East Asia National Resource Center - NRC

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, September 17th for a conversation with Stanford's Next Asia Policy Lab about racism "denial" in Asia. The discussion will examine how historical identities and dominant social, political, and religious values shape national understandings of race in Asia. RSVP here:

Deconstructing Racism "Denial" in Asia Join the Sigur Center as we discuss how racism is impacting Asian nations as they are becoming increasingly important to the global economy

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) and the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) are hosting a virtual event on Wednesday, September 4th, between 5:00 and 6:00 PM entitled “Korean Drumming and the Complexity of Zainichi Korean Identity.”

For more information on this workshop and the speaker, visit the event’s page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/korean-drumming-and-the-complexity-of-zainichi-korean-identity-tickets-996213971807

Alt Text: Flyer with the title of the event, the name of the speaker, and the time and date of the event. A picture of the speaker is also included with the logos of the East Asia NRC and GWIKS.

Korean Drumming and the Complexity of Zainichi Korean Identity Koo introduces the performance culture of Zainichi Koreans and discusses their engagement with traditional Korean culture in Japan.

The "GW Hatchet" wrote about the Classical and Near East Asian Languages and Civilization Department adopting and expanding the Uyghur language program at GW thanks to the support of the Sigur Center and the East Asia NRC. Read more about it here:

CCAS adopts, expands Uyghur language studies program Officials will debut a Uyghur language studies program as part of the Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Department this academic year.

Did you know that GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs offers Uyghur language courses! GW’s Uyghur program offers beginning to advanced courses at the graduate and undergraduate level that will help students develop their Uyghur language skills and cultural understanding through rigorous study and application. In 2023, GW became one of the very few US universities to offer courses in the Uyghur language.

For further information, please visit GW’s Uyghur homepage: https://cnelc.columbian.gwu.edu/uyghur

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), and the Taiwan Education and Research Program (TERP), held an event on Saturday, July 27th, entitled “Empowering Teachers to Empower Learners: Exploring AI Tools to Teach Chinese.”

Yujen Lien, the Dean of ViewSonic Academy and an Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Chinese Language and Literature at Chung Yuan Christian University (中原大學) discussed utilizing large language models (LLM) to generate Chinese teaching materials. He introduced using backward design to create innovative teaching strategies and lesson plans while speaking about using user-friendly generative AI tools to facilitate students' autonomous Chinese learning.

The event turnout was strong! 450 attendees participated throughout the three-hour workshop. Following the presentation, there was an engaging Q&A session. Thank you to all who participated!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures (EALL), and the Taiwan Education and Research Program (TERP) are hosting a virtual event on Saturday, July 27th, between 7:30 and 10:30 PM entitled “Empowering Teachers to Empower Learners: Exploring AI Tools for Teaching Chinese.”

For more information on this workshop and the speaker, visit the event’s page: https://eall.columbian.gwu.edu/empowering-teachers-empower-learners-exploring-ai-tools-teaching-chinese

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSdatIPa4PQ5PBmLKlPUx0zqc92ULijZB3W0N1VNNfFvC36WVA/viewform?usp=send_form

The East Asia NRC is excited to welcome the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) new programs coordinator, Takara Askew!

Takara earned her M.A. in Applied Diplomacy, with a concentration in International Public Service from DePaul University in Chicago in November 2023. Before, she completed her B.S. in Global Studies, with a minor in Information Technology and Management from Illinois Tech. She recently served within the Public Affairs Department at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District, where she honed her skills in communication and outreach. Notably, Takara was selected as a 2024 Presidential Management Fellow, reflecting her commitment to public service and leadership.

Welcome Takara!

Professor Immanuel Kim, Chair of East Asian Languages and Literatures, was interviewed for "KCBS Radio" about North Korea sending balloons full of trash into South Korea. Listen to the discussion here! https://ow.ly/J1Mx50SjhBa



Image description: Image of Professor Immanuel Kim

Associate Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, Deepa M. Ollapally, recently hosted a conference entitled "Partners in Progress: How Does the U.S.-India Partnership Matter?" The conference's discussion was written about in "The Economic Times."

US and India strengthen military ties, eye deeper collaboration Top American and Indian defense officials have highlighted the growing importance of the US-India military partnership, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. At the 'Partners in Progress' symposium in Bengaluru, Rear Admiral Nirbhay Bapna of the Indian Navy praised the comprehensive strategic partn...

The East Asia National Resource Center’s (NRC) website has resources for educators and students focused on East Asia! Resources include lesson plans and activities, links to current issues and news, and resource guides specific to East Asian countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and more.

Link to the NRC’s Resource guides: https://nrc.elliott.gwu.edu/resource-guides/

The NRC is proud to announce that Celeste Arrington will be our new Co-Director starting on July 1st, 2024. Celeste is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. She is also Director of the GW Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS). Her research interests include law and social change, legal professionals, social movements, comparative policy processes, and disability rights, with a regional focus on the Koreas and Japan. She is also interested in the international relations and security of Northeast Asia and transnational activism. Her research has received support from numerous fellowships and programs. She is author of Accidental Activists: Victim Movements and Governmental Accountability in Japan and South Korea (Cornell, 2016) and many articles. She co-edited Rights Claiming in South Korea with Patricia Goedde and is finishing a monograph entitled From Manners to Rules: Activism for Legalistic Policy Solutions in South Korea and Japan (forthcoming, Cambridge). GW’s Office of the Vice President for Research awarded her the 2021 Early Career Research Scholar Award.

The NRC is proud to announce that Eric Schluessel will be our new Principal Investigator and Co-director starting on July 1st, 2024. Eric is an Associate Professor of History and International Affairs at the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and a social historian of China and Central Asia. His primary interest is in the Xinjiang region, past and present. He looks forward to working with our partners across the DC region and beyond to promote public understanding of East Asia!

The East Asia National Resource Center is proud to announce that Professor Jisoo M. Kim, Co-director of the East Asia NRC, has been selected as a Harvard Radcliffe Institute fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year.

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is one of the world’s leading centers for interdisciplinary exploration. It brings students, scholars, artists, and practitioners together to pursue curiosity-driven research, expand human understanding, and grapple with questions that demand insight from across disciplines.

Jisoo M. Kim is Korea Foundation Associate Professor of History, International Affairs, and East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University. Her research interests lie in law, gender and sexuality, emotions, affect, and forensic medicine. At Radcliffe, she will conduct research at the Schlesinger Library and work on a book that investigates the criminalization of heterosexual intimacies and unequal power structures in marriage in Korean history.

On May 23, the East Asia NRC organized a workshop for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) that gave historical perspectives on migration in China and Korea along with teaching strategies for K 12 teachers. Professor Ji-Yeoh Jo, the Director of the Carolina Asia Center at the University of North Carolina and an expert on Korean migration, and Professor Meredith Oyen, a specialist in the history of Sino-American relations at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, discussed major historical events affecting Chinese and Korean migration and shared lists of resources for teachers.

Many thanks to Professor Jo and Professor Oyen for sharing their expertise and to all of the MCPS teachers and staff who attended!

Find more images like this at https://lnkd.in/ewXvcJRp

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Image Description: An image of the champion Chinese Hose Team of America, who won the great Hub-and-Hub race at Deadwood, Dak., July 4th, 1888.

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) held an event on Thursday, April 18th, entitled “Diversity in Asian Studies: Session 2.”

Kanako Uzawa, Assistant Professor for the Global Station for Indigenous Studies and Cultural Diversity at Hokkaido University in Japan and associated researcher at the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo in Norway, discussed Ainu culture and language. She also discussed an exhibit of Ainu art that she is a co-curator of at the University of Michigan’s museum of art, with a working title of “Weaving the Past Through the Present.”

Patrick Heinrich, Professor of Japanese Studies and Sociolinguistics at the Department of Asian and Mediterranean African Studies at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, discussed the diversity of Ryukyuan language, and his study associating language with happiness and health. His language and well-being in Yomitan-Village study saw that speaking the local language leads to higher life satisfaction in village life.

Following the presentation, there was an engaging Q&A session. Thank you to all who participated!

This event recording has been posted on YouTube. It is also located on the NRC website.

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), the Taiwan Education and Research Program (TERP) and the Uyghur Studies Initiative held an event on Thursday, April 11th, entitled “Diversity in Asian Studies: Session 1.”

Henning Klöter, Professor of Modern Chinese Languages and Literatures at the Humboldt University of Berlin, discussed the linguistic complexity of Taiwan and language planning efforts in the country since 1945. Dr. Mirshad Ghalip, a recently graduated PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, discussed his recent quantitative research where he measured the language attitudes of 76 Uyghur participants in Uyghur, English and Mandarin. He also discussed his qualitative research which further studied the language ideologies of a smaller group of interviewees.

Following the presentation, there was an engaging Q&A session. Thank you to all who participated!

This event recording will be posted on YouTube shortly, and will be located on the NRC website.

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) will be hosting the second session of our Diversity in Asian Studies event series on Thursday, 4/18/2024.

This event will be hosted on zoom.

Registration link: https://lnkd.in/e9ZhMMHN

Please join us!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) and the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) will be hosting a Korea Policy Forum event on Tuesday, 4/16/2024.

This virtual event will take place from 9 am - 10:15 am Eastern Time.

This event will be hosted on zoom.

Registration link: https://lnkd.in/e5tkbDs7

Please join us!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) and the Taiwan Education and Research Program (TERP) will be hosting the first session of our Diversity in Asian Studies event series on Thursday, 4/11/2024.

This event will be hosted on zoom.

Registration link: https://lnkd.in/ej8Y2jAh

Please join us!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), and the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) hosted an East Asia Intersections Event on Thursday, March 28th, entitled “Stitching the 24-Hour City: Life, Labor, and the Problem of Speed in Seoul.” Seo Young Park, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Scripps College discussed her research on the lived experiences of garment workers in Dongdaemun and their relationship to the fast fashion clothing that they produce.

Following the presentation, there was an engaging Q&A session. Thank you to all who participated!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC), and the George Washington Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) will be hosting an event on Thursday, 3/28/2024, titled: "Stitching the 24 hour city: life labor, and problem of speed in Seoul ."

This event will be hosted on zoom.

Registration link: https://lnkd.in/ew43eeMM

Please join us!

The East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) will be hosting an event on Wednesday, 4/3/2024, titled: "Reading The Three-Body Problem as Utopian International Thought"

This event will be hosted on zoom.

Registration link: https://lnkd.in/eQs_ETsw

Please join us!

The East Asia National Resource Center hosted Spelman College students for a professional development program for the 5th time since the initiation of our partnership with Spelman in 2018.

The students had the opportunity to hear from GW faculty, current graduate students in the Elliott School, and even Dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs, Dr. Ayres.

They also took part in off-campus site visits to the State Department, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Twin Oaks.

Hosting these intelligent and driven students was a truly wonderful experience and we look forward to welcoming more students from Spelman in the future.

GWIKS and the East Asia National Resource Center - NRC invites you to our next Book Talk event with Director of the Center for Korea Studies at the University of Washington Dr. Yong-Chool Ha who will be presenting on his new book, "Late Industrialization, Tradition, and Social Change in South Korea."

Join us either in person or virtually on Friday, March 22nd, from 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM for this special book talk lecture from Ha as he narrows the gap between political economy and sociology in the study of late industrialization. RSVP and learn more details about the event at go.gwu.edu/yongchoolha.