Four fall lectures to address international topics

KALAMAZOO—The president of an Ethiopian university, a Japanese philosopher and experts on early medieval Chinese history and African economic development will be speaking at Western Michigan University this fall.

Admasu Tsegaye

Friday, Sept. 21, Dr. Admasu Tsegaye, president and associate professor of Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, will speak on "Expanding Collaborations runs from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. in 2028 Brown Hall.

Tsegaye is a Fulbright Scholar at Oklahoma State University and an internationally recognized expert on African crop ecology and resource conservation. He has served in several international higher education and research positions as well as participated in research and partnership visits to numerous universities, including Kent, Oxford and Bern universities.

For more information, contact Dr. Sisay Asefa at sisay.asefa@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5556.

Masahiro Morioka

Wednesday, Sept. 26, Masahiro Morioka, professor of philosophy and ethics at Osaka Prefecture University, will speak on "Japan, Land of Herbivore Men? Changing Models of Masculinity Among Japanese Youth." He will speak from 5 to 6:15 p.m. in 2028 Brown Hall.

Herbivore men refers to a new type of young man that has emerged in Japan since the turn of the millennium. These men are known for disliking violence and confrontation, avoiding sex, and paying attention to fashion and style. In these ways, they reject some of the characteristics traditionally associated with "masculinity."

Morioka is considered by many to be one of the most influential thinkers in Japanese philosophy and sociology. He will discuss the rise of the "herbivore man" in Japan, trace the origins of this lifestyle and pose larger questions about the nature of masculinity in general. He has written the book "Lessons in Love for Herbivore Boys," a how-to textbook for timid, gentle-hearted young men that was published in 2008 and has been credited with helping the term "herbivore men" become one of Japan's Top 10 keywords in 2009.

For more information, contact Dr. Jeffrey Angles at jeffrey.angles@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5890.

Albert Dien

Thursday, Oct. 11, Dr. Albert Dien, a Stanford University professor emeritus, will speak on "The Origin Myth of the Xianbei: The Significance of the Gaxiandong Cave." The talk is planned for 5:30 p.m. in 2028 Brown Hall.

Dien, an expert on the early medieval period in Chinese history, is co-editor of the "Cambridge History of China, Vol. 2: The Six Dynasties," a work in progress. He will focus his talk on the Gaxiandong Cave located in northeast China, an important archeological site that includes inscriptions dating back to 443 CE. The inscriptions have been attributed to the Xianbei, a nomadic people who conquered north China and established the Northern Wei dynasty in 386 CE.

For more information, contact Christina Paruch at christina.m.paruch@wmich.edu or (269) 387-3951.

Howard Stein

Wednesday, Oct. 31, Dr. Howard Stein, professor of Afro-American and African studies and public health at the University of Michigan, will speak on "Africa and the Perversities of International Capital Flows." The talk will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in 2028 Brown Hall.

Stein is a development economist who wrote the 2008 book, "Beyond the World Bank Agenda: An Institutional Approach to Development." The book examines the evolution of the World Bank agenda and attempts to generate an alternative approach with applications to state formation, financial development and health care policy based on institutional economic theory.

For more information, contact Dr. Asefa at sisay.asefa@wmich.edu or (269) 387-5556.