On China’s Margin? The Emergence of an “East Asian” (Pop) Culture
A Workshop Sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies
(May 10-11, 2013; College of Staten Island & CUNY Graduate Center)

This workshop focuses on different cities in East Asia, and investigates the flow, circulation and consumption of popular culture among these cities. We aim to illustrate the regional differences as well as the functional differences of different cities in their unique relationships among each other. The issue of popular culture will be examined not simply based on broad national exchanges, but also exchanges among the different cities and the people in their daily lives, daily interactions and imaginations. We believe that a discussion like this will help us to avoid falling into the trap of national or ethnic essentialism, and that a more complicated picture of Asia will be articulated.

Day One: May 10

Theme: Cities and Urban cultures: Cities as centers of economic and political power and arbiters of cultural standards, as well as regional/national identities
(Participants discuss their latest research followed by discussions of the general theme.)

Day Two: May 11

Theme: Toward a theory of East Asia and East Asian Culture
(Paper presentations by several participants. Workshop closes with discussion of general theme as well as planning for further activities.)

May 10, Friday– First session 10:00-1:00. Location: 1P 116
Afternoon session: 2:00-5. Location: 1A 406
Location: College of Staten Island China Studies Program.

May 11, Saturday—Session Three: 10:30-1:00. Session Four: 2:30-5.
Location: Room 5200, on the fifth floor. CUNY Graduate Center

Participants

Jungbong Choi (Assist. Prof., Dept. of Cinema Studies, New York University)
Samuel Collins, (Prof. Dept of Sociology, Towson University)
Michael Curtin (Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp Professor of Global Media, UC Santa Barbara)
Janet Ng Dudley (Professor of English, CUNY CSI)
Zoe Jiang (Doctoral student, CUNY Grad Center)
Koichi Iwabuchi (Prof. Dept of Media Culture and Studies, Monash University, Australia)
Fabio Lanza, (Assoc Prof. East-Asian Studies, U of Arizona, Tucson)
Anru Lee (Associate Professor of Anthropology, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice) ‎
Thomas Looser (Assoc. Prof. Dept. of East Asian Studies, New York University)
Alan Smart, (Prof. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Calgary)
Josephine Smart (Prof. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Calgary)
Shigeru Suzuki, (Assist. Prof., Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, Baruch College, CUNY)
Yan Sun (Professor of Political Science @ CUNY Grad Center)
Nan Sussman (Dean of Humanities and Social Science, CSI, Dept. of Psychology)
Moira Weigel (Doctoral Student, Yale University)
Ying Zhu (Professor of Media Culture, CUNY CSI)

Members of the academic community are welcome to attend the session discussions and paper presentations.

Organizers:
Janet Ng Dudley
Anru Lee
Ying Zhu

For more information, please contact:
Assistant: Laura Christiansen: this.is.lauras.email@gmail.com

On China’s Margin? The Emergence of an “East Asian” (Pop) Culture
A Workshop Sponsored by the American Council of Learned Societies
(May 10-11, 2013; College of Staten Island & CUNY Graduate Center)

This workshop focuses on different cities in East Asia, and investigates the flow, circulation and consumption of popular culture among these cities. We aim to illustrate the regional differences as well as the functional differences of different cities in their unique relationships among each other. The issue of popular culture will be examined not simply based on broad national exchanges, but also exchanges among the different cities and the people in their daily lives, daily interactions and imaginations. We believe that a discussion like this will help us to avoid falling into the trap of national or ethnic essentialism, and that a more complicated picture of Asia will be articulated.

Day One: May 10

Theme: Cities and Urban cultures: Cities as centers of economic and political power and arbiters of cultural standards, as well as regional/national identities
(Participants discuss their latest research followed by discussions of the general theme.)

Day Two: May 11

Theme: Toward a theory of East Asia and East Asian Culture
(Paper presentations by several participants. Workshop closes with discussion of general theme as well as planning for further activities.)

May 10, Friday– First session 10:00-1:00. Location: 1P 116
Afternoon session: 2:00-5. Location: 1A 406
Location: College of Staten Island China Studies Program.

May 11, Saturday—Session Three: 10:30-1:00. Session Four: 2:30-5.
Location: Room 5200, on the fifth floor. CUNY Graduate Center

Participants

Jungbong Choi (Assist. Prof., Dept. of Cinema Studies, New York University)
Samuel Collins, (Prof. Dept of Sociology, Towson University)
Michael Curtin (Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp Professor of Global Media, UC Santa Barbara)
Janet Ng Dudley (Professor of English, CUNY CSI)
Zoe Jiang (Doctoral student, CUNY Grad Center)
Koichi Iwabuchi (Prof. Dept of Media Culture and Studies, Monash University, Australia)
Fabio Lanza, (Assoc Prof. East-Asian Studies, U of Arizona, Tucson)
Anru Lee (Associate Professor of Anthropology, CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice) ‎
Thomas Looser (Assoc. Prof. Dept. of East Asian Studies, New York University)
Alan Smart, (Prof. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Calgary)
Josephine Smart (Prof. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Calgary)
Shigeru Suzuki, (Assist. Prof., Modern Languages and Comparative Literature, Baruch College, CUNY)
Yan Sun (Professor of Political Science @ CUNY Grad Center)
Nan Sussman (Dean of Humanities and Social Science, CSI, Dept. of Psychology)
Moira Weigel (Doctoral Student, Yale University)
Ying Zhu (Professor of Media Culture, CUNY CSI)

Members of the academic community are welcome to attend the session discussions and paper presentations.

Organizers:
Janet Ng Dudley
Anru Lee
Ying Zhu

For more information, please contact:
Assistant: Laura Christiansen: this.is.lauras.email@gmail.com