East Asian Studies Center

Thursday, November 21, 2024 | 4:00PM-5:30PM PST | Zoom | RSVP

EASC Guest Speaker Series: Talk by Prof. Zhange Ni (Virginia Tech) with Faculty Moderator Dr. Kun Huang 

The Cthulhu Mythos is fictional universe positing the existence of Cthulhu and other monstrous deities and warning against attempts to venture into a cosmos indifferent, if not hostile, to human interests. These monsters have arrived in China and transfigured there. The Cthulhu conquest of China is also the Chinese conquest of Cthulhu. The anti-humanism of supernatural horror has been transformed into a humanist critique against the capitalist system that utilizes information sciences and digital technologies to exploit human capacities. Prof. Ni will use Chinese fantasy novels to explore themes of corporate horror, proletarian manifesto, and the salvation of insanity.

Monday, November 25, 2024 | 3:00PM-4:30PM | SOS B40 | RSVP

Moderated by Prof. Travis Major, Abduweli Ayup, an Uyghur scholar and activist, will give a presentation about the Uyghur people and the current crisis they face. This will be followed by a screening of the documentary “Behind the Mask”, which is centered on his experiences as a survivor of a Uyghur internment camp and subsequent opportunity to confront a former guard from his camp; however, he must consider the effect on his children, who witnessed his arrest. The documentary will be followed by a Q&A.

This event is co-sponsored by the USC Center for International Studies and Center for Advanced Genocide Research. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 | 5:00PM – 6:30PM | SOS B40 | RSVP

Please join us for the 10th annual East Asia Career Panel! The East Asia Career Panel is an annual event EASC organizes and is open to all undergraduate and graduate students interested in using East Asian language and area studies skills in their future professions and learning about the different career options available. Our impressive alumni panelists come from professions in fields such as business consulting, entertainment, journalism, non-profit, marketing, and education. The panel will be followed by a Q&A and networking opportunity.

Thursday, January 30, 2025 | 12:00PM-1:00PM | SOS B40 | RSVP

Moderated by Prof. Saori Katada, Prof. Andrew F. Cooper (University of Waterloo) will unravel the centrality of contestation over international institutions under the shadow of crisis. Relying for conceptual guidance on the recovery of a valuable component in the intellectual contribution of Hedley Bull, a compelling case is made that informal concertation represents a fundamental institution as a peer competitor to formal multilateralism. Bull points to two scenarios around the concertation impulse. The first is based on pluralism, with a concertation impulse animated with respect to “unlike” countries, as featured in the G20. The second is based on an ethos of solidarity, based on some assumption of like-mindedness, as in both the G7 and the BRICS.

This event is co-sponsored by the USC Center for International Studies and Department of Political Science and International Relations. 

Saturday, March 1, 2025 | 2:00PM-5:00PM | Location TBD | RSVP

On the first day of Women’s History Month, the Shinso Ito Center presents a reading of “Flower Bird Wind Moon,” a play that explores female empowerment and immigrant integrity. When Japanese immigrant Kiyoko Kitchen’s husband dies and she is confronted with elder abuse, she seeks a way to live independently given the for fortitude that so long ago generated her immigration to America. Her endeavor synchronizes with a surreal world in which a character based upon her illuminates her youth. The play’s title comes from the Japanese notion of kachou fuugetsu – we can learn about ourselves in the experience of nature.

This event is presented by the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture and co-sponsored the USC East Asian Studies Center, the USC School for Dramatic Arts , and the East West Players