Report on HRC Spring Conference 2026
On April 3, Duke Kunshan University’s Humanities Research Center held its annual undergraduate spring conference, bringing together 80 participants under the theme “Nature and Society.” The event explored the intersections between human communities and the natural world through diverse topics including gender, ecology, sustainability, craft, disability, memory, and visual culture. The morning keynote, chaired […]
Elemental Nationalism: Vies of China from earth and air | 4.29
4.29 | 5:30-7:00 PM | AB 1079 People have long seized on that which they consider elemental as building blocks of their symbolic worlds, including their national identities. Recent work in the environmental humanities contends that attention to “elemental materiality” can help us to decenter the human and think ecologically about social issues. In that […]
LGBTQ+ Reading Group: Embracing Diversity | 4.17
Join Dr. Zhenjie Weng and Dr. Yanan Zhao for a timely discussion on how colleges can better support LGBTQ+ students. The conversation will explore recurring experiences of discrimination, isolation, and self-censorship—and underscore the urgent need for more inclusive, affirming campus environments. Come be part of the conversation and help shape a more inclusive future for our campuses.
Talk: Ordinary Frontier at the Desert’s Edge: Aspirational Ecology and Sedimented Infrastructures in Northwestern China | April 16
April 16 | 2:00-3:30 pm | CCT E 4011 Talk title: Ordinary Frontier at the Desert’s Edge: Aspirational Ecology and Sedimented Infrastructures in Northwestern China Abstract: Across the globe, governments are building ‘green’ infrastructures almost everywhere to confront ecological crises, yet most studies focus on iconic megaprojects rather than ordinary, low‑profile frontiers. Focusing on Taole, […]
2026 Signature Work Conference and Exhibition – Part 2 Creative Project | April 17
Friday, April 17th | 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM This exhibition brings together a range of creative projects from the class of 2026 graduating students. From disappearing Chinatowns and chronic illness to game mechanics rooted in Taoist cosmology and scenario-based civic learning, the works in this exhibition do not simply represent the world. Instead, they […]
Big Congratulations to Prof. Titas Chakraborty – Hagley Prize Finalist!
Big congrats to Prof Titas Chakraborty! Empire of Labor: How the East India Company Colonized Hired Work (University of California Press) has been named a finalist for the 2026 Hagley Prize in Business History—what an incredible achievement! Empire of Labor tells the story of how hired workers experienced and responded to the rise to power […]
From Freud to Game Theory: Exploring the Ethics of Economic Theorizing | April 15
Wednesday, April 15, 4:00 – 5:00 pm | IB 2028 Title: On the Ethics of Economic Theorizing: Perspectives from Psychoanalytical Theory Speaker: M. Ali Khan (Department of Economics, Johns Hopkins University) Abstract: On taking Michael Oakeshott’s 1974 distinction between the theorist and the theoretician, and the analogy of the theorist-theorized, to the psychoanalytic category of analyst-analysand, […]
HRC Spring Conference 2026 | Best Paper Award
Congratulations to our six outstanding students on winning the Best Paper Award at HRC’s Spring Conference 2026! The award recipients are Lê Nguyễn Yến Vy (Class of 2026), Yongkun (Vicky) Wu (Class of 2026), Peng Kun (Class of 2026), Wenxi Jiang (Class of 2028), Zhiyuan Mark Ma (Class of 2026), and Ermina Kuzerbayeva (Class of 2028). Your […]
Superdeep Nighthawks: Sorry, Baby (Victor 2025) | Apr 9, 8:28pm
8:28pm | IB 1008 Join the Nighthawks for a Superdeep and exceptionally heavy bright dark comedic drama: Eva Victor‘s 2025 feature debut Sorry, Baby (…& food & drink). ▷ Apr 9, 8:28pm ▷ IB 1008 Lecture Hall *** The Nighthawks offer a space for late bird Superdeep respite after a week of classes. Gathering every Thursday eve for film […]
Superdeep #34: “What Are Sex and Gender and what Do We Want them to Be?” Ásta (Duke) | Apr 1, 3:28pm
3:28pm | Water Pavilion This Workshop is organized in the context of Prof. Ásta’s visit to DKU. Prof. Ásta will also a deliver a keynote lecture at this year’s HRC Spring Conference later this week. ▷ Wed Apr 1, 3:28pm ▷ Water Pavilion Snacks & drinks will be served at the event. *** The Workshop […]
