RAS HISTORY CLUB JAN 18: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SELF IN FRANCOPHONE LITERATURE

Asian and North African francophone literatures share not only a common language but are both fertile grounds where writers explore the experiences of the self, families, and society at large. In these literatures, writing functions as an archaeological device to make sense of the obstructive social processes that make life excessively demanding and complex. This orientation positions Asian and North African francophone narratives as some the most significant archives of the individual’s journey in and out of the private or public sphere in the modern era.

This talk will introduce novels written by Aki Shimazaki, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Linda Lê, Mohammad Berrada, Kim Thuy, Abdallah Laroui, Marguerite Duras and Pham Duy Khiem, and will invite us into these two literary and cultural traditions, bringing North Africa and Asian societies and literatures into close conversation with each other.

Location

Garden Books
长乐路325号,近陕西南路
325 Changle Rd, Near Shaanxi South Rd
Shanghai, China

About the speaker

Adrien Pouille is an Assistant Professor of African Literature at Duke Kunshan University. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Indiana University Bloomington, and has taught at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Wabash College, and Indiana University Bloomington. He is the author of Human Journeys and the Quest for Knowledge in African Writing, published in 2021, and contributed to the Saafi-Saafi & English/French Dictionary (2016), among other publications.

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

“UNBOUND: Flow and Resistance” Exhibit Launch

Date: December 3rd
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
LocationHUM 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 (), 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.

Student Report on Forum and Exhibition on Multimodality in Multilingual and Intercultural Education

Report by Delfin Kaplan, class of 2027 

On November 1st, 2024, Dr. Xin Zhang, assistant professor of Chinese and Intercultural Communication from the Langauge and Culture Center at Duke Kunshan University(DKU), and Dr. Peiru Tong, associate professor of International Education at Wuhan University (WHU) co-hosted the Forum and Exhibition on Multimodality in Multilingual and Intercultural Education. A collaboration between DKU and WHU, the forum and exhibition took place in-person at DKU, though it was also attended by audience online through Zoom and on Spot, the latter being a metaverse exhibition. The one-day forum consisted of invited talks, workshops, and faculty lightning talks by professors across multiple acclaimed universities beyond DKU and WHU, including Duke, University of Sydney, the Ohio State University and University of HongKong, and a student-led artwork exhibition.

The forum started with a welcome speech by the senior director of Language and Culture Center (LCC) Dr. Don Snow, followed by Dr. Peiru Tong’s introducation of the “Multimodal Intercultural Education Interdisciplinary Innovation Platform”, co-funded by the WHU and DKU Joint Research Platform Seed Funding and the Kunshan Municipal Government Research Funding, and the DKU HRC Small Event Grant.

The talks and workshops on Multimodality in Multilingual and Intercultural Education were led by nine accomplished professors: Dr. Francis Troyan from Ohio State University and Dr. Zhenjie Weng from Duke Kunshan spoke about the development of language teacher identity through photo-elicitation in TESOL teacher education, which is a reflection technique used to explore the connection between emotions and the teachers’ identities. They also shared some reflections from participating teachers. Dr. Yan Liu gave a speech on the multimodal approaches to teaching Chinese, focusing on the power of visual arts, followed by a collaborative presentation between Dr. Xin Zhang from Duke Kunshan University and Dr. Peiru Tong from Wuhan University on the visual narratives of international students’ multilingual identity (co)construction during their long-term studies abroad in China. After that, Dr. Hongzhi (Veronica) Yang from the University of Sydney shared her insights on the use of generative AI to create multimodal language learning resources.

After a lunch break to allow participants to explore the exhibition and discuss the contents of the morning presentations, Dr. Mari Noda and Dr. Galal Walker from the Ohio State University led a pedagogy workshop on applying performance watch tasks in language and culture classrooms. Dr. Tai, Kevin W.H. from the University of Hong Kong, led the a second workshop on research methodology for understanding the construction of translanguaging spaces in multilingual classrooms, focusing on insights from combining multimodal conversation analysis with interpretative phenomenological analysis. Another highlight of the forum was the faculty-led lightning talks which showcased various teaching and research projects by faculty in the Language and Culture Center at DKU, and faculty from peer institutions including Wuhan University and University of Sydney.

The student artwork exhibition consisted of artwork and reflections created by DKU, WHU, and University of Sydney (USYD) students, as part of a collaborative research project between Dr. Xin Zhang and Dr. Peiru Tong. Student participants were asked to reflect on their identity as international students in an intercultural student cohort and their experiences with multilinguality over two months with weekly check-ins, which were then processed through an extensive selection process and displayed by two student workers, Delfin Kaplan and Davit Kavkasyan, supervised by Dr. Xin Zhang. Both students responsible for the exhibition were also part of the preliminary artwork collection process in 2023.

Throughout the weeks leading up to the exhibition, Delfin and Davit individually inspected every single one of the dozens of artworks and the accompanying reflection and chose around 30 final artworks to be presented in the exhibition. The forum attendees could view these posters on the day of the exhibition, and they will remain visible in the foyer outside Performance Cafe in CCTE for another month. The artwork can also be viewed virtually via a metaverse exhibition.

In curating the exhibitions, the two student workers independently handled the budget, acquired the materials, communicated with the creators of the artworks, set up the exhibition, and they gave a short speech in the forum to talk about their experience and what they’ve learned. Both students reported that seeing the perspective of other international students was ‘eye-opening’ and that this exhibition was especially important to them due to both of them being the only students from their countries.

Event Report: Lecture on “Western Feminism and Its Analytics in Neoliberal Times”

On November 7th 2024 Professor Anna Krylova delivered a zoom lecture for the Gender Studies Lab titled “Western Feminism and Its Analytics in Neoliberal Times.” Prof. Krylova is a professor of History and Gender, Feminist and Sexuality Studies at Duke University. She is a specialist on the history of gender and feminism, with a particular emphasis on the Soviet Union. She is author of the award winning book, Soviet Women in Combat: A History of Violence on the Eastern Front. Around 25 faculty and students were present, both in person and online.

 

Prof. Krylova’s lecture was based upon the current book she is writing, tentatively titled History-Writing or Sleepwalking Through History in Neoliberal Times. The lecture assessed the ways that “post-structural” forms of thinking, despite having many generative elements, were disarming both for feminist activism and feminist history writing in the west. As Krylova explained it, post-structuralism, broadly speaking, was politically disabling for feminism because it privileged discourse over structure, micro-level analysis over analysis of larger formations of economic power. As a result, post-structuralism focused more on localized and “everyday” forms of individual resistance and neglected, or even condescended towards, organized forms of resistance to power.  This neglect, she argued, ultimately aligned post-structuralism, perhaps unwittingly, with western economic neo-liberalism and Cold War political imperatives. Krylova made her case by focusing particularly on James Scott’s highly influential work Weapons of the Weak as a case study. Scott is widely known for showing the ways peasants in Southeast Asia engaged in everyday forms of spontaneous, often individual resistance in order to survive and determine their own lives. Krylova provocatively suggested that Scott’s work overrates the effectiveness of everyday resistance while ignoring that “organized forms of power” requires “organized forms of resistance.”  For Scott, “organized forms of resistance” are themselves repressive and thus his own framework of thought is a dissuasion from systematically organizing against structural injustices such as patriarchy.

 

The lectured lasted for roughly 35 minutes and was concluded with 40 minutes of discussion between Krylova and her audience. Questions by faculty and students were various. One faculty questioner asked about the recent elections and whether the Democrats had made a mistake by emphasizing identity politics over class-based issues. Another faculty questioner noted that not all aspects of Scott’s work were disarming, but truly generative, while yet student questioner noted (correctly) that Scott had worked for the CIA, and was a thinker devoted to “counterinsurgency” and not to emancipation. A number of other questions were also asked as part of the discussion.

Student Report on Reading Group for “Stretched Kinship: Parental Rejection and Acceptance of Queer Youth in Chinese Families”

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

On Friday, November 8, 2024, DKU faculty, staff, and students gathered for our last reading group session in this semester. This time, the focus was on John Wei’s Stretched Kinship: Parental Rejection and Acceptance of Queer Youth in Chinese Families(2023), an insightful exploration of the challenges faced by queer youth and their families in China.

The session began with an overview of the reading’s key themes, led by Dr. Zhenjie Weng and Dr. Yanan Zhao. Participants discussed the concept of “stretched kinship” as Wei defines it, particularly how parental expectations and societal pressures complicate family relationships for queer youth in China. The discussion highlighted the emotional and social challenges both parents and queer youth experience, especially under the pressure of filial duties and cultural norms.

The main highlight of the event was a talk by Guest Speaker Professor Andrew Wortham, Visiting Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, who shared his experiences conducting research on LGBTQ+ groups in China, with a focus on gender and sexuality. Prof. Wortham also reflected on his time in Chengdu, providing personal insights into the complexities of queer identity and kinship within Chinese society. His experiences resonated with many attendees and brought additional depth to the themes of Wei’s work.

Following Prof. Wortham’s talk, participants were encouraged to ask questions. The Q&A segment saw a high level of engagement, with questions addressing various aspects of LGBTQ+ life in China, the influence of cultural expectations, and the academic challenges of studying sensitive topics in this field.

The event concluded with an open discussion, allowing participants to share their reflections and consider ways to foster greater inclusivity and understanding within their own communities.

The reading group session was organized by DKU’s Humanities Research Center and facilitated by Dr. Zhenjie Weng and Dr. Yanan Zhao, with the support of student worker Yaxuan Wang.

Student Report for “Gender + “Community Building” Event

By Nathan Franco, Class of 2028

On October 22, 2024, the HRC’s Gender Studies Lab held a stimulating panel discussion on gender and community building. The panelists included Professors Yeshim Iqbal, a social and community psychologist who primarily studies people’s responses to violence, and Andrew Wortham, a cultural anthropologist who primarily studies sexuality, gender, and LGBTQ+ groups. About 32 students and six faculty members were in attendance.

To start our discussion on gender and community building, we decided to address the differences between activism and community building. Professor Andrew Wortham stated that activism has a history and connotation primarily in the West concerning the policy of the state and religion, making it controversial to question longstanding beliefs under the term activism. Professor Yeshim Iqbal furthered this by identifying the primary connotation of the word “activism:” is actively trying to change something. Therefore, activism can be controversial and politically sensitive.

Community building can be generalized as a group with the same goal and qualities: “standing up” and supporting one another in the face of adversity. Such communities can exist by being in the same space with others, creating what our panelists note as mobilization: the bringing of people with the same goal/ideal together. 

After our insightful talk on the difference between community building and the controversial term activism, the panelists discussed what a community is exactly and how it works.

While community building can be considered a form of activism, it doesn’t always need to be goal-oriented but rather value-oriented. Value, in this sense, can mean speaking about common experience among other activities where a bond is formed. However, when building a community, a boundary is present and we are working within the parameters of that boundary, hence affirming the boundary. People within this community aren’t actively trying to change any norms.

The panelists noted that community building can take different forms, especially considering the context of the people in the community and the country in which the community is formed. However, sometimes, creating a community will happen on its own in a passive sense. But other communities take lots of work. Whether that is clearing your home to make a space or even finding time in your day to get together, for example, workers may want to get together but have other responsibilities, making it difficult to find a place and time that align with other workers. While in the sensitive area where Professor Iqbal studied, 14 women struggled to find close, safe areas big enough to host all the women. Whereas men could go anywhere and would always be relatively safe due to their status of being a man. Hence, societal norms and the standing of the genders also impact the formation and sustainability of a community.

Among the many insightful questions posed by the audience, one audience member asked:

“When there is a community do you outline what the community is and what is expected of those in said community?”

In any community that wants to sustain itself, there is a lot of work needed to keep the community together through its norms, which include knowing the correct words and expectations of being in that community. So, if the goal is to keep the community going, then yes, the establishment of norms and expectations is necessary.

The Professors ended by stating that if funding by NGOs and other organizations were to cease that some of these communities would also cease, however, many may just take a new form.