UBC Tianzhu-Hurvitz Lecture Series: Karma in Chinese Buddhist Historiography Lecture Report and Video
The second iteration of the UBC Tianzhu-Hurvitz Lecture Series was held on October 9, with speaker Dr. John Kieschnick (Stanford University) exploring why Chinese Buddhist historians turned to the doctrine of karma for explanation of historical causation and truths.
Chinese Language Program Mid-Autumn Festival Photo Challenge!
The Chinese Language Program recently held a photo challenge to honour Song dynasty poet, calligrapher and writer Su Shi, for their Mid-Autumn Festival and received some great submissions – click to find out who the winners were!
We’re Hiring! 2020 Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Hong Kong Studies
Applicants are invited for an appointment to a SSHRC Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in Hong Kong Studies with a focus on literary, visual, and/or popular culture, starting July 1 2021. Click image to see the full job posting.
Celebrating the Alireza Ahmadian Lectures in Iranian and Persianate Studies
On behalf of the Faculty of Arts, it is a pleasure to bring news that the Ahmadian family and friends have provided funding to support the Department of Asian Studies annual Lectures in Iranian and Persianate Studies. This generous gift will see these important academic and community engagement events fully supported through to the end of the 2025/2026 academic year.
Asian Studies Professor Oberoi’s Writings Featured in New Book
University of Chicago Press recently published Professor Laurie Patton’s book, Who Owns Religion? Scholars And Their Publics in the Late Twentieth Centuries, which includes references to writings by Asian Studies Professor Harjot Oberoi (South Asian Social and Religious History).
Asian Studies Graduate Students feature daily in Japanese multimedia publication “In Media Res”
This week’s In Media Res (August 31-September 4) features pieces from UBC graduate students Rosaley Gai, Lilian Higashikata, Ai Yamamoto, Jaylene Laturnas, Oğuzhan Kaya, and Alisa Guo. Designed as a public-facing platform to introduce and discuss contemporary new media texts, In Media Res is a multi-modal form of online scholarship with a wide readership and online presence.
Transitioning Asian Studies to online for Winter 2020…no easy task!
September 2020 marks the first time ever that UBC Asian Studies (along with most other UBC departments) has offered all classes in online form. Although many courses already included some sort of online component, it was no small task to move everything entirely online, so we were extremely lucky to have a team of grad students, led by Kurtis Hanlon and Shota Iwasaki, on-hand to manage the overwhelming flow of information.
Korean Speaking Practice Forum Open for 2020W Term 1!
Korean Speaking Practice Forum is open for the first time in 2020W Term 1! If you are learning Korean and want to practice speaking Korean, the Korean Speaking Practice Forum can help you where you’ll meet with volunteer UBC student helpers.
New course for Winter Term 1: ASIA 561A “Asian Empires, Colonialism and Nationalism”
This brand-new course looks beyond the “traditional” thinking of European empires (Roman, Spanish and British). In the spirit of comparative analysis and interdisciplinary orientations we must think about Asian empires, particularly Qing, Mughal and Ottoman.
Nusantara’s Indigenous Knowledge
Nusantara’s Indigenous Knowledge was a June 2020 joint undertaking between Dr. Tom Hunter and the University of Indonesia’s Faculty of Cultural Studies. The book features analyses of both local tradition and artifacts, in juxtaposition to contemporary societies of both Indonesia and South East Asia as a whole. Tom shares his experience on the process!