The Asian Studies Undergraduate Research Colloquium on Friday, May 17 showcased several fine presentations to a good-sized audience of 50 people. Delicious food combined with enlightening presentations from the following students:

Mary Green, “Ken Kaneki Outside of the Panels: Manga as a Bridge into the Hyperreal”

Zoe Haakenstad, “Visualizing the Politics of Family: The Role of Propaganda Posters in China’s One-Child Policy”

Lauralei K Singsank, “From Massacre to Genocide: Redefining the Sook Ching”

Shuxi Wu, “Asian Technical Experts: Skilled Corporate Migration in the Global Commodity Chain”

Jesse Jimmerson, “Oregon and Japan: The Beginnings, Growth, and Future of a Trans-Pacific Connection”

Kabitanjali Amatya, “Strangely Singaporean: Internship and Intercultural Communication in Southeast Asia.”

Megan Bergeron, “E-Government and Social Media in India”

Congratulations to all our excellent presenters!

Anudeep Dewan is an MA student getting a concurrent degree in Asian Studies and Geography. Her Area Focus is South Asia and the Himalayas, and she is broadly interested in migration, identity and ethnicity in the Himalayas. Her MA thesis questions the commodification of the place and people of Darjeeling in north-India through Darjeeling Tea, and looks into how Darjeeling Tea becomes a way of recognition as well as alterity for Darjeeling at the same time. Her work lies in the intersections of political and food geography.

Former Asian Studies graduate student Brandon Folse traveled to Montreal in August to present a work-in-progress at the ASA Mini Conference Fellow Travelers on Different Roads: The Intersections of Economic Sociology and Organizations, Occupations, and Work. Co-authored with Professor Arafaat Valiani, “Legitimating Chinese Birth Markets in the United States through Quasi Metrics,” investigates the role of quasi metrics in legitimizing Chinese birth tourism markets in the United States.

The topic of Chinese birth tourism, in which expecting Chinese parents travel to the U.S. to give birth to gain U.S.citizenship for their children, grew out of Folse’s master’s thesis which focused on the aspirations of individuals who choose to give birth to their children in the United States. This was Folse’s first conference, and it was a wonderful learning experience and networking opportunity. He is looking forward to continuing his research on birth tourism and other forms of modern mobilities and the agents that make such mobility possible, as he enters the UO’s Ph.D. program in Sociology Fall 2017.

Asian Studies presents: the “Global Japan Speaker Series,” where students and community members can hear and connect with world renown specialists on Japan.

Each event is open to the public, with snacks and light refreshments provided. Please join us!

• Friday, February 24, McKenzie 125, 11:30 am: “The Lure of Ruins: Global Nostalgia and the Afterimage of Destruction,” Tong Lam, Associate Professor of Chinese History and Visual Artist, University of Toronto

• Thursday, March 2, Ford Alumni Center Room 202, 3:00 pm: “The Building Blocks of Masculine Desirability: Semiotic Partials, Dialect, and Affect” Cindi SturtzSreetharan, Associate Professor of Japanese Linguistics, Arizona State University

• Friday, March 10, Knight Library Browsing Room, 4:00 pm: “Design and Demonstration: Edo Period Culture and Society through the Lens of Senshafuda” Masaya Takiguchi, Professor at Seijo University and Kevin McDowell, UO Librarian

Please join the Interdisciplinary Asian Film Series for our showing of “Nasi Lemak 2.0” November 14, in Lillis 185, at 7:00pm

It’s a Malaysian sinosphere film about “food, directed by and starring a rapper who has been investigated for sedition, that the Malaysian government tried to stop from being made, that delivers the anything-goes fast and furious spirt of Stephen Chow’s early movies, that became a massive word of mouth hit, that prompted protests, and tax features multiple musical numbers…This is the first movie to appeal to all three of the country’s main ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, and Indian with some of the most gloriously stupid jokes ever put on screen.”

Dr. Allison Groppe, from the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department, will be introducing the film, as well as leading a discussion after the screening of the film. The film will be shown in original audio, consisting of many languages, with English subtitles.

Join us for each of our five films this term, each presenting a popular cinema entertainment from Asian cinema, with an educational introduction and discussion. Generously supported by the Asian Studies Program at the University of Oregon.

Also be on the look out for our winter term series, theme to be announced.

On Monday, June 13, Asian Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures held their combined commencement. Professor Tuong Vu welcomed students, faculty and families to the annual event. Feng Cheng and Roland Oliwier Lewinski are Asian Studies’ M.A. graduates this year.

B.A. graduates are: Hsin-Chia Chang, Siying Cheng, Nicole A. Ewing, David Andrew Hartness, Abigail Lian Minor, Caitlin J. Sherman, Julia Kathleen Sim, Renyuan Yang, and Joy Kim Yoo.

Feng Cheng’s thesis title is: “Constructing a New Asian Masculinity: Reading Lilting against Other Films by Asian Filmmakers.”

Roland Lewinski’s thesis title is: “Axiological Basis of the Ideological Discourse in Sino-Japanese Relations in Regard to Yasukuni Shrine.”

The ceremony was held in the Deschutes courtyard.

On the evening of Thursday, May 26th, over 50 students, faculty, librarians and invited guests and family members assembled in the Global Scholars Hall to listen to undergraduate present on their research in interdisciplinary Asian Studies. The presentations were fascinating and diverse, spanning an array of subjects from art and anime to politics and public policy. Faculty also provided practical advice on research and internships. Sponsored by the Asian Studies Program and UO Libraries, the event included a catered reception with tasty Asian appetizers.

Featured Talks:

Sambath Eat, South Asia – An examination of pottery shards from
the Tham Dun limestone cave near Pattani, Southern Thailand.

Michael Enseki-Frank, Japan – A look at Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe’s reinterpretation of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.

Rachel Grant, Japan – A study of how Japanese activists are
promoting awareness of the harassment that women face in the
workplace.

Tate James, Japan – A Nomad Mentorship Program project for the
Department of Comparative Literature on gender fluidity in Japanese
anime.

Cassie Smith, Japan – A gender studies analysis of tall women in
anime.

Megan Pellouchoud, Korea – A study of how identity is
linguistically negotiated in South Korean media materials.

Erik Thorbeck, China – A report on an internship in China during
an overseas capstone project.

Victoria Zhu, China – A discussion of work at a non-governmental
organization in Yunnan, China for an overseas capstone project.

Students from Asian Studies and East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL) organized and presented a Northwest Graduate Conference on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14, 2016.

The keynote address was presented by Carla Nappi, Associate Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. “Illegible Cities: Translating Early Modern China.”

Students from Portland State University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Washington and University of Oregon participated in panel discussions on a range of topics including: East Asia, Modern Chinese Literature, Art/History, Language, Music and Identity, Gender, Sexuality & Public Discourse, and Genre Fiction.

AST Graduate Student Katherine Messer is currently studying at Nanjing University in China. Here’s an update about what she’s been doing overseas!

Katherine Messer and Professor Lu, who teaches speaking.

After being lucky enough to obtain the Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC), allowing me to spend a year in China to study Chinese language at Nanjing University (NJU), it has now been three months. Time has flown by!

In one term I have learned a great deal, both inside and outside the classroom. I take three classes at NJU, all taught in Chinese, and I feel my Chinese has improved enormously in the short time I have been here.

Group picture we took on a class trip to Zhenjiang, a city also in Jiangsu Province. In the background you can see the Cishao Pagoda.

I am very much looking forward to next semester. Classes last around four hours each day, and although much of the work is challenging, I still have plenty of time to relax and explore the city.

Along with these language classes, I also attend a Chinese calligraphy class. NJU offers a handful of extracurricular activities, ranging from traditional Chinese arts and Tai-Chi lessons to badminton tournaments and marathon racing. Nanjing is a diverse and exciting city, rich in history and cultural heritage.

Xuanwu Lake, with the Nanjing Skyline in the distance.

Along with visiting the Sun Yat-sen Memorial and the Nanjing Massacre Museum, I have also been able to fully immerse myself in day-to-day Chinese life. There is nothing better then having a late night snack of squid or chicken skewers made by a local street vendor.

I feel this is an amazing opportunity for me to experience life in a different country, meet amazing new friends from all over the world, and improve my language skills in a native environment. It is truly an unforgettable experience.