Television and the Afghan Culture Wars: Brought to You by Foreigners, Warlords, and Activists

Portrayed in Western discourse as tribal and traditional, Afghans have in fact intensely debated women’s rights, democracy, modernity, and Islam as part of their nation building in the post-9/11 era. In her new book, Television and the Afghan Culture Wars, Wazhmah Osman places television at the heart of these public and politically charged clashes while revealing how the medium also provides war-weary Afghans with a semblance of open discussion and healing. After four decades of gender and sectarian violence, she argues, the internationally funded media sector has the potential to bring about justice, national integration, and peace.

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The Sinophone Muslim Folkloric Tradition in Central Asia: Dungan Folktales and Legends

Prof. Kenneth J. Yin will present on his new book, Dungan Folktales and Legends, a unique anthology that acquaints English-speaking readers with the rich and captivating folk stories of the Dungans, Chinese-speaking Muslims who fled Northwest China for Russian Central Asia after failure of the Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) against the Qing dynasty.

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Anti-Asian Violence Town Hall (Part 2)

During the second part of LaGuardia Community College’s Town Hall, we will continue the conversation about the history of anti-Asian racism and violence, how the model minority myth is inextricably tied to anti-Asian racism, and discuss intersectionality and the wider range of issues faced by the Asian American Community that have been magnified during the pandemic.

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Anti-Asian Violence Town Hall (Part 1)

The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled xenophobia and anti-Asian racism and violence. But Asian Americans have experienced racism long before the pandemic. At this event, we will talk about this important history, as well as more recent Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) experiences around COVID-19 related racism. We will address race-related stress and healing, share resources to protect our communities, and provide opportunities to build solidarity with the larger LaGuardia community.

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