East Asian Studies
Convenors:
Sabine Fruhstuck, East Asian
Studies, ext. 5120 or email fruhstuck@eastasian.ucsb.edu
Miriam Wattles, History of Art and Architecture, ext.
7593 or email
mwattles@arthistory.ucsb.edu
Statement of Purpose
The East Asian Cultures RFG seeks to accommodate the
varied research interests of faculty and graduate students
who are engaged in the study of China, Japan, and Korea.
It brings together researchers with shared research
interests from different fields and departments in order
to foster the development of research across disciplinary
boundaries and geographical areas across East Asia.
Members include faculty and graduate students from 7
different departments.
Members
Teresa
Algoso (History)
Richard Burden (Anthropology)
Ron Egan (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Sabine Frühstück (East Asian Languages and
Cultural Studies)
Allan Grapard (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Haruko Iwasaki (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Joan Judge (History)
Susan McCarver (Anthropology)
Orna Naftali (Anthropology)
John Nathan (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Choong-Hwan Park (Anthropology)
Bill Powell (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Luke Roberts (History)
Kate Saltzman-Li (East Asian Languages and Cultural
Studies)
Peter Sturman (History of Art and Architecture)
K. C. Tu (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Miriam Wattles (History of Art and Architecture)
Mayfair Yang (Anthropology)
Sharon Yu (East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies)
Proposed Activities for 2006-07
Last year the East Asian Cultures Research Focus Group
was hosted by Dominic Sachsenmaier and Michael Berry.
Since Professor Sachsenmaier is leaving UCSB for Duke
University and Professor Berry will be on leave. We
– Miriam Wattles and Sabine Frühstück
– will take over the coordination of the East
Asian Cultures Research Focus Group.
Next year the East Asian Cultures Research Focus Group
will continue utilizing the IHC’s and the conveners’
communication channels to publicize its events widely
through posters, mailing to affiliate departments and
a listserv of participating faculty and students. This
year our special emphasis will lie in trans-national
and trans-cultural perspectives on East Asia from early
modern through to our post-modern era. In light of current
developments in East Asia and other parts of the world,
including North Korea’s claim that it possesses
a nuclear bomb, the first deployment of the Japanese
military to a war zone in Iraq, and China’s rapid
rise as both an economic as well as a military power,
we propose to organize discussions and talks around
the themes of globalization and transnationality, two
forces that are connected in complicated and contradictory
ways (see planned activities below).
This year, attendance varied from fifteen people, which
allowed for an in-depth discussion of specific academic
issues, to lectures attended by up to 200 people. Such
events give East Asian perspectives a wider public at
UCSB. We are planning a similar distribution of small
events, which are predominantly attended by regular
members of our RFG, and more public lectures that target
a wider audience.
With renewed funding from the IHC, the East Asian Cultures
Research Focus Group will continue to provide a forum
for interdisciplinary discussions related to East Asia
in 2006/2007. We hope to continue inviting speakers
with the budget allocated by the IHC, with co-sponsorship
from departments, the UCSB East Asia Center, and the
Japan Fund. We plan two events per quarter but list
three, one of whom will serve as a back-up.
