Asian American / Asian Research Institute
The City University of New York
Lu Xun (1881-1936) was the first and most prominent figure in modern Chinese literature. His groundbreaking fiction and essays exerted a vast influence that touched on every aspect of China in the modern world. Professor Chou will speak about this towering literary figure, what he wrote, why his writings were so influential, and what his … Read more
This lecture examines the factors behind the remarkable economic recovery of South Korea from the Asian financial crisis that had gripped the country during late 1997. It examines the restructuring efforts undertaken by the Korean government in the corporate, financial, labor market, public enterprise, and foreign investment sectors, and evaluates the results as well as … Read more
Is it even conceivable that there could be a labor shortage in China? Knowledgeable people have diametrically different views. The question itself operates like a Rorschach inkblot: the answer tells more about the presumptions of the respondents than the reality facing them. But there is a reality and there is an answer, and the implications … Read more
This presentation summarizes some of the key findings of a four-year study of the post-911 discriminatory backlash against Middle Eastern and South Asian Americans. This backlash has taken at least two forms: 1) hate crimes and biased incidents; and 2) the USA Patriot Act, and the series of government initiatives that followed 9/11. To effectively … Read more
Representationalism is the view in philosophy and cognitive science that the mind is nothing more than a representational system. According to representationalism, any two creatures that are representationally identical are mentally identical. The chief obstacle to representationalism is consciousness. Consciousness, it has been argued, resists explanation in representational terms. The philosophical debate over consciousness and … Read more
This lecture will explore China’s reception of the celebrated physicist and his theory of relativity between 1917 and 1979. It will introduce the pioneers who introduced and disseminated the revolutionary theory in China; explain why relativity was introduced and swiftly absorbed by the Chinese. The lecture will emphasize the significant role of the May Fourth … Read more