Translating the Mysterious

Translating the Mysterious

HUM Space (AB1075A)

Monday 11 November, 6:30-8:00pm

Translating from one language to another is made more difficult when the terms in question relate to the unseen world of gods, ghosts, and ancestors. Is a Chinese gui 鬼 really the same as the English “ghost” or “devil”? Is a xian 仙 a “fairy” or an “immortal”? How can translate these terms when we don’t know exactly what they refer to?

Join Professor James Miller to read some spooky stories together and delve into the mysterious world of Chinese spirits. Refreshments will be provided.

The Many Lives of Shirley Yamaguchi: A Journey Through Identity

Join Us for an Engaging Talk on the Fascinating Life of Shirley Yamaguchi (Li Hsiang-Lan 李香兰) led by Richard M. Davis, Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at Duke Kunshan University.

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, November 9
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (GMT+8)

Location: Sketchyard Cafe, Dong’an Road 888, Haoshang Bay Building 13, F1, Shanghai, China

 Event Description:
Explore the extraordinary life of Yoshiko Yamaguchi (1920-2014), also known as Shirley Yamaguchi and Li Hsiang-Lan 李香兰. Born in China to Japanese parents, Yamaguchi was a singer, actress, journalist, and politician whose career spanned China, Japan, and Hollywood. Her life was marked by complex identities and international controversy, including an arrest in 1945 on charges of treason—later dismissed when her true nationality was revealed.

Join Senior Lecturer Richard M. Davis from Duke Kunshan University as he delves into Yamaguchi’s captivating life story, from her dual identity to her cinematic contributions and her marriage to Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. This talk will include insightful film clips showcasing her diverse roles.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn about a woman who navigated multiple identities and left an indelible mark on cinema and history.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

RICHARD M. DAVIS

Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies at DKU

Richard M. Davis is a film and media scholar who works on cinematic crossings between Japan, East Asia, and the United States. He is Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies and Director of Signature Work at Duke Kunshan University. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago’s Joint Degree in East Asian Cinema program, and previously held positions at Singapore Management University and Tsinghua University. His in-progress monograph, One Hundred Million Voices Singing, describes the collisions between aesthetics, ideology, and pleasure in musical films produced in Imperial Japan during the so-called Fifteen Years’ War (1931-1945). Material from this project has been published in Ex-Position, The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, and the Handbook of Japanese Cinema: The 1930s and the Advent of Sound (forthcoming). Additional research and teaching interests include international film history, East Asian modernities, animation, game studies, sound studies, and film theory.

* Members of the DKU community receive a discounted admission.

GENDER + COMMUNITY BUILDING  

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on Gender and Community Building hosted by HRC GENDER STUDIES LAB. Our panelists will delve into topics surrounding gender dynamics, inclusivity, and community-building efforts.

Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM
Venue: The Water Pavilion
Dinner will be provided!

Panelists:

  • Professor Yeshim Iqbal
  • Professor Andrew Wortham

RSVP by October 21, 2024

Superdeep Nighthawks: Saltburn (Fennell 2023) | Thu Sept 19, 8:08p

8:08pm  |  IB 1008
A seemingly 10-day long week… Classes on Friday and Saturday…  Join the Nighthawks for a spicy Superdeep midway break with Emerald Fennell‘s 2023 Saltburn  (…& food & drink).
Thu Sept 19, 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.

“GENDER+ LABOR” Discussion Panel

We are thrilled to invite you to an insightful discussion on gender and labor, featuring a distinguished panel of professors who will share their expertise and perspectives on this important topic.

Date: Tuesday, 09/24
Time: 6:00 – 7:15 PM
Location: The Water Pavilion (Faculty discussions followed by Q&A)

Panelists:

    • Professor Jaehee Choi
    • Professor Nellie Chu
    • Professor Sajida Tuxun

The Gender+ Talk series delves into the intersections of gender with a variety of topics, offering rich discussions hosted by the HRC Gender Studies Lab. This series highlights DKU faculty whose research or teaching engages with gender issues. Past discussions have covered themes such as Gender+Language, Gender+Feminism, Gender+Household, and Gender+Mind.

This is a fantastic opportunity to explore critical issues at the intersection of gender and labor. We look forward to your participation!

Please RSVP to confirm your attendance. Dinner will be provided!

Superdeep Nighthawks: Quiz Show (Redford 1994) | Thu Sept 12, 9:08pm

9:08pm  |  IB 1008

Midterms… Academic practice gruel… What a better way to take a Superdeep breather than with a movie about cheating teachers. Join the Nighthawks for Robert Redford‘s 1994 Quiz Show (…& food & drink).

Thu Sept 12, 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.

Casual Queering: Navigating Chinese Gay Dating Apps Wrong

Join us for an engaging session “Casual Queering: Playing Chinese Gay Dating Apps Wrong”, led by Andrew Wortham, Cultures & Movements Visiting Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology. This thought-provoking talk will delve into how gay men navigate and challenge the norms of dating apps, in a digital world filled with fake profiles and headless torsos.

  • Date: Wednesday, September 11th, 2024
  • Time: 6:00-7:00 PM
  • Location: IB 1047

Pizza and boba will be provided! RSVP by September 10th to secure your spot and join this fascinating discussion. Don’t miss out!

Superdeep Nighthawks: Suzume (Shinkai 2023) | Thu Sept 5, 9:08pm

9:08pm  |  IB 1008

A magical cat? A sentient chair? Portals aplenty? Sounds Superdeep! Join the Nighthawks for Makoto Shinkai‘s 2023 Suzume (…& food & drink).

Thu Sept 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.

Join the Sustainable Futures Reading Group with Prof. Robin Rodd

We are excited to announce the launch of the Sustainable Futures Reading Group, led by Prof. Rodd. This engaging group invites all students and faculty at DKU to participate.

Sustainable Futures Reading Group: Extractivism, Metabolism, and Emancipation

Convener: Prof. Robin Rodd
Contact: rhr10@duke.edu
Time: Tuesdays, 3-4 PM
Room: WDR3002

Join Prof. Robin Rodd in exploring critical readings on sustainable futures. This group will delve into contemporary texts discussing alternatives to socially and environmentally unjust development practices and possibilities for creating sustainable forms of living. Participants from all academic backgrounds are welcome to join each week, regardless of their progress with the readings.

Reading Schedule:

  • 10 September
    Toscano, Alberto. Terms of Disorder: Keywords for an Interregnum. Seagull Books.

    • Ch. 3 Reform, pp. 75-83
    • Ch. 7 Resistance, pp. 133-142
    • Ch. 11 Freedom, pp. 214-234

    Romano, Onofrio. Towards a Society of Degrowth. Routledge.

    • Ch. 4 Beyond the Servile: The Society of Degrowth, pp. 82-112
  • 17 September
    Chaudhary, Ajay Singh. The Exhausted Earth: Politics in a Burning World. Repeater Books.

    • Ch. 1 We’re Not in This Together, pp. 1-46
    • Ch. 2 The Extractive Circuit, pp. 47-76
    • Ch. 4 The Exhausted Earth, pp. 161-236
  • 24 September
    Malm, Andreas. The Progress of This Storm: Nature and Society in a Warming World. Verso.

    • Ch. 2 On Combined Development: Against Hybridism, pp. 44-77
    • Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8, pp. 177-231
  • 8 October
    Veltmeyer, Henry & Ezquerro-Cañete (eds.). From Extractivism to Sustainability: Scenarios and Lessons from Latin America. Routledge.

    • Ch. 7 Puyana-Mutis & Rodriguez Pena, The Green Energy Transition: Expansion and Deepening of Extractivism, pp. 119-140
    • Ch. 11 Barkin, Communities in Resistance: Forging a Communitarian Revolutionary Subject, pp. 203-218
    • Ch. 12 Gudynas, Post-Extractivist Transitions: Concepts, Sequences, and Examples, pp. 221-240
    • Ch. 15 Veltmeyer & Ezquerro-Canete, Development Beyond Extractivism: Lessons and Alternate Pathways, pp. 277-300
  • 15 October
    Saito, Kohei. Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto. Astra House
  • 22 October
    Krause, Sharon. Eco-Emancipation: An Earthly Politics of Freedom. Princeton
  • 5 November
    De Molina, Manuel González & Toledo, Victor M. The Social Metabolism: A Socio-Ecological Theory of Historical Change. 2nd Edition. Springer.

    • Ch. 3 Social Metabolism: Origins, History, Approaches, and Main Schools, pp. 47-74
    • Ch. 5 The Social and Political Basis of Social Metabolism, pp. 109-134
    • Ch. 6 The Basic Model, pp. 135-170
    • Ch. 15 Epilogue: Metabolisms, Entropy, and Sustainable Society, pp. 407-425
  • 12 November
    Rozzi, R. et al. From Biocultural Homogenization to Biocultural Conservation. Springer.

    • Ch. 1 A Conceptual Framework for Reorienting Society Toward Sustainability, pp. 1-17
    • Ch. 2 Biocultural Homogenization: A Wicked Problem in the Anthropocene, pp. 21-45
    • Ch. 19 Biocultural Conservation and Biocultural Ethics, pp. 303-314
    • Ch. 20 The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals and the Biocultural Heritage Lacuna, pp. 315-331
  • 19 November
    Grove, Jairus. Savage Ecology: War and Politics at the End of the World. Duke.

    • Ch. 2 War as a Form of Life, pp. 59-77
    • Ch. 7 Three Images of Transformation as Homogenization, pp. 191-225
    • Conclusion, Ratio Feritas: From Critical Responsiveness to Making New Forms of Life, pp. 273-284
  • 3 December
    Kaufman, Craig & Martin, Pamela. The Politics of the Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future. MIT Press.

    • Ch. 1-3, pp. 1-77
    • Conclusions: Earth Jurisprudence for a Sustainable Future for All, pp. 211-234

    Krenak, Ailton. Ancestral Future. Polity.

Stay Connected!  Join our WeChat group to receive the latest updates, discussion topics, and any changes related to the Sustainable Futures Reading Group. It’s a great way to stay informed and engaged with the group’s activities.

Superdeep #28: “Progressive Confucianism: How and Why?” (Li Yong, Wuhan) | Aug 29, 5:28pm

5:28pm  |  IB 2026

How better to kick off another Superdeep year than in classic progressive fashion, with Li Yong (Professor of Philosophy, Wuhan University) helping us answer the questions of: “Progressive Confucianism: How and Why?”.
Thu Aug 29 | 5:28pm | IB 2026.

Snacks & drinks will be served at the Workshop.

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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.