Light Center for Chinese Studies opens guest lecture series
KALAMAZOO, Mich.-- Western Michigan University’s Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies is pleased to announce its 2024 Fall Guest Lecture Series. All events are free and open to the public; prior registration is requested.
Dr. Lucas Klein, associate professor of Chinese at Arizona State University, will present on “The Poetry of Xi Chuan and ‘Chineseness’ Reconsidered” Monday, Nov. 11, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. in Sangren Hall, Room 3520.
Klein will discuss the richness of Xi Chuan’s poetry, focusing on the interplay between the author’s avant-garde intellectual poetics and his engagement with contemporary and historical Chinese events. His talk will reconsider the concept of “Chineseness” as it relates to contemporary Chinese poetry. More information about Klein and his lecture can be found here.
Dr. Cara Wallis, associate professor in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan, will present on “Social Media and Marginalized Voices in Neo/Non-Liberal China” Wednesday, Nov. 21, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Sangren Hall, Room 3510.
Wallis will explore how four diverse, marginalized Chinese groups: young creatives from rural areas, rural microentrepreneurs, domestic workers and young feminist activists are using social media to communicate their daily struggles. Her talk aims to provide greater insights into the larger transformations taking place in contemporary China. More information about Wallis and her lecture can be found here.
A unit of the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, WMU’s Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies was established in 2010 to enhance the work of faculty and graduate researchers specializing in Sinology, as well as those with teaching or research interests in China.
The Light Center encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and global partnerships to enrich the international curriculum, arts and culture on campus. Film screenings and guest lectures, for example, advance public knowledge of China.
