Category: Event Recap

Posted on

Student Report on Reading Group for “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education”

Report by Yaxuan Wang, class of 2027 & Photo by Ruixiang Hu, class of 2027

On Friday, October 11, 2024, around 10 DKU faculty, staff, and students gathered for our second reading group session on “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education.” We were delighted to welcome both returning participants and first-year students for this engaging and thought-provoking discussion.

 

This session began with the “Word of the Day” activity focused on intersectionality. Zhenjie Weng and Yanan Zhao led participants in exploring how various aspects of identity—such as gender, ethnicity, and social class—intersect and contribute to unique experiences of privilege or discrimination. Participants reflected on their own identities through a personal exercise, highlighting how intersecting components can shape individual experiences.

 

The session’s main reading was Xia (2024), which examined intersectionality and discrimination among LGBTQ+ Asian international students in the U.S. education system. This study highlighted the additional layers of discrimination that LGBTQ+ students from East Asia face due to cultural conflicts, including internalized homophobia, while attempting to adjust to a new educational environment. Participants engaged in an insightful discussion about the cultural norms in East Asia that influence the experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as how these norms intersect with racial and gender identities to complicate the experiences of students studying abroad.

 

The session concluded with a group activity where participants worked on creating scenarios that reflected the intersectionality challenges faced by LGBTQ+ international students. This hands-on approach helped foster a deeper understanding of the topic, encouraging participants to consider how educators can create more inclusive and supportive environments.

 

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, and was sponsored by the Humanities Research Center. Student worker Yaxuan Wang also contributed to the success of the event. Our next reading group session will be held on November 8, 2024.

Posted on

Student Report for “Gender + Labor” Event

By Xinyu Liao, Class of 2027

On September 24, 2024, a thought-provoking panel discussion focusing on the intersection of gender and labor was held by the HRC’s Gender Studies Lab in the Water Pavilion. The panel featured distinguished professors, including Sajida Tuxun, who researches female waitresses and caregivers; Nellie Chu, who studies gender in the context of fast fashion and migrant labor; and Jaehee Choi, who examines social policy and labor market dynamics. Together, they shared insights on the experiences of women in the service industry and the broader implications of social norms and policies. About 40 students and 10 faculty members attended.

 

Professor Sajida Tuxun opened the discussion by addressing the emotional labor expected of female waitresses, emphasizing the challenges of representation in a male-dominated workplace. She highlighted the unique regional characteristics of caregivers and the impact of high mobility and instability on their experiences, noting that current policies significantly shape working conditions for women in these roles. This foundation set the stage for a deeper exploration of gender dynamics in the workplace.

 

Building on Professor Tuxun’s insights, Professor Nellie Chu elaborated on how gender divisions influence access to private spaces and field sites. She discussed the subtleties of gendered language in the workplace, particularly the reluctance of women to publicly claim authority, which reinforces traditional gender roles. She examined the distinction between “work” and “labor,” pointing out how much of women’s labor remains invisible and unrecognized, particularly in wage relations. Her contributions underscored the pervasive challenges women face in asserting their identities and roles within professional settings.

 

Transitioning to a broader context, Professor Jaehee Choi contributed by discussing the “M-shaped curve” labor force participation of Korean and Japanese women, characterized by declines in employment after childbirth and subsequent increases as children grow older. She then discussed a recent South Korean policy to improve the low fertility rate, in which the government provided monetary compensation to households for their childbirth. However, researchers found that parents spent it to invest in their children’s private education rather than basic child-rearing expenses as initially intended. This analysis highlighted the highly competitive Korean society that may deter childbearing among married couples and emphasized the need for systemic changes to support working families.

 

The conversation then shifted back to the experiences of women in the service industry, with Professor Tuxun highlighting the early pregnancies of many young migrant waitresses. These early pregnancies often lead to conflicts between work and familial responsibilities, complicating their professional trajectories. She contrasted high-end caregivers, who receive better pay and have different requirements compared to traditional “保姆” (nannies), reflecting on the global dynamics of domestic labor. This discussion illuminated the nuanced realities faced by women navigating both professional and personal demands.

 

In closing, Professor Chu emphasized the importance of understanding what constitutes a reproductive body within the labor context. She discussed the complexities of bargaining in workplace relationships, illustrating how women’s labor often goes unrecognized despite being crucial to family and societal structures. This final point reinforced the need for a comprehensive understanding of women’s contributions to both the economy and the home, calling for greater recognition and support in addressing gender disparities.

 

To conclude, the panel provided a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted challenges women face in the labor market, revealing the need for policies that recognize and address gender disparities. The insights shared by the panelists sparked meaningful dialogue about the future of women’s labor in an evolving economic landscape, concluding with a call for further research and advocacy aimed at improving the working conditions and recognition of women in various sectors.

Posted on

Student Report for the “LaunchPad” Event

By Graham Wood, class of 2024

Last Saturday night saw writing and literary groups come together and learn more about one another at the “LaunchPad,” organized byThe LilyPad, DKU’s premier independent student-run newspaper and magazine and sponsored by the Humanities Research Center (HRC).

The event aimed to bring campus writing and literary groups on together to foster collaboration and draw inspiration from one another. Students were given an opportunity to hear from a range of groups all seeking to share ideas, encourage critical thinking, and help students grow.

Held at the HRC’s new HUM Space in the Academic Building, around 40 students came together for some food and networking before listening to speakers from various DKU writing and literary organizations.

Editor-In-Chief Graham Wood and Deputy Editor-In-Chief Maya Peak of The LilyPad kicked off the event with a welcoming and update on the student newspaper before handing off the podium to Sebastian Portilla, The LilyPad’s News Editor.

Professors Austin Woerner, John Noonan and Sophia Zhou followed with a presentation on Intersections, a long-standing bilingual magazine founded by Woerner when he taught at DKU years ago.

Professor John Noonan spoke about the writing and journalism classes he teaches at DKU, which have helped train some students writing for The LilyPad currently. Professor Zhou concluded with an emphasis on international students’ opportunity to write in Mandarin for the magazine.

Superdeep, represented by Professor Nathan Hauthaler and students Felipe Silvestri and Philip Yanakiev, came next and covered a range of projects run by the HRC lab.

Amanda Niza-Golzalez and Cody Schmidt, representing South-North Scholars, talked next about the Nexus Global South Journal and their coming second issue.

DKU Student Broadcasting, represented by student Michelle Tom came next, where Tom described the club’s works in video journalism, the experience of club members and avenues of future growth for journalism at DKU.

Finally, Sydney Brown represented the Poetry Club, encouraging students to break into writing poetry and Brown’s own experience with the creative process of poetry writing.

The LilyPad concluded the event with highlighting open positions on the editorial board, with staff writers and the creative team. Before concluding the event, the theme of the next issue of The LilyPad Magazine was announced, called “community.”

Posted on

Student Report on Migratory Ghosts – Poetry Translation Workshop

Report by Rebecca Combs, class of 2025 & Photos by Ruixiang Hu, Class of 2027

On September 20th, 2024, HRC’s Migratory Ghosts reading series welcomed previous DKU Professor and University of Leeds Teaching Fellow Austin Woerner for an interactive discussion and workshopping of Chinese-English poetry translation. About 25 students and 3 faculty members attended the event at the HUM Space.

 

Prof Woerner started the event asking each student how many languages they knew, with the audience being filled with a thorough distribution of native Chinese and English speakers. He then began a discussion of how and why he became interested in poetry translation in the first place. He talked about his post-undergrad interests and perspectives, specifically esteemed contemporary Chinese poet Ouyang Jianghe and his desire to assist translating some of his poems into English. Prof Woerner had heard that Jianghe’s poetry was really hard to translate, some even saying his poetry was untranslatable.

His initial thoughts on the prospect were: “that’s what I want to do, I want to be the guy that translates the untranslatable poetry, and I want to be the first one to do it well”. Prof Woerner got the opportunity to fly out to Beijing where the poet lived, spending several weeks working with him in person to understand his poetry better in order to translate it better. “Maybe I could even do a version in English that is better than the original!” Prof Woerner thought at the time.

 

What he learned from that experience was that his  desire to inhabit the author’s vision and channel it, a perfect version of translation, actually doesn’t male a lot of sense. What is powerful about a poem is not what it is in the author’s mind, but what is in the readers’ minds; “it was the conversations I had about the work I was translating that was the most interesting”.

 

Students were then given two poems and two choices: Sunday’s Empire by Peter Gizzi to translate into Chinese, or to edit an initial Chinese-to-English translation of Fake House by Lu Dong. They split off into groups to work for the rest of the event, coming together at the end to review each other’s work alongside Prof Woerner.

Posted on

Student Report on the Workshop: “Casual Queering: Playing Chinese Gay Dating Apps Wrong”

By Nathan Franco, Class of 2028

On September 11th 2024, the HRC’s Gender Studies Lab welcomed visiting Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology Andrew Wortham to speak about his research project titled  “Casual Queering: Playing Chinese Gay Dating Apps Wrong.” About 35 students and ten faculty members attended.

 

Professor Wortham began by introducing various queer terms and analytical thinking along with a little description of his past venture(s) in Kunming, where he had the chance to study gay dating apps like “HeeSay,” previously known as “Blued.” The application “Blued” was usually downloaded by queer individuals with the “hard core” goals of finding romantic, sexual, or platonic relationships, however, as Professor Wortham showed, the people behind the scenes who worked for “Blued” had different goals, namely to encourage “at risk” individuals to get tested for HIV/Aids (Blued, like other dating apps, have a connection with the Centers for Disease Control).

Professor Wortham further discussed having worked “hand-in-hand” with one exceptional Kunming-based employee who constantly persuaded at-risk individuals to come to his office and get tested by using a more masculine or feminine way of communication in order to accomplish his “hard-core” goal.

Apart from these “hard core” goals, Professor Wortham established the term “playing” in context to gay dating apps.  Rather than viewing gay dating apps through an absolute (i.e. “hard core”) lens of finding a partner or for sexual engagement(s), the worker in Kunming used gay dating applications in the same manner as if he were playing a game. It did not have to be serious, so his conversations with users were typically mellow, dramatic, satire-filled, and comedic (“low stakes”). Users with their goals in mind usually kept the conversation going to fulfill time, reliving the stress and anxiety the app may have caused (through “play”).

 

However, entering some of these apps with romantic and sexual goals also comes with “normativity and discontent,” which can cause stress and make users want to uninstall the app. But in the end, they may find themselves reinstalling such apps because, as  Wortham explains, “play” in these interactions that are not purely sexual results in users deciding to interact again.

 

Professor Wortham describes casual queering as “[p]laying hard-core, normative dating app goals in a way that is not (at least temporarily) about accomplishing the goal, but instead joyfully filling time.” This means rather than using queer applications for the” hard-core” goal of finding a romantic or sexual partner; users are using them in the “wrong” way to engage in low-risk, fun conversations.

 

During the last 15 minutes, there was a Q&A session with Professor Wortham and the audience. Some of the questions asked were:

 

Q1: Is the HIV/AIDs status of a person posted on their profile?

A1: Yes, in some apps, you can opt-in to show your status and when you were tested. But this can come with a lot of problems because some people who are HIV+ would be unlikely to post their status visible because of discrimination and alienation.

 

Q2: After working at these queer app companies, how did workers get the right at-risk people to get tested?

A2: This is normally done through a manner of trustworthiness. People who were there and were willing to talk eventually led to a causal relationship, which led to getting tested.

 

Q3: Why are people at risk unwilling to be tested? What about the new 7-day drug that could prevent HIV?

A3: Some people are terrified about getting a positive result. There is a lot of stigmata/false information about how HIV is spread in addition to social isolation and the chance of being outed, which is why these companies encouraged people to speak with their families and friends, even going as far as providing a script.

 

Regarding the drug, as this is a new drug, many people, especially in rural areas, do not know that this drug exists. While some may fear being seen taking the drug or having the drug. Resulting in them not even getting the drug in the first place.

 

Q4: How is “play” different from flirting?

A4: “Play” often goes together with wasting time when you are bored. For example, one person known for being exceptional was contacted (by a queer app employee) in a playful manner, in which the whole office ended up playing a “game” in were other workers would share ideas of what to text back. There is always potential for conversations to become casual and playful.

Posted on

Student Report of the HRC Fall Conference, “Humanities Matter: Ecological Crosswords, Past, Present and Future,”

by Maya Peak, class of 2025

The 2024 annual Humanities Research Conference fall conference, “Humanities Matter: Ecological Crossroads: Past, Present and Future,” was held at Duke Kunshan University this past weekend on August 30th and 31st, featuring keynote speakers from Brigham Young, Peking, and Duke Universities, as well as faculty presenters across divisions, and from NYUSH.

In the opening remarks, HRC Co-Directors, Carlos Rojas and Selina Lai-Henderson, as well as VCAA Scott MacEachern and EVC John Quelch emphasized the importance of environmental humanities, as well as the crucial role that the arts and the humanities have played in addressing ecological concerns and their historical implications.

The first keynote speech was delivered by Shen Hou, Professor of Environmental History from Peking University. Her enlightening keynote, “An Evolving Blue Planet: Writing About Ocean History in a Planetary Age,” implored us to explore oceans from our natural, historical, and personal histories, pulling them from the “aphotic zones” of our brain into the light.

Following Professor Shen’s keynote was a fascinating faculty panel titled, “Plastics, Cities, and Borderlands: Thinking through History, Race, and Belongings.” Nellie Chu, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at DKU, discussed the birth and rising popularity of synthetics, nylon in particular, following WWII. She mentioned the vision of synthetics being “[subordinate] nature using the power of science, capitalism, and industrial engineering.” Keping Wu, Associate Professor of Anthropology at DKU, explored the relationships between the Nu, Dulong, and Lisu peoples in Yunnan revolving around a dam construction project, noting the varied cultural, state, and religious perceptions of water in the region. Renee Richer, Associate Professor of Biology, introduced DKU alumni, Lorenzo Maggio Laquidara’s research on the accessibility and quality of urban greenspaces as it relates to minorities, immigration, gentrification and biodiversity.

The second keynote speech was by Brian Roberts, Professor of English from Brigham Young University, who presented on “Archipelagic Thinking and the Environmental Humanities.” The lecture showcased many pieces of archipelagic art, including Chris Jordan’s image of a baby Albatross’ remains among the plastic which had killed it. Roberts’s powerful lecture displayed vividly the impact of environmental humanities in demanding greater change from corporations and governments rather than letting the guilt lie on humans as individuals.

Following the second keynote was an illuminating faculty panel titled, “When Poetry meets Space and Chinese Modernity: The Tightrope of Confucianism, Children, and Buddhism.” Stephanie Anderson, Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at DKU, gave a short reading from her poetry book, Bearings, and a short story from the perspective of a whale titled, “The Winter’s Way,” illustrating the beauty and the significance of writing from the perspective of an anthropomorphized other to better empathize with the world that we live in. Ben Van Overmeire, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at DKU, explored how without leaving our campus, we can “[see] the whole universe” through the Buddhist philosophy of Alan Watts. Qian Zhu, Assistant Professor of Chinese History, presented on Chinese planned towns of the late 1920s and 30s, and how this split labor shaped livelihoods under the Nationalist’s idea of a Confucian doctrine of “great harmony.”

The launch of the new HRC HUM Space was celebrated that same afternoon, officiated by VCAA Professor Scott MacEachern and HRC Co-Directors, Selina Lai-Henderson and Carlos Rojas.They expressed the excitement of the birth of HUM, and thanked former HRC Co-Director, Professor James Miller, for his invaluable contributions to the HRC. They welcomed faculty and students to explore the HUM Space for interdisciplinary and collaborative projects along with art exhibits, film screenings, creative readings, and performances.

The HUM exhibits include Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences, Binbin Li’s “Noticed,” a photograph exhibit curated by students, Sue Wang, Feiyang Zhou, Muqiu Tian, and Chengxi Yin, who bring closer angles of nature uncommon to the human perspective. In the center of HUM is a video installation, “Promise to Return,” inspired by Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences, Chi Yeung Jimmy Choi’s footage on bird migration, and reimagined and executed by the student curators, Davit Kavkasyan and Aastha Mangla. Finally, outside the HUM was an artwork by the student, Nick Nye’s “Hike Me,” that explores the relationship between nature and humankind.

The second day of the conference began with yet another remarkable keynote faculty panel, “Visualising Environmental Change.” Joseph Giacomelli, Assistant Professor of Environmental History at DKU, shared with the audience the history of cloud seeding across 20th century US. Professor Jimmy Choi examined migration patterns of waterbirds and their incredible natural instincts to predict weather change. Professor Binbin Li offered fascinating insights into rare moments of animals’ lives away from the urban scene, and brought to our attention the ways in which infrastructural advancements, including iconic glass-filled buildings at DKU, are in fact hazardous to birds’ existence and migration.

“Pedagogy for Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Approach” was an afternoon keynote faculty panel discussing the innovative pedagogy and interdisciplinarity of DKU102, “Let’s Talk About Climate Change,” co-led by Professors James Miller, Coraline Goron, and Ding Ma. Professor Richer discussed diversifying topics to an interdisciplinary academic history and its impacts on the world of ecology and biology. Wumeng He, Assistant Professor of Economics at DKU, talked about the role of economics in environmentalism and how interdisciplinary studies would be crucial as environmental issues become more prevalent and unavoidable in every academic subject. Professor Giacomelli explored engaging students in environmental deliberation, what it takes to engage students with such a deep issue such as climate change, and the confirmation bias of students who are looking for environmental studies classes against the lacking interest from required courses on the subject.

Our third keynote speaker, Erika Weinthal, John O. Blackburn Distinguished Professor of Environmental Sciences and Policy at Duke University, gave a thought-provoking presentation on “Protecting the Environment and Infrastructure during War: Humanitarian Challenges.” A devastating earnest consideration was brought forth showing the brutalities of war on civilian infrastructure and its impacts on both the environment and on daily life for many of the subjects of sabotage. Weinthal showed the weaponization of water, and the power dispersion for those in control of fossil fuel production and the legacy of nuclear incidents.

The concluding faculty panel featured four NYUSH professors who shared with us their insights on “Artifice, Mud, Theater, and Christianity: Ecological Implications.” Anna Greenspan, Associate Professor of Global Contemporary Media and Co-Director of NYU Shanghai’s Center of AI and Culture, discussed the manipulations of greenspaces throughout history from colonial botanical gardens to zen gardens.

Jennifer Egloff, an interdisciplinary professor, pondered humanity’s complicated relationship of fear and sacrilege with environmental disasters from modern day disaster films to biblical reasonings around earthquakes. Erica Mukherjee, a professor of history, explored the universal metaphor of mud as anti-imperialistic actors; mud as beauty, mud as history, mud as preservation, fun, and danger, anthropomorphizing a world often overlooked under our feet which has fought battles we still fight today. Jennifer Nan Dong, a teaching fellow specializing in theater, discussed how theater can be a transformative tool in discussing environmental issues but also how form and content can be made to better suit environmental demands.

After two truly fruitful days of panel and keynote discussions, the HRC held a closing reception in the Water Pavilion, celebrating DKU professors’ achievements with their publications and creative works, which will be featured in the HUM Space following the end of the HRC Fall conference.

The Humanities Research Center would like to thank all the students and faculty that participated in this event. Thank you!

Posted on

Report on Reading Group for “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education”

On Friday, September 6, 2024, DKU faculty, staff, and students gathered for our first reading group session on “Embracing Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence for Inclusive Education.” This marks the second year of hosting this event, and we were excited to welcome returning participants as well as first-year students.

 

In this session, we began with an activity titled “LGBTQ Inclusive Language: Dos and Don’ts.” Participants engaged in a vocabulary exercise, discussing words to avoid and more inclusive alternatives. Together, we explored key concepts such as pronouns, gender identity, intersectionality, and privilege within the LGBTQ community. The activity was well-received, with many finding it eye-opening. Participants noted how certain terms can carry unintended negative connotations, potentially causing discomfort for gay and lesbian individuals. We also highlighted the importance of moving away from binary language to promote inclusivity for people of all genders.

 

 

Next, we transitioned into a discussion of our reading material: the study conducted by Evans et al. (2017) titled “Vocies from the stories untold: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer college students’ experiences with campus climate.” This research presented findings from another university, identifying three major challenges faced by their LGBTQ community: discrimination, isolation, and avoidance.

 

We emphasized to participants that while it’s important to read and be informed about the experiences of others, it’s equally critical to focus on understanding the specific concerns of our own student body. Recognizing this, we unanimously agreed on the need to initiate a comprehensive survey to gather feedback from DKU students. The survey will explore a range of topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, giving students the opportunity to share their experiences, challenges, and suggestions on these important issues.

 

During the session, we developed the first draft of the survey and conducted a round of critique with participants. This process proved highly successful, as we received valuable feedback to refine the survey items. By actively involving participants, we aim to ensure the survey accurately reflects the voices and concerns of our student community. The results of this survey will be pivotal in shaping faculty members’ pedagogical approaches, ensuring that classroom practices meet the diverse needs and perspectives of DKU students.

 

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, covering the fees for event promotion and refreshments for attendees.

Posted on

Student Report on the Workshop: “Queering Zhuangzi’s Wuwei”

By Zu Gan, Class of 2025

On the 27th of August 2024, the HRC’s Gender Studies Initiative and the CSCC’s Meanings, Identities, and Communities Cluster co-sponsored a workshop and a talk by Hu Ying. Hu Ying is a PhD Candidate in Literary Studies from the Department of English, Linguistics and Theater Studies, National University of Singapore. There were over 50 people and 3 faculty in attendance across both events.

The workshop with students was held informally to encourage lively discussions between the speaker and DKU students. Hu Ying started by sharing his own academic journey. He highlighted how he first started learning about queer theory during his undergraduate studies. This soon morphed into a “learning trouble” for him at graduate school because of the realization that the theories he was learning were the other’s trouble. This led him to seek ways in queering queer theory as well. Besides sharing on his own personal journey, Hu Ying also answered questions from students on life in academia as well as pursuing studies in Singapore.

After the workshop, Hu Ying delivered a talk on “Queering Zhuangzi’s Wuwei Towards a Politics of Spontaneous Life.” He covered a critical exploration of the intersections between queer theory and traditional Chinese philosophy, particularly through the lens of Zhuangzi’s concept of wuwei (non-action). Hu Ying presented a nuanced discussion on how Zhuangzi’s philosophy, with its emphasis on spontaneity, non-interference, and living in accordance with the Dao (the Way), can offer an alternative framework for understanding queer life beyond the confines of neoliberal and liberal social norms.

He started his talk by introducing the combination of “flat refusal” (tangping) with queer liberalism. He explained the meaning of wuwei and applied it to a queer form of life. By using the film “Spring Fever,” he presented queer desire as outside of neoliberal subjectivity and a queer spacetime of wuwei where a life’s social situatedness no longer matters. In addition, he emphasized sexual life through its material texture which is a queer posture of taking things as they are a function of desire.

One of the key points addressed was the idea of a “queer life” that transcended socio-political relevance. He proposed a reimagining of queer existence in a cosmological order that defies conventional Western paradigms. This perspective challenges the Western-centric views of queer theory, suggesting that Zhuangzi’s teachings could lead to a more inclusive and culturally diversified understanding of queer identities.

Hu Ying also raised questions about the potential of wuwei to foster a vision of queer Asia that is liberated from existing subjectivities and socio-political constraints. This idea was further expanded by discussing how wuwei could serve as a means to disrupt the normative frameworks of identity and belonging, offering a way of life that is more fluid, spontaneous, and less bound by rigid categories.

In conclusion, the lecture encouraged a rethinking of queer theory through the lens of Zhuangzi. Hu Ying suggested that such an approach could lead to a richer and more complex understanding of queer existence that is less tied to Western liberalism and more open to diverse cultural interpretations.

Posted on

Top Takeaways from The Spirit of Space Conference

Last week, my colleague Ben Van Overmeire and I were pleased to welcome a dazzling array of visitors to the beautiful campus of Duke Kunshan University to talk about all things space. We timed the conference to coincide with China’s Dragon Boat Festival, which commemorates the hero Qu Yuan who, among other things, wrote one of China’s most famous poems, Li Sao, which describes his ascent into space to meet with goddesses and immortals. It was also the time in which China’s space program completed its journey to the far side of the moon, the long-awaited Boeing Starliner successfully launched its mission to the International Space Station, and SpaceX launched its fourth Starship test. Continue reading “Top Takeaways from The Spirit of Space Conference”

Posted on

Event Report on “Who travels thousands of miles? Gender Dimensions of War Dead Accounting and Memory Making in Post-war Vietnam”

On May 2, 2024, the Humanities Research Center hosted Dr. Tâm T. T. Ngô, a senior researcher and associate professor at the NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies in the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Tâm first had an informal discussion with students and later proceeded to give a talk on her research about the gendered dimensions of war dead accounting and memory making in post-war Vietnam. This event was attended by 20 students and 3 faculty members. Continue reading “Event Report on “Who travels thousands of miles? Gender Dimensions of War Dead Accounting and Memory Making in Post-war Vietnam””

Sites@Duke Express is powered by WordPress. Read the Sites@Duke Express policies and FAQs, or request help.