与西方学术界联系起来。
各国对太空探索的持续投入证明了太空竞赛不只是为了展示科技实力或体现军事的领先。在西方，征服太空的追求表现了更深层的与太空中神圣存在相遇的欲望，而近来宇宙文化中的宗教因素也吸引了更多学术关注。例如，基于基督教启发的叙事，我们的星球被描述为一个需要逃脱的堕落之地，亦或者是亟待开拓的新疆域。这样的叙事深刻地影响了杰夫·贝佐斯、伊隆·马斯克等致力太空探索的企业家的言辞（Rubenstein 2022）。同样的,学者们也指出太空竞赛在某些新的宗教运动——比如雷尔主义或科学教——的形成中扮演了起到了重要作用。
然而，学界对西方世界以外的太空计划以及其潜在的与亚洲文化、宗教、哲学传统和背景的关联却关注甚少。中国或印度的太空探索背后是哪些更深层的宇宙观？当亚洲的太空探索者遭遇地外生命时，他们将遵循怎样的价值观和伦理法则？哪一种探索和理解宇宙的角度可以避免我们的地球陷入环境危机之中？全球化时代的太空探索要求学者们用跨学科和跨文化的方式思考这一系列问题。
陈楸帆是中国重要的科幻作者创意制作人。他是耶鲁大学的研究员，并在博古睿研究院担任研究员。他与前谷歌大中华区总裁李开复合著了《AI2041:预见个未来新世界》
Jeffrey Kripal博士在莱斯大学担任哲学和宗教研究部门的主席。具有代表性的基本著作有：《伊沙兰：美国与无宗教的宗教》和《蛇的礼赠：诺斯底主义关于宗教研究的思考》。他被公认为宗教、超自然和不可能性方面的领先理论家。
Mary-Jane Rubenstein是一位科学和宗教哲学家，著有多本作品，最著名的是Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race。她在描绘的太空探索的愿景中探讨了摒弃地球殖民此类暴行的可能性，而她的研究也提倡科幻故事更多地关注宇宙自身而非宇宙探索的潜在利益
苏萌，作为起源太空的创始人兼CEO，是当今最重要的太空科学家之一。苏萌教授本科毕业于北京大学物理学院，并于哈佛大学获天体物理学博士，他也是麻省理工学院Pappalardo Fellowship和NASA Einstein Fellowship的获得者。凭借对银河系的泡状结构的发现，他于2014年成为了美国天文学会高能天体物理学最高奖Bruno Rossi Prize最年轻的共同得主。
我们接受不同主题的文章。文章的主题包括但不限于：
本次会议语言为英语
请于2023年12月31日前将文章题目，200英文字摘要，以及一份简短的个人信息发送至邮箱<ben.van.overmeire@dukekunshan.edu.cn> ，并于2024年1月31日前告知我们您是否会线下或远程参加会议。
我们鼓励学者尽可能亲临现场参加。昆山紧邻苏州与上海，并可通过机场和高铁轻松抵达。在昆山市的花销将由昆山杜克大学人文研究中心承担，但我们将无法资助差旅费用。请与组织者联系以获取更多有关差旅的信息。
本次会议结束时，我们将探讨以期刊特刊或编辑书籍的方式出版本次会议上的文章的可能性。
如有任何问题，请通过邮件联系James Miller <jem122@duke.edu> 或Ben Van Overmeire <ben.van.overmeire@dukekunshan.edu.cn>。
Duke Kunshan University Humanities Research Center is pleased to announce a call for proposals for a conference on “The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West,” to be held in person and virtually in Kunshan, Jiangsu, China, from June 6-8, 2024.
This conference will explore how ideas, characters, worldviews, and narratives from literary, cultural, and religious traditions engage with contemporary space exploration in China and the West. It will do so by inviting scholarly and creative contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, bringing humanities scholars, scientists and authors from China and the west in dialogue with each other.
The conference theme is located in the cutting-edge interdisciplinary field of astroculture, which aims to understand the cultural history of the space age (Geppert 2012). Though research on astroculture has mainly focused on America and Europe, there is a growing body of research on Russia as well. Much less has been done on China, despite its long history of cultural and scientific inquiry into outer space. Our conference aims to address this gap in our knowledge and to bring it into conversation with scholarship from the West. Continue reading “The Spirit of Space Exploration in China and the West 中西太空探索的精神”
IB 1008 (IB Auditorium)
The Nighthawks deliver for what you’ve been yearning: Lee Chang-dong‘s 2018 Burning (“버닝” …& food & drink). Thu, Nov 2, 8:24pm, IB 1008 (Auditorium). This slow-burning masterpiece of recent Korean cinema gives credence to a poet’s words: “You cannot unburn what is burned…”
***
Superdeep Nighthawks meet on Thu eve (~8pm till late). For more info, or to submit proposals for the Nighthawks, follow this link; for info on Superdeep more generally, follow this one.
Superdeep is sponsored by DKU’s Humanities Research Center.
IB 1008 (IB Auditorium)
Join the Nighthawks for Orson Welles‘s 1962 Kafkaesque The Trial (& food & drink). Thu, Oct 26, 8pm c.t., IB 1008 (Auditorium).
This screening is Superdeep‘s first collaboration with DKU’s Pre-Law Society, members of which will also have the floor at the event.
***
Superdeep Nighthawks meet on Thu eve (~8pm till late). For more info, or to submit proposals for the Nighthawks, follow this link; for info on Superdeep more generally, follow this one.
Superdeep is sponsored by DKU’s Humanities Research Center.
By Felipe Silvestri
On Friday, September 15th, the Film Society hosted a screening of Patricio Guzmán’s The Battle of Chile: Part I. The movie selection was motivated by the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chilean coup d’état orchestrated by the Chilean military in conjunction with the U.S. It inaugurated a bloody 17-year-long dictatorship whose repercussions are still felt today. Although 50 years may seem like a distant past, the contemporaneity of the topic is evident, considering that, as recently as 2020, Chile still operated under the Constitution drafted during the dictatorship. Attendees were briefed on the historical context through a presentation on Latin America during the Cold War, highlighting key events that led up to 1973.
The Film Society believes DKU’s multidisciplinarity extends beyond the classroom and into the extracurricular activities we host. Guzmán’s documentary brings film, history, and political science together seamlessly, while focusing on his subjects’ lives. The screening was an opportunity for students to learn more about a region oftentimes forgotten by our discussions and events. Although South America is geographically distant from China, both regions share a similar history during the Cold War. Located in the periphery, they were heavily influenced by the overbearing influence of the bipolar world order shared by the United States and the Soviet Union. The artistic direction chosen by Guzmán also allowed the spectator to peer into interviewees’ lives, so as to not forget that people were at front and center of the coup d’état. Listening to people’s perspectives on the turvy political climate of the country in the months leading up to the coup added a human component to the documentary.
Many of the viewers were not knowledgeable about the history of Chile during these years, so it proved to be a very informative screening for them. The pre-movie debriefing also helped situate them in the broad events occurring throughout the region during the Cold War. Although we did not have any Chilean participants, our fellow students from Latin American shared their personal views and how the Chilean story unfolded in similar ways to how their countries fared during the same period. Viewers were shocked to see the dirty war waged by the opposition against the Salvador Allende government, may it be through hoarding supplies or blocking the government agenda. Most of the attendees were pleasantly surprised by the jovial manner Guzmán portrayed the everyday people in Chile through the street interviews he conducted in 1973.
The discussion component of the event proved to be crucial to the educational component of the screening. Seeing as the documentary touched on many different subjects, the discussion allowed for viewers to share their opinions and discuss their views on how it relates to their personal and national experiences. The movie’s ending was a focal point for discussion. In a prelude to the actual coup on September 11th, 1973, the military revolted in mid-1973. On the ground, Guzmán and his crew followed the events. As one of the cameramen was recording the soldiers on the streets, he was shot. Immediately after, the screen faded to black, and the lights turned on. The cliffhanger, both for the cameraman and the documentary, surely left a strong impression on spectators, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats, eager to delve deeper into the riveting narrative presented by Patricio Guzmán. Due to it being only part I of the documentary, the cutoff instigated most viewers into asking the Film Society to host screenings for the other two parts.
We would like to use this space to express our gratitude to the Documentary Lab and the Humanities Research Center for sponsoring our event and enabling us to offer an interdisciplinary, multifaceted approach to literature, cinema, politics, and history. We hope to screen the other two parts of the documentary and, perhaps, host a discussion with professors knowledgeable about the topic or the Third Cinema movement, to which Guzmán belonged.
Join us October 26th 9:00AM – 10:00 AM BJT with guest speaker Dr. Yue Li from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.
In her talk, “Museum Collections in Extended Reality: Explorations on 3D Artifact Interaction and Manipulation Techniques in Virtual Reality and Tangible Interfaces using Augmented Reality” Dr. Yue Li will explore the use of VR and AR in paving a new, modern museum viewing experience.
Zoom Link: https://duke.zoom.us/j/5209607561
Meeting ID: 5209607561
Please join us for an engaging discussion with Professors Yu Wang and Titas Chakraborty on October 25, 2023, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Water Pavilion. Don’t forget to stay connected and receive future updates by joining the GSI group chat!
Light refreshments will be provided.
We look forward to your participation in this enlightening event.
The DKU faculty, staff, and students were invited on Friday, October 13th to our first reading group on the topic of “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education.” As the first event in a series, the primary topic of discussion was based on the book chapter “Pedagogic Framework for Interrupting Heteronormativity” by Michael Seal. This text was selected because it provides an overview of how heteronormativity has traditionally been challenged in higher education. It begins by examining the use of self as a pedagogic tool, followed by the exploration of post-gay and post-closet discourses, critical pedagogy, and queer pedagogy. The chapter concludes by examining two relevant debates within queer pedagogy: whether heterosexuality can be queered and whether straight people can queer it.
The event received a positive response, drawing approximately 20 participants, including both DKU faculty members and students from diverse backgrounds. Within the one-hour event, attendees read the book chapter together, reviewed the similarities and differences between critical and queer pedagogy, and exchanged their insights stemming from the concepts and their own teaching and learning experiences. During the discussion, a student participant posed a compelling question concerning the preparedness of professors in higher education with regards to these pedagogical methods. Unfortunately, the attending faculty members shared that this reading group was the only opportunity they had for professional development.
The event was organized by Zhenjie Weng, Assistant Professor of English Language Education, and Yanan Zhao, Senior Lecturer of English for Academic Purposes, from the Language and Culture Center. The event was sponsored by the Humanities Research Center, which covered the fees for event promotion and refreshments for attendees.
By Zu (Zuo Rui) Gan
On the 12th of October, the CARE lab, the Humanities Research Centre, and the “Meanings, Identities, and Communities” cluster from the Centre for the Study of Contemporary China invited Dr Huaiyu Chen to present on his book about the relationship between animals and humans during the time of medieval Chinese religions. Dr Chen is a renowned scholar on Chinese Buddhism and is an Associate Professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical, and Religious Studies at Arizona State University. A total of 22 students and 6 faculty attended the talk.
Dr Chen first brought up the history and context of Animal Studies. He pointed out that previous scholars had termed Christianity as an anthropogenic religion, and posed the question if Chinese religions were the same. Although Buddhist texts claimed to not harm any living beings, there were other contesting instances. He also highlighted the importance of understanding that although religious texts might portray one thing, the lived experience of the people might be different, emphasizing the gap between the canonical principle and the local understanding and approach. Hence, he stressed the importance of understanding the various social and political contexts and histories in place of these religions and cautioned against depicting Chinese religions as solely being against animal cruelty or emphasizing harmony between humans and animals.
Dr Chen further illustrated his point by providing sources where tigers were captured and pacified by various ruling groups such as the Buddhists, Daoists and the State. In fact, taming animals were often used as a way to showcase the legitimacy and power of a body. With claims of being able to tame tigers, the emerging Buddhists could upset the power balance of the local rulers and claim more followers and legitimacy. Another example Dr Chen provided of the complexities of human-animal relations in medieval Chinese religions was by providing visual evidence from the Dahuang caves, where depictions of humans riding and ruling over animals were commonplace. These depictions were not only uncovered in the past, and Dr Chen showed us modern-day statues of humans and arhats taming animals as well.
Dr Chen also brought up the interesting question of if animals can obtain enlightenment. In his research, he found certain texts claiming that the parrot would be able to achieve enlightenment because of it’s ability to talk. Since it could talk, it could theoretically chant and recite the Buddha’s name and thus eventually achieving nirvana, especially if viewed through the lens of Pure Land Buddhism.
During the Q&A section, some students expressed interest in understanding the relationship between animals and humans in Chinese tales such as the Journey from the West. Dr Chen ended his talk by highlighting that although there was no possible way to determine the agency and thoughts of animals, we can still glimpse the complex relations humans had with the animals that were present around them.
|