Category: Graduate Program

EALCS doctoral candidates Natalya Rodriguez and Meagan Finlay at the Miyakojima Textile Exhibition in Tokyo.

Posted on | by EALCS Admin

Natalya is carrying out her dissertation research on the initiatives to sustain the production of the ramie textile Miyako Jofu, which is made through an intricate process that begins with harvesting the ramie plant, extracting the bast fibers by hand, and connecting them one by one into fine thread. She is wearing a Miyako Jofu kimono and obi at the kind invitation of the craftspeople who own the pieces. Miyako Jofu was designated as a traditional craft of Japan by the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry in 1975 and is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its designation this year. It was further recognized as an Important Intangible Cultural Property by the Japanese government in 1978. As part of her dissertation fieldwork, Natalya has been learning the hand-spinning and twisting method for making the ramie thread for Miyako Jofu. The activities of the Miyako Textile Industry Association can be viewed on Instagram @miyakojoufu. 

Meagan is in Tokyo to conduct archival and ethnographic research for her dissertation on contemporary TV period drama production practices inherited from the traditional kabuki theater. She visited the Miyako Jofu exhibition as a lover of fiber arts and to support both Natalya and the craftspeople. You can follow Meagan’s research journey on Instagram @jidaigeki.kenkyu and her (upcoming) website, jidaigeki-kenkyu.com. 

Raymond Chung Publishes Article about Internship

Posted on | by Thomas Mazanec

EALCS graduate student Raymond Chung published an article titled, “Making War-Ravaged Voices Heard in the Present” (戦禍の声を現代へ) in the June 2024 issue of The Institute of Politics and Economics’ Japanese-language journal Seiji Kenkyū Jihō (Politics and Economics Newsletter／経済研究時報). In the article, Chung describes his experiences interning at the Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage for six weeks in summer of 2023, noting both the emotional resonance that connected his research on medieval Japanese religion to exhibitions at the Center and expressing his perspective that the work of Center has become ever more relevant in light of current conflicts around the globe. Scroll down to page 15 for Chung’s article: https://www.seikeiken.or.jp/data_files/view/522/mode:inline. (The Internship was funded by a generous gift from Andrew Ogawa).

CARE: Archives & Bodies Reading Group

Posted on | by Thomas Mazanec

We’re forwarding information about a new reading group initiative, “The Archives & Bodies Reading Group.” It critically examines and reimagines the roles archives play in humanities research and explores intersections between archival practices, embodiment, and marginalized histories – topics that may be of interest to many in our research community. It is part of an event series organized by the Collective for Archival Research of Embodiment (CARE), a UC-wide multicampus graduate student working group, which includes our colleagues Yiming, Uudam (RG ST), Diandian (MUSIC), Tinghao (FAMST), and other UC grad students. Other CARE events include archival writing workshops and an end-of-year performative exhibition. For more information, please take a look at the attached flyer and reach out to the contact people.

The inaugural session details are below:

Theme: “Mnemonic Bodies: Affective Archives, Memory, and Care”
Date&Time: Saturday, November 9, 6:30 PM (PST)
Platform: Zoom

Reading Materials:

  • Jacques Derrida, “Archive Fever: A Freudian Impression”
  • Ann Laura Stoler, Carnal Knowledge and Imperial Power (chs. 1&4)
  • Diana Taylor, The Archive and the Repertoire (ch. 3)

Registration: https://tinyurl.com/ndke3vn2
Access to readings: https://tinyurl.com/pdupmhph

This open-to-all reading group is organized by the Collective for Archival Research of Embodiment (CARE), a UC-wide graduate student working group. It’s sponsored by the UC Humanities Research Institute, the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies at UCSB.

For questions, please contact: Yiming Ma (UCSB): yimingma@ucsb.edu; Tianyun Hua (UCD): tyhua@ucdavis.edu

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Natalya Rodriguez Receives Fulbright U.S. Student Award for 2024-2025

Posted on | by Thomas Mazanec

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We are pleased to announce that Natalya Rodriguez, a doctoral student in EALCS, has received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to conduct her dissertation research, “Threatened Threads: Weaving Values in Heritage Textile Production in Okinawa, Japan,” while affiliating with the University of the Ryukyus for the 2024-2025 academic year. Congratulations, Natalya!

The photo shows the face of a person with brown skin and shoulder-length, dark brown hair. The person is in front of bookshelves and is smiling.

Banner for "UCSB Graduate Student Conference: Research on East Asia" on May 18th and 19th in HSSB 4041

Graduate Student Conference: Research on East Asia (May 18-19, HSSB 4041)

Posted on | by Thomas Mazanec

On May 18-19, 2024, we will host the “UCSB Graduate Student Conference: Research on East Asia,” organized by EALCS grad students Meagan Finlay and Hanne Deleu, featuring presentations by UCSB grad students across several departments, as well as a keynote speech by English Department professor (and EALCS affiliate) Yunte Huang.

The full program may be found here. Please join us!

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Yiming Ma receives AAS Grant for Dissertation Research

Posted on | by Thomas Mazanec

We are pleased to announce that EALCS graduate student Yiming Ma has recently received an AAS East and Inner Asia Council (EIAC) small grant to support a research trip for his dissertation, “In Search of Industrial Modernity: Working Cultures and Literature in Modern China, 1873-1953.” With this funding, Yiming will be conducting archival research in Shenyang, Fushun, and Harbin for a dissertation chapter focused on post-WWII workers’ factory-protection movements, internationalism, and literature in Northeastern China. Congratulations, Yiming!