International and Area Studies Commons^™

May Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

"China's Olympic Delusion" by Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom. Nation. March 19, 2008.

Seductions Of Imperialism: Incapacitating Life, Fetishizing Death And Catastrophizing Ecologies, Anna M. Agathangelou

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“China’s Olympic Delusion” is a great piece which gestures to the ironies and/or contradictions of political systems in bed with imperialist-capitalism as we know it at this time: the tensions between a dominant idea that liberal democracy is the best political system to pay attention to and address human rights, and capitalism with no limits, can go hand-in-hand. This is merely the delusion, and also the fantasy, that keeps “us” (i.e., citizens, intellectuals etc) put, and from thinking critically.

Crossing Borders: Mexican Immigration Into The United States, Ewelina L. Dzieciolowski

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Immigration has been one of the major political and economic topics debated by governments in the world. In the United States, migration legislation is debated in the Senate, and impacts every industry throughout the country. Therefore, with further research in this field more answers for why migration occurs can be found. Although various disciplines focus on this phenomenon, each offers reasons specific to the discipline which is searching for an explanation. This thesis acknowledges that economic factors, social aspects, push and pull influences are some of the reasons for immigration, but it also proposes that there are other forces behind …

Where Do We Go From Here?

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

With just three weeks until president-elect Ma Ying-jeou’s inauguration, many Taiwanese and their friends and relatives abroad are experiencing a sense of optimism, perhaps best expressed in the frequent utterances of the phrase mashang jiuhao 馬上就好, which can mean either “Everything will ready right away” or “Things will get better as soon as Ma takes power”. At the same time, however, there is also a growing sense of trepidation about some of the challenges facing the in-coming Ma administration:

1. To begin with, much of Taiwan’s non-Mainlander population has yet to be convinced that the new administration will be sensitive …

In Case You Missed It: The China Fantasy, Kate Merkel-Hess

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Though published last year, James Mann’s The China Fantasy takes on renewed relevance in light of the recent Tibetan riots and various responses to them. In this little book (just about 120 pages), Mann argues that the grab bag of American policymakers, business leaders, and academics he calls the “China elites” have convinced Americans that more trade will lead to more freedom in China. Mann asserts that this vision, which he calls the “Soothing Scenario,” has led the United States to overlook human rights abuses it would not otherwise.

Mann is certainly correct in pointing out that the belief that …

Growing Up Han: Reflections On A Xinjiang Childhood, Timothy B. Weston

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

The US media rarely covers the regular people who are living in the areas of China with large ethnic minorities. In chatting with a Han Chinese student (Han Chinese are by far the largest ethnic group in China) at the University of Colorado named Leong, I was struck by his nuanced perspective on his experiences growing up in Xinjiang, a province in western China with large populations of Hui (ethnically Chinese Muslims), Uighers (Turkic Muslims), and other ethnic minorities. Given the recent discussions in the Western media—in light of the situation in Tibet—of Chinese policies toward ethnic minorities, I thought …

Follow The Bouncing Torch

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

It can become numbing to try to keep up with all the stories about the torch and keep track of where exactly it has been and is going next. Still, it remains fascinating to see how the response to it have varied from place to place. Plus there are some intriguing locales such as Pyongyang are on the horizon. Fortunately, for those who want a quick visual reminder of what’s happened so far, as well as a guide to where the flame is headed, there’s a handy interactive map in the Financial Times.

With a name like the FT’s, clever …

Five Sites For Lesson Plans And Teaching Materials On China

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Many of us who write for China Beat are also teachers. There are multiple web resources that we use, recommend, and, in some cases, have even contributed to. If you teach about China, or are interested in learning more about how Chinese history is being taught in the United States, take a look at these innovative websites and programs.

1. Asia for Educators: Based at Columbia University, this website provides a variety of background information for educators on Asia history topics like the Song Dynasty, China and Europe comparisons, Chinese religion, and the Mongols. The website includes images, literature selections, …

National Geographic On China

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

The current issue of National Geographic focuses on China. The photos, in the magazine’s style, are stunning, but the magazine also features pieces by a noted batch of China writers, including two pieces by Peter Hessler (on migration and economic change), Leslie Chang (on the lives of the children of China’s growing middle class), Amy Tan (on village life and traditional singing in Dimen, Guizhou), Ted Fishman (on Beijing’s Olympic construction), and Brook Larmer (on Yellow River pollution). See more at the National Geographic website.

A Weekend Chockfull Of Interesting China Events, Jeff Wasserstrom

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Seeking enlightenment on China’s increasing enmeshment in the wider world, trends in Chinese media, human right issues, Chinese films, or the complexities of defining the “Han” ethnicity? If you are, and you happen to be in New York City, Los Angeles, Stanford, or Irvine, California, between April 24 and 27 and have some time to kill, you are in luck. There’ll be an event going on that can answer your questions—or at least give you novel food for thought. And some will include presentations by people who’ve either posted to this blog in the past (yours truly, Tom Mullaney, and …

It’S Not Just 8/8/08: A Year Of Chinese Anniversaries, Kenneth Pomeranz

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

One thousand years ago (1008 C.E.) The Song Emperor, the goddess of Mt. Tai, and transformations of Chinese religion:

I’ve been waiting awhile to post another “round number anniversary” piece, figuring I’d let discussions of Tibet take precedence while it remains in the news – but it looks like that could be a long while. Meanwhile, choosing this anniversary may be a bit self-indulgent, since I’ve been writing about this goddess off and on for years – but bear with me.

The story starts when Song Zhenzong, the not-very-successful emperor (r. 998-1023), claimed that he had received a Heavenly Letter, …

More Tibet Reading

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

It has been a few weeks since we last posted an installment of recommended reading on the situation in Tibet and neighboring provinces. Here are a few of the interesting or informative things we’ve run across in that time:

1. Historian James Millward’s piece at openDemocracy on how China could right its worldwide public image is insightful–we urge you to read it.

2. A recent (often heated) discussion on the Asian history listserv, H-asia, centered around China’s historical role in Tibet–reflecting questions that have been important in the popular discussions of Tibet as well. For example, Tibet specialist Elliott Sperling …

Frivolous Friday: Remembering The Tokyo Olympics

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

This video of the opening ceremony for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games (mislabelled as the winter Olympics at Youtube) seems like an example of how China would like this summer’s games to be remembered.

Branding Through The Romantic Rural

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

The following ad for GE, featuring a short love story set in rural China, has been running in the United States. The ad’s soundtrack is the song “In Summer” by Cao Fang (you can hear the complete song here).

Lust, Camera, Action: How Ang Lee’S Risqué Thriller Charts A Profitable New Course For Transnational Cinema, Matthew Johnson

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Was it real? While anticipation for the release of Lust, Caution built, one perennial question followed director Ang Lee’s most recent feature: were the sex acts performed by its two stars, Tony Leung and Tang Wei, simulated or full? The parties involved played coy. Lee himself spoke sparingly of the closed sets and skeleton film crew used to film these scenes. While he would later lament the ceaseless focus on his film’s erotic content, however, Lee could hardly be disappointed with the outcome. Lust, Caution reveled in its superstar cast, splashy publicity, and arresting imagery. Released in both edited and …

Report From The Road: Aas Meeting, 2008

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

As our regular readers will have noticed, China Beat has been unusually quiet of late. This is mainly because we were out of range of the internet two weeks ago to attend the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (and in recovery from the conference hubbub the following week). The AAS is primarily composed of scholars but is also open to those in other fields who study and think about Asia; it has about 7,000 members, with a few thousand in attendance at this conference.

We took advantage of the largest gathering of China Beat contributors …

The Influence Of The Brazilian Dictatorship On Brazilian Music: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Protest Songs, Fernanda P. Rezende

Senior Honors Theses

In 1964, Brazil suffered a military coup that established a dictatorship in the country until 1985. During this period, the armed forces used unrestrained violence to suppress the opposition, and the government placed a heavy censorship on the media and the arts. Music was a targeted area due to its great influence on society, especially on the youth, and many songwriters and singers were exiled. In order to escape from the censors and still be able to convey a revolutionary message to the people, they had to use different literary devices and create new methods of writing. It was in …

Predictions And Timing In An Olympic Year

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Let’s pretend that, twelve months ago, someone had put me in a room with 20 or so other China specialists, handed us each four slips of paper, and asked us to write on each piece a story with a Chinese theme that we predicted would make headlines in 2008, the year when the Beijing Olympics will start on August 8. It’s quite possible that the following would have happened:

1) One or more of us would have written that a headline-grabbing protest would break out. And going into more detail, some of those who made that forecast would have added …

Brazilian Ethanol And U.S. Industrial Organization: An Analysis Of Bilateral Trade Barrier Removal, Michael X. Feeney '08

Honors Projects

With rising petroleum costs and a plethora of other influences causing international ethanol demand to grow at an unprecedented rate, discussion of trade liberalization has become an important point of debate for the ethanol production industry. Although there have been many studies on the results of the removal of trade barriers there has been little emphasis on the potential impact it would have on domestic industrial organization. This paper looks to analyze the possible effects of ethanol trade barrier removal between Brazil and the United States on U.S. industrial organization through evaluation of the removal's ,influence on incentives for consolidation …

Tibet, 228, And Ta-Pa-Ni: Some Lessons For Us All

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

As we struggle to make sense of the maelstrom of violent resistance and its suppression, not to mention cope with our own feelings as concerned observers, it might be useful to consider the following:

*Such outbreaks are invariably sparked by a complex combination of socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious factors.

*The violence is never a case of black and white; it is simply red, with aggressors and their victims far outnumbering any heroes. When tensions boil over, the initial targets tend to be symbols of authority (policemen, officials), but can also include men and women who are stigmatized and persecuted as …

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore: Executive Summary 2007, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

The Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University was appointed by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to implement and maintain an annual benchmark for service related industries in Singapore. The 2007 Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG 2007) is based on data from a nationwide survey conducted between May 1 and July 23 2007. This survey was designed by the National Quality Research Center (NQRC) at the University of Michigan and modeled after the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

Sociology Of Islam & Muslim Societies, Newsletter No. 1, Tugrul Keskin, Gary Wood

Sociology of Islam & Muslim Societies Newsletter

Table of Contents:

• Welcome
• Dr. Kemal Silay’s at Virginia Tech
• Upcoming Conferences and Web Sites of Interest
• Forthcoming Edited Volume: Survey of Islamic Ideas and the Sociology of Islam & Muslim Societies
• Subscriber Statistics

Combating Educational Inequalities: Afro-Brazilian Youth & The Bahia Street Project, Kimberly Menendez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In her article entitled “Inequity and Human Rights of African Descendants in Brazil,” Lucila Beato insists that Afro-Brazilian rights are violated everyday. Those who experience this violation the most are Afro-Brazilian, or Black, women who are considered to be at the bottom of the social hierarchy. These women are a double minority who are condemned for being both Black and women. Many women, as do men, drop out of school early in life in order to help their families, who live below the poverty line and struggle to make ends meat. Many girls turn to prostitution, pornography, and even sexual …

Las Canastas Solidarias: Construyendo Una Comercialización Directa Con Los Productores, Un Análisis De Los Métodos Usados Para Realizar Este Objetivo, Caitlin Howe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A Canasta Solidaria is a group of people that buys its food together in bulk every week, fifteen days, or month, and then divides this food amongst them. The members of a Canasta save money by buying these products in such a large quantity and splitting these costs. However, they would also like to buy products of better quality. To accomplish this, they are trying to commercialize directly with farmers. Canastas have formed in a variety of regions throughout Ecuador, but this paper analyzes specifically the methods used by the Quito network of Canastas to accomplish direct commercialization with producers. …

Desarrollo De La Comunidad Y Humano Como Resultado Del Turismo, Annie Moulton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This independent study project is a case study of San Pedro de Atacama, a small town that is developing economically from a large influx of the tourism business. The project is focused on community and human development as a result of the presence of tourism, but it is also a study of how important complete development of a town is. In a world of towns just like San Pedro trying to develop and modernize, their success and their future depends greatly on their ability to not only develop their economic sector, but to advance the unity and collective support of …

Arauco Y Sus Políticas De Rse En La Viii Región Del Bío Bío (Una Comparación Entre Sus Políticas Medio Ambientales Y La Situación Real), Jamie Warner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of my independent research project is to find out whether the written Corporate Social Responsibility environmental policies of Arauco Forests are actually enacted in the eight region (Bíobío). My hypothesis is that even though Arauco has implemented these policies, it does not have a sustainable model for its forest industry. Arauco continues to damage the land, water, and air in the Biobió region, which is in turn affecting the lives of the people that live in the region, the natural flora and fauna, and the workers. I have chosen to focus on the VIII region because it has …

La Sucesión Primaria De La Vegetación Sobre Los Flujos Piroclásticos Del 2006 En El Volcán Tungurahua, Lauren Schaefer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A year and a half after the August 2006 eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, the vegetative growth on the pyroclastic flows is young and scarce. To determine the types of plants and the mechanisms which control the dynamics of vegetative recovery, two transects were made; one in the Cusúa gorge and the other in the Bascún gorge in which the type, quantity and ages of the plants were noted. A third transect of vegetation not directly affected by the 2006 flows was made near the Bascún gorge for comparison purposes. In the two main sites, a total of 47 species …

Acceso Limitado A Educacion Y Los Efectos En La Experiencia Familiar Por Los Jovenes Aymaras Traslado, Adaptación Social Y La Identidad En Arica, Kate Mooney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This work, completed during the month of May 2008, characterizes the experience of rural Aymara families and the experiences of their children, who migrate from their pueblos in the Andean high plains to the city of Arica in the first region of Chile for educational reasons. The study consists primarily of qualitative analysis of interviews with youth who currently reside in Arica while studying, their caretakers in the city, their mothers in the pueblos and directors of educational organizations in both Putre and Arica. Principally, the study seeks to understand the perceptions of the city held by rural youth, their …

¨En Este País No Se Habla Con La Verdad¨: Investigando La Falta De Educación Sexual En El Ecuador¨, Laney Rupp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Economic Growth And Women's Education In Malaysia And Thailand, Beth N. Simons

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduate requirement for the BSU Honors Program.