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Yearly Archives: 2024
Superdeep Nighthawks: The Sword in the Stone (Reitherman 1963) | Dec 12, 8:08pm
8:08pm | IB 1008 
Finals week, end of semester, preparations for the well-deserved break… Get your last ducks & books & spells in a row in enchanting Superdeep fashion, with the Nighthawks & Wolfgang Reitherman’s Sword in the Stone (…& food & drink).
Thu Dec 12, 8:08pm IB 1008.
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Superdeep Nighthawks meet on Thu eve (~9pm till late); more info here. To propose a screening, follow this link; for more info on Superdeep generally, follow this one.
Superdeep is sponsored by DKU’s Humanities Research Center.
Unbound: A Journey Through Flow and Resistance
By Chengxi Yin, class of 2026, Photo by Ruixiang Hu, class of 2027
On December 3, 2024, Duke Kunshan University Humanities Research Center, Gender Studies Lab, Dr. Crystal Kwok, and her students unveiled their collaborative exhibition, Unbound: Flow and Resistance, in the HUM Space. The event was a landmark occasion for the university, blending art, activism, and academic inquiry into a thought-provoking exploration of the human body and its intersections with gender, vulnerability, and resistance.
The ceremony began with welcome speeches from HRC Co-director Dr. Selina Lai-Henderson and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. Scott MacEachern. Both leaders emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary initiatives like Unbound, celebrating the dedication of all who contributed to the exhibition’s realization. Gender Studies Lab Co-directors Dr. Hyun Jeong Ha, Dr. Megan Rogers, and Dr. Jesse Olsavsky also delivered opening remarks, reflecting on the exhibition’s capacity to inspire deeper conversations about gender, identity, and societal expectations.
Student curators Sue Wang and Davit Kavkasyan provided an overview of the exhibition’s concept, highlighting its focus on the body as a site of perpetual transformation and tension. Through multimedia works featuring symbols like eyes, hands, and faces, the exhibit delves into themes of perception, identity, menstruation, fluidity, and healing. It reflects on the body’s role as a battleground shaped by personal struggles and societal forces, celebrating its resilience and capacity for change. The exhibition invites viewers to reconsider their relationship with their bodies and the world.
A major highlight of the exhibition opening was the screening of The Stain: Unshaming Menstruation, a short documentary by Dr. Crystal Kwok and her students. Dr. Kwok, an award-winning filmmaker, actress, writer, and academic, is renowned for her work addressing socially sensitive topics surrounding women, sexuality, and the body. Her previous documentary, Blurring the Color Line, has received numerous accolades, including Best Documentary at the Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival. Speaking about The Stain, Dr. Kwok elaborated on her inspiration for the project: “Menstruation is a universal experience, yet it is often shrouded in shame and secrecy. The film confronts deeply ingrained cultural stigmas around menstruation, challenging taboos and amplifying voices that are often silenced.” By normalizing the conversation, this documentary seeks to create a space for healing and empowerment.
The Stain weaves together intimate interviews, modern dance, music, and poetry, exploring diverse experiences with menstruation. From the anxiety of staining clothing to the stigma of discussing menstruation openly, the documentary sheds light on the complex emotions and societal pressures surrounding this natural process. Stories range from a participant recalling the embarrassment of staining a white prom dress to reflections on intergenerational taboos and cultural misconceptions. One particularly striking moment in the film features a modern dance sequence symbolizing the pain and resilience of menstruating bodies.
The exhibition also included a live poetry reading by members of the DKU Poetry Club, whose works echoed the themes of stain, vulnerability, and resilience. Their performances added another layer of emotional depth, creating a multisensory experience that resonated with attendees.
Through its combination of visual art, film, and live performance, Unbound underscores the potential of creative expression to challenge societal norms and foster understanding. The success of Unbound: Flow and Resistance reflects the power of interdisciplinary collaboration at Duke Kunshan University. This exhibition is not just an end, but a beginning. It exemplifies what can be achieved when students, faculty, and researchers come together to address critical issues through the lens of art and scholarship.
The clip for The Stain: Unshaming Menstruation, a short documentary by Dr. Crystal Kwok and her students, is available here:
Get Your Free Copy of The LilyPad Fall 2024 Magazine!
The LilyPad is releasing our Fall 2024 Magazine this week! This magazine is a collection of the editors’ favorite LilyPad stories published by DKU students this semester, with sections including Student Life, Environment, Health & Wellness, Arts & Literature, Global Politics, Travel & Culture, and the Opinion Column. Stop by CCTW 1st floor outside Family Mart from 11-1:30 on Wednesday and Thursday to get a FREE copy and help support student-led journalism at DKU! Read even more incredible student-written stories at sites.duke.edu/thelilypad and follow our Instagram for story updates at @thelilypad.dku.
Superdeep Nighthawks: Dead Poets Society (Weir 1989) | Dec 5, 9:08pm
9:08pm | IB 1008
Come alive again this week 7 with the Nighthawks & Peter Weir‘s 1989 Dead Poetry Society (…& food & drink).
Thu Dec 5, 9:08pm IB 1008.
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Superdeep Nighthawks meet on Thu eve (~9pm till late); more info here. To propose a screening, follow this link; for more info on Superdeep generally, follow this one.
Superdeep is sponsored by DKU’s Humanities Research Center.
Student Report on Migratory Ghost Reading Event
Pictured left to right: Maya Peak ‘25, Juli Min, Sidney Brown ‘26, and Zhou Sivan.
By Rebecca Combs
On September 22nd, 2024, the HRC welcomed authors Juli Min and Zhou Sivan, along with Migratory Ghost DKU student winners Maya Peak ‘25 and Sidney Brown ‘26, to read their award-winning works in an immersive session. About 20 students and 8 faculty members attended.
The event began with the announcement of both student winners: Maya Peak, Class of 2025 Global Cultural Studies – Literature Track Major, and Sidney Brown, Class of 2026 Global Cultural Studies – Literature Track Major. This was promptly followed by each of them reading their submitted work to the attendees.
First, Maya read her short story titled Metamorphoses: Homunculus, a frankenstein-esque telling of a scientist, their life-given experiment, the gruesome steps of the process, and the emotionally painful reality of their creation having autonomy: “it’s a whole person who treats me like a mystery for not knowing what it is”.
Next, Sidney read her four poetry pieces titled “I Believe I Can Fly”, “Lost at Sea”, “Tempest”, and “The Great Escape”. Each explored the complexities of negative emotions and captured themes of transformation, change, and letting go: “for this moment I am airborne, looking down at this swath of land and empty bodies limping with their strings sewn up”. (“I Believe I Can Fly”)
Following the student winners, Shanghai-based Korean-American author and Harvard University graduate Juli Min read a section of her book Shanghailanders. Published in May of this year, Min’s work of fiction covers Shanghai cosmopolitans told backwards in time. In light of the theme of migratory ghosts, New York Times reviewer Jean Kwok states: “having knowledge of these characters’ futures before we know about their past makes stumbling on their bygone days all the more touching”.
Finally, Hong-Kong-based Malaysian poet and author Zhou Sivan read from his book of poems “The Geometry of Trees”. Published in 2022, Sivan details themes of queer desire through the trees, their trunks, and language, revealing how their growth has stayed with him throughout his entire life. Much like the lurking nature of ghosts, Sivan emphasizes how “in the background, trees dramatize the architectural displays of empire”.
Faculty, authors, and student-winners were treated to a dinner. The event was a complete success, student and faculty attendees alike having been immersed in prose which illuminated the starkly different facets of migratory ghosts–whether fear, folklore, our pasts, or periods of transition and change.
Migratory Ghost Series Finale with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen : Screening of The Sympathizer,Episode 01 & QA Section
Time: Thursday, Dec. 5 @ 6:30 PM
Location: CCTE Theater
Food and drink will be provided.
Date: December 6
Time: 11:15 AM
Location: IB Lecture Hall
About Viet Thanh Nguyen:
Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Sympathizer won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was adapted into an HBO series. A recipient of Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships, his most recent publication is A Man of Two Faces: A Memoir, A History, A Memorial.
Organized by:Stephanie Anderson, Ye Odelia Lu
History Through a Student’s Eyes: Research Assistant & Signature Work
Date and Location: Dec. 4, AB 1079 , 5 to 6pm.
On Wednesday, Dec. 4, from 5-6pm, Haiyi Guo will share insights from his experience working as student researcher for Prof. Zach Fredman for his recently published book The Tormented Alliance and for Prof. Fredman’s new project on the “Rest and Recreation” program in Vietnam. Haiyi will also present his own Signature Work project and receive feedback and comments from the community.
Sponsored by: HRC’s Archives and History Initiative
Student report on Book Proposal Workshop of Incendiary Cities: Fire, Technology, and the Origins of Modern Emergency Response in Germany and the U.S., 1800-1900
Reported by Sydney Brown, class of 2026 &Yuruo Zhang, class of 2027
On Thursday, November 7 2024, the Archives and History Initiative hosted a Book Proposal Workshop. The workshop focused on Professor Jan Hua-Henning’s proposal for his first book Incendiary Cities: Fire, Technology, and the Origins of Modern Emergency Response in Germany and the U.S., 1800-1900. Guest speaker Scott G. Knowles from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology provided feedback on the proposal. Duke Kunshan University (DKU) Professors Titas Chakraborty, Zach Fredman, Joseph Giacomelli, Andrew Fields, and Archivist Ryder Kouba attended the workshop and provided feedback as well. Three students were also in attendance. The comments made by the professors were about the book proposal that was circulated in advance.
Professor Hua-Henning’s book project began in 2016 when he worked with a research group in Germany on critical infrastructures. The group questioned what is considered critical, and what societies deemed worthy of protection. Critical Infrastructure Protection, both a practical endeavor and topic of research, attracts much funding on both sides of the Atlantic. Hua-Henning started to investigate emergency services – rarely considered critical infrastructures – because they offer unique insight into what societies consider worthy of protection. The origins of emergency services lie in the nineteenth century and thereby in the development of early volunteer and paid fire departments. Fire services and the technologies they employed influenced all subsequent forms of emergency response. Incendiary Cities explores how and why emergency services evolved during the nineteenth century. The book argues that the technologies employed by fire services materialized norms and values that continue to guide risk response today.
Scott G. Knowles highlighted several points from the proposal including fire becoming politically and financially intolerable in US cities which created space for the firehouse. He pointed out that firefighting was an urban industrial occupation but occupied a space outside of the factory, and that firefighters were part of a malleable service economy.
Knowles praised Prof. Hua-Henning for his rich archival work and interaction with existing literature. He invited Jan Hua-Henning to further explain his transnational-comparative approach, which focuses on the United States and Germany during a time of rapid industrialization and imperialism. Knowles acknowledged that the book connects to a multitude of historiographies and therefore urged the author to highlight one main argument that allows addressing a broader audience. According to Knowles, the first half of the book connects to the literature on the networked city, while the second half of the book could be understood as a novel approach to transnational networks of risk and to gender in fire response.
Professor Hua-Henning provided a brief response to these comments. He highlighted that the main argument of the book is that firefighting was at the center of a deep transformation of risk management in the nineteenth century. Incendiary Cities takes a transnational approach because fire response evolved in a transnational sphere. The U.S. and Germany took a leading role in this development and compared themselves during this time of rapid industrialization.
Professors Fredman, Chakraborty, Giaocomelli, and Field also provided invaluable information about pathways to improving the argument, structure, and audience of the book. Professor Joseph Giaocemelli, for instance, highlighted that theorizing risk may be attractive to several groups of readers as it appeared as a common theme throughout Hua-Henning’s work.
“UNBOUND: Flow and Resistance” Exhibit Launch
Date: December 3rd
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: HUM Space (AB1075A)
We are excited to announce the upcoming exhibit hosted by the Humanities Research Center: “UNBOUND: Flow and Resistance“! Join us for the launch on December 3rd at 5:30 PM at HUM Space (AB1075A).
This exhibit features the thought-provoking film “The Stain: Unshaming Menstruation (痕)“, which explores themes of body, shame, and resistance in a powerful and engaging way. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided.
Don’t miss out on this inspiring event! We look forward to seeing you there.
Superdeep #32 & CSCC: “Video Game Translation, Localization, & Writing” (with Brandon Toh) | Thu Nov 28, 5:28pm
5:28pm | IB 2028
Are you a fan of Genshin Impact or Tears of Themis? Curious about the behind-the-scenes magic of game localization or how to craft narratives for games? The Superdeep Workshop & CSCC Stories & Images Cluster have you covered! Don’t miss this interactive event featuring a conversation, workshop, and Q&A session with our guest, Brandon Toh, moderated by Ye Odelia Lu! Join us this Thursday, Nov. 28, and level up your knowledge!
Thu Nov 28 | 5:28pm | IB 2028.
Snacks & drinks will be served at the event.
This event is jointly organized by Superdeep & the CSCC Stories & Images Cluster.
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The Workshop is Superdeep‘s venue for philosophical work-in-progress research & practice. For more info or to submit proposals for the Workshop, follow this link; for more info on Superdeep more generally, follow this one.
Superdeep is sponsored by DKU’s Humanities Research Center.
