@ Book Talk – Affective Spaces as Method: The Cultural Politics of Emotion in China East Asia is saturated with complex emotions. Although emotions play an essential role in the sociopolitical formations of the region, their implications are poorly understood. Affective Spaces: The Cultural Politics of Emotion in China (forthcoming, Edinburgh University Press) explains why […]
@ Immobilization and Decolonization in Singapore, 1945-1953 Perhaps the greatest challenge in preparing Singapore for independence was defining and assigning citizenship to its highly heterogeneous populations, a challenge magnified by the entrepot’s majority of ethnic Chinese residents and its uncertain political relationship to Malaya. Affixing citizenship rights would determine balances of power in these future, […]
@ China: A Century of Family Revolutions A recent reproductive crisis has brought renewed interest in the century-old “family problem” (家庭问题) and “women’s problem” (妇女问题). Related issues have not only been debated in the discursive field, but also informed cross-border fields such as social policymaking and the law. Intrigued by questions such as why the […]
@ Union Responses to Gender-based Violence in Cambodia’s Construction Sector. Gender-based violence and harassment at work (workplace GBVH) is a global, complex and intractable issue that impacts millions of workers’ lives. In Cambodia, unions – both local and international – have also attempted to influence policy, promote law reform and strengthen law enforcement, and raise […]
@ Extreme Protests – Changing Protest Repertoires in Labor Movements in Neoliberal Korea. Yoonkyung Lee, Department of Sociology & Center for the Study of Korea, University of Toronto, will discuss the question of changing protest methods of labor contention in neoliberal Korea, and asks what explains the emergence of extreme repertoires in labor movements in […]
@ Gotta Read ‘Em All – Decoding Braille in the Pokémon Series. To obtain a trio of legendary monsters in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002), players can embark on an elaborate side quest where they must decode two-dimensional representations of Braille. Removed from its original context as a tactile language, this visual “Pokémon Braille” is […]
@ Disability Rights, Activism and Changing Governance in South Korea and Japan. Through comparisons of anti-discrimination and accessibility reforms in South Korea and Japan, this talk analyzes the rise of legalistic governance. More formal rules and participation in policymaking and enforcement, including through the courts, mark a change. Celeste Arrington, Korea Foundation Associate Professor of […]
@ Beyond Birth Rates: South Korea’s Policy Response to Demographic Aging. Examining how demographic shifts shape policy priorities and challenges, Darcie Draught-Véjares from the Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will explore the multifaceted implications of population aging, low birth rates, and shrinking workforce on South Korea’s domestic politics and international engagements. […]
