Distinguished Lecture Series

"Tell The Prime Minister"
This documentary film by sociologist Eiji Oguma of Keio University, Tokyo, is about the anti-nuclear protests in Tokyo after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown in March 2011. The film screening is followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker and three Boston College faculty: Prof. Alan Kafka, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Dr. Anna Schulz, International Studies, and Prof. Franziska Seraphim, History.

The Daniel C Morrissey ’88 and Chanannait Paisansathan, MD Lecture Series in Asian Studies

"Surviving War: How Ordinary Civilians and Soldiers Experienced World War II in the Asia-Pacific"
A panel discussion among four experts on wartime and postwar diaries, memoirs, and oral histories of Chinese, Japanese, and Americans in the Asia Pacific War.   Poster   Recording

Feminist Activism in China: A Conversation with Lu Pin
Since 2012, in concert with the new wave of global protests, Chinese feminist and queer activists have staged a wide range of performance activism in China. Please come and join Lü Pin, a Leading Chinese feminist, for a conversation on feminist activism in China and its future.

40 Years of Exploration and Conservation in China and Beyond
Dr. Wong discussed his over four decade-long career in exploration to the remotest parts of China, from his early career with the National Geographic and de ning four great river sources of Asia to his subsequent conservation efforts throughout China. He also discussed his recent work in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, and the Philippines.

The Values of Spontaneity
While many share a belief in the value of spontaneity, there is less of a consensus concerning what spontaneity is. This talk will discuss two Chinese views of spontaneity found in Confucian and Daoist texts from the pre-Qin (before 221 B.C.E.) period. These two early Chinese conceptions of spontaneity can help us better understand some of our own intuitions about the ethical value of spontaneity.

Entering Asia: The Cartographic Imagination of the Early Modern World through Japanese Eyes
The idea of Asia as a “continent” was introduced to the Chinese-reading world by the Jesuits. But how did Asians see themselves in the world? This visually stunning lecture surveys how Japanese and other mapmakers responded with their own imaginative syntheses of Buddhist cosmology and Matteo Ricci’s geographical categories in popular prints from the 17th to the early 19th centuries.

The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture
Euny Hong will be coming to Boston College on Monday, November 17 to speak about her new book, The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture. Hong, a journalist who grew up in Chicago and Seoul, delves into the world of contemporary Korean music, TV dramas, film, and video games. This is Hong’s only Boston area event. Books will be available for purchase and signing.