Penn Center For East Asian Studies Newsletter

1. University of Pennsylvania East Asia Events
   
2. Regional East Asia Events
   
3. Employment and Internship Opportunities
   
4. Fellowship and Award Opportunities
   
5. East Asia Study Opportunities and Queries
   
6. Conferences and Workshops

Featured Event

Monday, March 17, 4:30PM, Logan Hall 17 , East Asia and the Middle East : What Can We Learn from Comparative Approaches to Global History?

Cemil Aydin, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Princeton University, Near Eastern Studies Department and Assistant Professor of History, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Humanities Colloquium, Co-Sponsored with the Middle East Center

Monday, March 17, 4:30PM, Logan Hall 17 , East Asia and the Middle East : What Can We Learn from Comparative Approaches to Global History?

Cemil Aydin, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Princeton University, Near Eastern Studies Department and Assistant Professor of History, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Humanities Colloquium, Co-Sponsored with the Middle East Center

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Tuesday, March 18, 4:30PM, Logan Hall 17 , Myth, Memory and the Mongol Invasions of Japan
Tom Conlan, Associate Professor of History and Asian Studies, Bowdoin
This talk explores the Mongol Invasions of Japan, as well as how myths pertaining to Japanese defense against the Mongols, such as the kamaikaze ("divine winds") arose.

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Tuesday, March 18, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

A Better Tomorrow ( John Woo)

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Interested in studying and working in Korea this summer?

Come to the *Penn-in-Seoul* Information Session

Wednesday, March 19, 5:00PM, Williams Hall 639

Program Dates: June 26 - August 20, 2008

The Penn-in-Seoul Program enters its 15th year this summer. Students can earn two course units of credit and will meet with senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Bank of Korea, Korea Development Institute, or the National Intelligence Service, etc. Students will also take several cultural tours, and end the summer with a month-long, full-time internship.

Additional Information and Questions: contact Dr. Frank Plantan, fplantan@sas.upenn.edu - 215.898.0453

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Wednesday, March 19, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Godzilla vs. Mothra ( Okawara Takao, 1992)

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Thursday, March 20, 4:30PM, Fisher-Bennett Hall 244 , Japan 's Answer to Harry Potter: The Abeno Seimei Boom

Laura Miller, Professor of Anthropology at Loyola University Chicago

Beginning in 1994, the legendary astrologer and Yin Yang master named Abeno Seimei became the focus of intense cultural interest. Why was a sorcerer who lived during the Heian era (794 1192) suddenly the subject of manga, films, a TV series, novels, anime and numerous books? This presentation will trace the trajectory of shaman/wizard fixation and will link the recent popularity of this historic figure with other trends in popular culture.

Issues in Contemporary East Asia lecture Series

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Tuesday, March 25, 5:30PM, Meyerson Hall B3 , Veneration and Imagery of Buddhist "Saints" in Japan from 1700-Present

Patricia J. Graham

This talk explores the reasons for the enduring popularity in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon of Buddhist "saints" -- monks known as Rakan (Luohan in Chinese; and Arhat in Sanskrit) and laity known as the Buddha's 10 Great Disciples (Shaka Judai deshi). Both groups were devout, unconventional personages who gained enlightenment after hearing the teachings of the Buddha in India . Their popularity as personal saviors continues to the present and has inspired the creation of numerous idiosyncratic images by artists working within and apart from formal Buddhist organizations. Their widespread appeal is emblematic of their transcendence beyond Buddhism to universal symbols of individualism and integrity.

Humanities Colloquium

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Tuesday, March 25, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

Rouge ( Stanley Kwan)

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Wednesday, March 26, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Godzilla vs. Destroyah ( Okawara Takao, 1995)

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Thursday, March 27, 3:00PM, Silverman 245A ( Law School ), Screening of: I Just Didn't Do It

It's not enough to plead ignorance. Tomorrow it might be you on trial.

Masayuki SUO, writer-director of the world- renowned "Shall We Dance?" makes his return to feature film-making after an 11 year absence.

In "Fancy Dance"(1989) he examined the little-known world of apprentice Buddhist monks. In "Sumo Do, Sumo Don't"(1992) he explored the intricacies of university sumo wrestling. In "Shall We Dance?" he gave the same treatment to the twilight world of Japanese ballroom dance.

This time he brings his powerful yet entertaining analysis to bear on the closed world of Japan 's legal system. This story of one man, falsely accused of the crime of molestation, examines the problems of an authoritarian judicial system where an individual faces the full, unchecked weight of state power.

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Tuesday, April 1, 5:30PM, Meyerson Hall, Upper Gallery, Constructing Culture: Three Japanese Architects Struggle with Shinto

Dana Buntrock, UC Berkeley

While most contemporary Japanese architects treat religion as a quaint cultural influence that can be freely abstracted and adopted, in this talk I discuss how three prominent designers took on religion in their work, with varied and interesting results.

The first, Dr. Terunobu FUJIMORI, is better known among historians as a celebrated author and architectural historian. In addition, he is also an amateur architect who has received Japan 's highest architectural award. Raised in a remote area strongly influenced by Suwa Shrine, Fujimori reflects a genuine embrace of Shinto as it once existed, rooted in the mountains and living things of the land. His architecture, as one example, is often clothed not merely in natural materials, but even in living plants. But while Fujimori embraces Shinto, most urbane architects do not. The other two sites I discuss are within the precincts of Konpira (Kotohira) Shrine on Shikoku Island and at the Izumo Grand Shrine. Fumihiko Maki, architect at Izumo, deployed symbolic features, from trees used in sacred landscapes and ancient myths carved into stone – but also challenges the role of Shinto today, by, for example, offering an observation platform intended to allow visitors to look down on Japan's second most important shrine. Ryoji Suzuki, the architect at Konpira, embraced the religious roots of the site – but these are far from easy issues. Konpira was originally an esoteric Buddhist site, shedding this identity in the tumultuous years of the late nineteenth century. Today, Buddhist and Shinto architecture is woven throughout the site; Suzuki reinforced this effect.

These architects and their work reflect only some of the ways that Shinto is seen in Japan today, but they nonetheless reveal its uneasy place in contemporary society.

Issues in Contemporary East Asia Lecture Series, Co-Sponsored by the Department of Architecture

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Tuesday, April 1, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

Fists of Fury ( Luo Wei)

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Wednesday, April 2, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Pokemon 2000 The Movie ( Yuyama Kunihiko, 1999)

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Wednesday, April 2, 5:15 PM, Logan Hall 402, Heaven and Man: From a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Zhang Longxi, City University of Hong Kong

The particularist and nationalist “Asian values” argument has a variation in the form of a theory of the “Unity of Heaven and Man,” which makes the claim that Eastern, and particularly Chinese, way of thinking is holistic, synthetic, and advocating the harmony of man and nature, whereas the Western way of thinking is analytic, aggressive, and responsible for the destruction of nature and many ecological disasters. By examining in some detail the theory of the “Unity of Heaven and Man” as famously proposed by the Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu (179-104 B. C. E.) during the Western Han dynasty and the European medieval ideas of the Great Chain of Being and the correspondences between man and nature as microcosm and macrocosm, I try to debunk the dichotomous view proposed by some Chinese scholars and argue for the importance of breaking away from stereotypes and prejudices for a better understanding of different cultures and traditions East and West.

Co-sponsored by the Graduate Group in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, and the Center for East Asian Studies

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Tuesday, April 8, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

King of Children (Chen Kaige)

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Wednesday, April 9, 12:00PM, Location TBA , Does Japan Still Matter?

Mitsuru Kitano, Minister of Public Affairs, Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C.

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Wednesday, April 9, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Godzilla Millenium ( Okawara Takao, 1999)

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Thursday, April 10, 5:00 PM, Logan Hall 17 ( 249 South 36th Street), Making an Impression: The History and Process of Japanese Woodblock Print Making

Shirley Luber, Luber Gallery
Julie Davis, Assistant Professor of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania

Part of the JASGP Cherry Blossom Festival

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Monday, April 14, at 11 A.M., Cherpack Lounge

The Construction of Meaning: Commentary in the Chinese Tradition

Daniel K. Gardner, Smith College

EALC Innaugural Rickett Lecture

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Tuesday, April 15, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

Raise the Red Lantern ( Zhang Yimou)

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Wednesday, April 16, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: All Monsters Attack (Kaneko Shusuke, 2001)

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Thursday, April 17, 4:30PM, Fisher-Bennett Hall 244 , Prostitution in Postwar Japan , 1945-1960.

Holly Sanders, Villanova

This talk will draw on Dr. Sanders dissertation: "Prostitution in Postwar Japan: Debt and Labor," which explores the changing legal and social landscape of prostitute labor during the early postwar years. It locates prostitution within the family economy as an important source of credit for women and their dependents.

Humanities Colloquium

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Tuesday, April 22, 7:00PM, Towne 303 – Twentieth-Century Chinese Film Series

A Chinese Odyssey (Stephen Chow)

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Wednesday, April 23, 6:00PM, McNeil 167-8 – Giant Monsters of Japan Film Series

Godzilla: Final Wars ( Kitamura Ryohei, 2004)

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Wednesday, April 30, 4:30PM, Logan Hall 402 , Multiculturalism and Education in South Korea

Youngdal Cho, Dean, College of Education , Seoul National University

Korean Lecture Series

Foreign Policy Research Institute
Asia Program Events
Visit www.fpri.org for updates to the schedule.
RSVP: lux@fpri.org

Summary

Apr. 14: Conference: Elections, Political Transitions, and Foreign Policy in East Asia

Apr. 30: Study Group on The Implications of China's Military Buildup, with Jackie Newmyer

May 14: Study Group on Problems of Perception and Misperception in US-China Relations, with Peter Gries

Asia Program Events
Foreign Policy Research Institute
RSVP: lux@fpri.org

*DETAILS:

Monday, April 14: Conference: Elections, Political Transitions and Foreign Policy in East Asia

Speakers include (partial listing):
Lowell Dittmer, University of California at Berkeley
Suisheng Zhao, University of Denver
Richard Baum, UCLA
Shelley Rigger, Davidson College and FPRI
David Steinberg, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Gilbert Rozman, Princeton University and FPRI
Harvey Sicherman, President, FPRI
Jacques deLisle, Director, FPRI Asia Program, and Prof. of Law, University of Pennsylvania

Place: Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad Street
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Free for Members of FPRI, $25 for Non-Members
More details to be announced.

Visit www.fpri.org for updates to the schedule.

FPRI, 1528 Walnut Street, Suite 610, Philadelphia, PA 19102-3684.
For information, contact Alan Luxenberg at 215-732-3774, ext. 105 or email lux@fpri.org

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Princeton University
Buddhist Studies Workshop 2008m-conference.htm

Bringing Together Intuition and Law:

Linguistic Relevance and Moral Creativity in Theravada Buddhist Ethics

Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Charles Hallisey ( Harvard Divinity School )

Filling the Missing Link: Simha Bhiksu and Zongmi's Construction of an Indian Transmission Line for Chan Buddhism

Friday, April 11, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Peter Gregory ( Smith College )

War Magic in Tibetan Buddhism

Thursday, April 17, 2008, 4:30 pm, 1879 Hall, Room 137

Bryan Cuevas ( Florida State University and the Institute for Advanced Study)

Patronage and Pure Land Paintings in Korea , 13 th -14 th Centuries

Monday, April 28, 4:30 pm, 202 Jones Hall

Youngsook Pak ( School of Oriental and African Studies and Yale University )

Co-sponsored by the P.Y. and Kinmay W.Tang Center for East Asian Art and the Program in East Asian Studies.

Questions? Please send e-mail to bbermel@princeton.edu.

The Buddhist Studies Workshop is generously supported by the Provost, the Center for the Study of Religion, and the Department of Religion.

Additional co-sponsors of specific events include:
The Program in East Asian Studies
The P.Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art
The Princeton University Library
The Council on the Humanities

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P. Y. and Kinmay W. Tang Center for East Asian Art @ Princeton Spring Events:

Lecture
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Annette Juliano, Rutgers University
Intersections: Defining the Cultural Dynamic of North China in the 6thCentury
4:30 pm, 106 McCormick Hall

Lecture & Recital
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Bo Lawergren and Tomoko Sugawara
Tang Harp and Recital
4:30 pm, 101 McCormick Hall
Co-sponsored by the East Asian Studies Program and the Music Department

Lecture
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
Joel Earle, Japan Society
From Form to Picture: Japanese Sword Fittings in an Age of Peace
4:30 pm, 106 McCormick Hall

Conference
Art and Archaeology of the Erligang Civilization
Saturday and Sunday, 26–27 April 2008
101 McCormick Hall
8:30 am to 5:30 pm
For more information, please visit http://tang.princeton.edu/erl/

Interested in studying and working in Korea this summer?

Come to the *Penn-in-Seoul* Information Session

Wednesday, March 19, 5:00PM, Williams Hall 639

Program Dates: June 26 - August 20, 2008

The Penn-in-Seoul Program enters its 15th year this summer. Students can earn two course units of credit and will meet with senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Bank of Korea, Korea Development Institute, or the National Intelligence Service, etc. Students will also take several cultural tours, and end the summer with a month-long, full-time internship.

Additional Information and Questions: contact Dr. Frank Plantan, fplantan@sas.upenn.edu - 215.898.0453

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Washington University in St. Louis
Full-Time Lecturer in Modern Japanese Language

Responsibilities include teaching or co-teaching Japanese
at all levels. Requirements include an M.A. or higher degree
in Japanese language pedagogy, linguistics, second-language
acquisition or related fields. Familiarity with the use of technology in language teaching is highly desirable.

Send letter of application with supporting materials (CV, three letters of recommendation, video of teaching, and if possible, sample syllabi or teaching portfolio) to

Chair, Japanese Lecturer Search Committee, Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures,
Washington University, Campus Box 1111, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899.

Review of applications will begin on March 15, 2008
until the position is filled. Email inquiries should be directed to
rhegel@wustl.edu and telephone inquires to (314) 935-5110.

Washington University is an Equal/Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.

The Center for Korean Studies of the University of Pennsylvania: Summer 2008 Scholarships

The Center for Korean Studies of the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to offer four undergraduate scholarships of $1500 each to be used for study in South Korea during the summer of 2008. The scholarships may be used for study in the Penn-in-Seoul program or for study in a formal program of education at a Korean university.

Applicants for these scholarships should submit their completed paper applications to the Center for East Asian Studies, Williams Hall 642, by 5 p.m., Friday, April 4th.

Awards will be announced by Friday, April 18th.

Application can be found here: http://www.ceas.sas.upenn.edu/scholarships.shtml

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The Korea Society: 2008 Fall Fellowship in Korean Studies

The Korea Society is pleased to announce its 13th annual Fall Fellowship in Korean Studies program to be held in Korea over the 12-day period of October 11-22, 2008 in collaboration with the Academy of Korean Studies and with the support of a grant from the Freeman Foundation. The objective of the program is to provide a general overview of Korea, past and present. All the expenses of the participants will be covered, including round-trip international airfare, accommodations and meals.

ELIGIBILITY

Applications are invited from American educators who are professionally engaged as textbook writers and editors, and East Asia specialists in higher education who would like to include Korea in their teaching, research or writing. Priority consideration will be give to applicants who are planning to author textbooks on world history or Asian history, those who contribute articles to reference works and those who will be editors of such works.

ACTIVITIES

The program will begin in Seoul with three days of lectures and fieldtrips and continue with a seven-day docent-led tour to major points of interest throughout the southern part of the Korean peninsula. The lectures will be delivered by prominent scholars from leading Korean universities on such topics such as language, art, architecture, literature, economics and the politics of a divided country. The field trips during this initial phase of the program will take participants to places of historical and cultural significance in the Seoul area, including royal palaces, the royal ancestral shrine, museums and historical districts. In the second phase of the program, the participants will travel to various points of interest throughout the southern part of the Korean peninsula on an extended docent tour.

Dr. Mark Peterson of Brigham Young University, a distinguished expert on Korean history and culture, will accompany the participants throughout the entire program. He will lecture informally on topics related to Korean history, society and literature as well as the impact of Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Christianity on the Korean people.

APPLICATION

Applications are requested to submit a completed application packet (see attached), including the application form and supporting documentation, by MAY 5, 2008 (postmarked) to:
Yong Jin Choi, Senior Director
Korean Studies Program
The Korea Society
Eighth Floor
950 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Interested in studying and working in Korea this summer?

Come to the *Penn-in-Seoul* Information Session

Wednesday, March 19, 5:00PM, Williams Hall 639

Program Dates: June 26 - August 20, 2008

The Penn-in-Seoul Program enters its 15th year this summer. Students can earn two course units of credit and will meet with senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, Bank of Korea, Korea Development Institute, or the National Intelligence Service, etc. Students will also take several cultural tours, and end the summer with a month-long, full-time internship.

Additional Information and Questions: contact Dr. Frank Plantan, fplantan@sas.upenn.edu - 215.898.0453

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3 credit Summer Course in CHINA Through Southern Connecticut State University, Department of Library and Information Science

ILS 599 International Perspective on Digital Libraries- Seminar on Chinese Digital Librarianship
Summer Course Dates: June 1-June 15, 2008

This course abroad program is designed to benefit students two-fold. Program participants will attend seven lectures and tour five of the best libraries in Beijing over the span of two weeks. The National Library of China will host the course in their newly constructed building for their National Digital Library of China Project. This hands-on approach is meant to give students a Chinese perspective on international digital librarianship. Students will have the opportunity to meet international information and library professionals, acquire practical knowledge of the technical aspects of database construction and develop additional professional competences. Not only will students be surrounded and exposed to some of the world's leading technology in the field, but they will also have the opportunity to visit some of the world's most magnificent places. The class will be taking trips to Tian An Men Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Temple of Heaven just to name a few. Consideration will be given to undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree seeking students. Estimated program costs are $3,900, which includes everything except books, medical care while abroad, any additional expenses that alter itinerary or arrangements, and most lunches and dinners. For more information, admission and registration, please contact: Dr. Yan Liu, Information and Library Science, liuy1@southernct.edu , (203) 392-5763 or Fax 203 392 5780. More information available at: http://home.southernct.edu/~liuy1/texts/Brochure.pdf

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The Oriental Club of Philadelphia
Graduate Student Essay Prize

The Oriental Club of Philadelphia (OC) was founded in 1888 as a forum for the academic exchange of ideas about the literature and languages of Asia, North Africa, and the Near and Middle East. The OC brings together scholars
in the Philadelphia area who work on the cultures of these regions from a variety of different perspectives, including History, Art History, Anthropology, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.

For the OC Essay Price, we invite submissions of graduate student papers on any topic related to these areas. There will be a cash prize of $500 and formal recognition for the best essay submitted by the due date. Essays will
be adjudicated by a committee of area specialists.

The deadline for receipt of papers is *March 27, 2008*. Submissions should be typewritten in 12 point type and should not exceed 20 pages in length, exclusive of endnotes and bibliography.

Hardcopy submissions should be sent to:

Paul R. Goldin
851 Williams Hall
Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

*Globalization, Demographic Change, and Educational Challenges in East Asia

Globalization and regional integration have stimulated significant economic and demographic changes in East Asia, including rising economic inequality, growing population movements within and across borders, and the emergence or renewed geopolitical significance of cultural and linguistic minority populations. What challenges do these trends pose to the educational systems of East Asia? Little scholarship has addressed this issue from a regional perspective. Showcasing research from China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea, this conference calls on an international group of scholars to consider the similarities and differences in East Asian educational responses to economic and demographic trends.

Friday, May 2, 2008
Location: University City Science Center at
3440 Market St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Room501
Time: 8:30am-5:30pm
Contact: eac2008@gse.upenn.edu
Register at:
http://www.gse.upenn.edu/eastasianconf/

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*2008 Foreign Policy Colloquium (FPC)

Apply at http://www.ncuscr.org/FPC/fpc_application.htm

The FPC is a three-day, wide-ranging look at American foreign policy, the range of factors that help shape it, and how it affects Americans and non-Americans alike.  The FPC that will feature many exciting, knowledgeable speakers, including current and former Administration officials and members of Congress, as well as representatives from academia, the military, think tanks, NGOs, lobbying groups, and the corporate world.  Speakers in the past have included Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, Senator Chuck Hagel, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Trade Representative Carla Hills, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Congressmen Mark Kirk and Rick Larsen, former U.S. Ambassador to China James Sasser, ABC News' Ted Koppel, and The Boeing Company's Corporate Director Elizabeth Schwartz.  We are once again inviting both current and former Administration officials to this year's FPC, including former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski to be our keynote speaker.  We will post an agenda on our website in the spring; agendas from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 programs are currently available online.

The Colloquium is comprised of lectures, panel discussions, group exercises, and site visits. It is designed to be informative, but also interactive, with opportunities throughout for dialogue between students and speakers.  It is also a great opportunity to meet fellow Chinese graduate students from around the country.

Students from all majors (from both the sciences and the arts) have benefited from the program and have given the program high praise.  Photos and testimonials from last year's program can be found at http://www.ncuscr.org/FPC/FPChome.htm .

The FPC will be held at the Elliott School of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.  It will begin with a keynote speech and reception late in the afternoon of Wednesday, June 4 and end on the morning of Saturday, June 7.  For more details, please refer to the attached flyer and our website ( http://www.ncuscr.org/FPC/FPChome.htm ). 

We encourage students from any academic discipline to apply. Competence in spoken English is required. Background in foreign policy or political science is NOT required.  Those who participated in the 2003-2007 FPCs are NOT eligible to participate again.

All food and lodging are provided, free of charge. Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements, but small travel stipends are available.

Application materials and information about submission are available at the following URL:    http://www.ncuscr.org/FPC/fpc_application.htm

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*Please mark your calendars for the upcoming NYU
graduate conference, "Age of Comparison?", jointly
hosted by the Departments of Comparative Literature,
East Asian Studies, Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies, and the Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern
Studies.

The conference will run from Thursday, March 27
through Saturday, March 29. It promises to be an
exciting event with many opportunities for rich
discussion, and all are encouraged to attend.

Check out the schedule below, or visit our website:
www.ageofcomparison.net

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Age of Comparison?

Thursday, March 27, 2008
6:30-8:30pm
Opening remarks: Professor Xudong Zhang (NYU)
(19 University Place, Great Room)
Reception to follow, food and wine!

Friday, March 28
9:30am
Breakfast
(Kevorkian Center, 50 Washington Square South,
entrance from Sullivan St.)

10-11:30am
Panel, "Variations on the Other". Moderator: Jenny Lee

11:30am-12pm
Coffee break

12-1:30pm
Panel, "Opening Eurocentric Concepts to Comparative
Critique". Moderator: Jeannie Miller

3-5pm
Panel, "Utopia: Here and There".
Moderator: Ellen He.
(Deutsches Haus, Conference Room)

Saturday, March 29
9:30am
Breakfast
(Kevorkian Center, 50 Washington Square South,
entrance from Sullivan St.)

10-11:30am
Panel, "Traveling Genre: World Literature and
Disciplinarity". Moderator: Tara Mendola

11:30-12pm
Coffee break

12-1:30pm
Panel, "Interpreting Histories in Comparison",
Moderator: Pu Wang.

3-4pm
Keynote Address: "Critical Comparability in the Age of
'Classical Turn'"
Professor Takahiro Nakajima (University of Tokyo
Center for Philosophy)
(Deutsches Haus, Conference Room)

4-4:30pm
Coffee break

4:30-6:30pm, Roundtable discussion: "Can there be
comparison without conflict?"
Professor Hala Halim (NYU)
Professor Thomas Looser (NYU)
Professor Jason Mohaghegh (Northeastern Illinois
University)

6:30-8:30pm
Closing reception, food and wine!

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Centre for Refugee Studies at York University

Call for Abstracts:

Lives in Motion: The Transitional and Transnational
Status of Displacement

Annual Graduate Student Conference

Toronto , April 24 th and 25 th , 2008

The Centre for Refugee Studies (CRS) Student Caucus is pleased to announce that the Annual Graduate Student Conference will take place on April 24 th and 25 th 2008 at York University , Toronto . This event offers graduate students across disciplines the opportunity to present and discuss their research ideas with fellow students in a professional, non-intimidating forum.

The theme for this year's conference is The Transitional and Transnational Status of Displacement . The theme is intended to accommodate a wide range of discussions around such issues as:

Internal Displacement

Diasporic and Refugee Communities & Transnational Relationships

Ethnicity, Identity and Cultural Politics

Immigration/Refugee Law and Practice

Globalization, Development, Environment, Conflict Induced Displacement

Gender and Displacement

Human Trafficking

War and Children

Emergencies and Humanitarian Assistance

Post-Conflict Rehabilitation

Repatriation and Reintegration

Imagined Communities: Attachment and Belonging

Integration: Redefining Community

We also encourage submissions from the visual, sound and performing arts. All accepted art submissions will be exhibited at the conference location.

At this year's conference two prizes will be awarded for best paper :

•  One paper will be published in REFUGE , Canada 's periodical on refugee issues.

•  The second winner will get the opportunity to present her/his paper at the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies inaugural conference (June 15-18, 2008) .

Further details about both awards will be provided at a later date. More info about CARFMS can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/crs/ .

CRS is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for its annual graduate conference is El-Farouk Khaki . Khaki is a Canadian refugee and immigration lawyer and human rights activist on current state of issues including gender equality, sexual orientation, and progressive Islam. In spring 2007, Khaki received the prestigious Steinert and Ferreiro Award from the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal Foundation for his "major role in paving the way in Canada for refugee protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender", and for ground-breaking work on gender equality in the Muslim community. He was born in Tanzania , which his family fled in 1971 escaping political persecution. He grew up in Vancouver , earned a law degree from the University of British Columbia , and has lived and worked in Toronto since 1989. Khaki is a member of the Upper Law Society of Canada and has been in private practice since 1993.

We encourage all students interested in presenting at the conference to submit paper abstracts. Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and should be accompanied by a personal info form in a separate document that includes the following:

1) Name
2) Affiliation: Institution/Department/Program of Study
3) Email address
4) Title of abstract as it appears on submission
5) A short personal profile of no more than 5 lines.

We are open to accepting ‘ideas in progress' to accommodate students who are in the initial phases of their research projects.

Abstracts should be submitted electronically at CRS_caus@yorku.ca no later than March 10, 2008.

For more info please contact the conference co-ordinator Paula Popovici at paulap@yorku.ca .

Center for East Asian Studies
University of Pennsylvania
642 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
Tel: 215-573-4203; Fax: 215-573-2561
E-mail: ceas@ccat.sas.upenn.edu