Spring 2004 Programs
Archives Index
January 28
Passport to China: Celebrating Chinese New Year
Celebrate the Year of the Monkey as second grade students from Riley Avenue School
demonstrate the customs and traditions of the Chinese New Year Celebration. Students
sing traditional Chinese songs and perform the Ribbon Dance and a Festival Parade
of Dragons. Presented in collaboration with the Riley Avenue Elementary School.
Wednesday, January 28, 11: 00 a.m.,
Wang Center Theatre
Free admission
February
3
Asghar Ali Engineer: Islam:
Toward a Theology of Peace
Renowned
human rights activist and head of the Institute for Islamic Studies
and the Center for the Study of Society and Secularism in Bombay,
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer discusses Islam in the context of spirituality,
humility, distance from political power, and non-violence. Dr. Engineer
critiques the term “Islamic terrorism,” which he argues
has been fabricated and perpetuated by the American media and government.
Presented in collaboration with Center for India Studies and Social
Justice Alliance.
Tuesday, February 3, 4:30 p.m., Wang Center Lecture Hall 1
Free admission
February
3
Persian Cultural Night
Persian music by the much-loved Amir Vahab and lively traditional dances by
Stony Brook University’s Persian Cultural Association are highlighted.
Also featuring lectures on Persian history, culture, and poetry by Said Arjomand,
Shoki Goodarzi, and Heshmat Riazi.
Tuesday, February 3, 8:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
$10.00 donation requested
February
4
Film: Uncovered: The Whole Truth About
the Iraq War
The
realities behind the invasion of Iraq are exposed by a host of experts,
including former intelligence analysts, diplomatic officers, weapons
inspectors, congressional staff members, a U.S. Representative, and
a former CIA agent. Part of the Music for Peace Project, a festival
of music and politics. Co-sponsored by Social Justice Alliance.
Wednesday, February 4, 3:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
Free admission
February
5
Breakthrough: Music for Peace & Human
Rights
A
frank discussion of the challenges of using popular music, music
videos, and concerts in service of human rights and peace activism.
Music videos and concert footage produced by Breakthrough, an educational
organization, will illustrate one approach to the use of popular
culture in activism. Part of the Music for Peace Project, a festival
of music and politics. Presented in collaboration with the Musicians
Alliance for Peace and Social Justice Alliance.
Thursday, February 5, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
Free admission
February
10
Film: Taxi-vala/Auto-biography
"It
is easy to be anti-driver because people do not consider us human."
– Javed Tariq
In 1998 the New York Taxi Workers
Alliance (NYTWA) organized the largely immigrant taxi workers' protests
against the New York City Mayor's newly imposed set of rules that struck at
their dignity. What issues face them today? Discussion with a NYTWA representative
will be followed by a viewing of Vivek Renjen Bald's Taxi-vala/Auto-biography,
which depicts their struggles through the first-person narratives of the drivers
themselves.
Co-sponsored by the SB Film Society and SB Sociology Department.
Tuesday, February 10, 4:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
Free to students, $5.00 general admission
February
11
Flight of the Dragon: Dragon Lore in the
East and West
Historian of the paranormal and international science journalist J. Antonio
Huneeus helms an an enchanting voyage across the history of dragons in mythology,
folklore, science, and the arts in both the East and West. Illustrated by a
startling array of dragon imagery from Mesopotamia, China, Persia, Europe,
and contemporary popular culture.
Wednesday, February 11, 12:45 - 2:30 p.m., Wang Center Lecture Hall 1
Free admission
February
12
Film: North Korea: Beyond the DMZ
A
revealing one-hour documentary that follows a Korean-American woman
to one of the most mysterious, and demonized, countries on earth:
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. As tensions mount between
North Korea and the United States, this program presents not only
an alternative look at this so-called "evil empire," but
also a more human one — a view that has rarely been presented
in America. Followed by a discussion with directors J.T. Takagi and
Hye Jung Park. Presented in In collaboration with Asian American
Journal. Details ...
Thursday, February 12, 7: 30 p.m.,
Wang Center Theatre
Free to students, $5.00 general admission
March 3
Loida Nicolas Lewis: “Why Should Guys
Have all the Fun?”
How
does Loida Nicolas Lewis, an Asian American woman, succeed in business?
Lewis, in her own right the Chairman and CEO of TLC Beatrice, LLC, is
best known the as widow of Reginald F. Lewis, who acquired Beatrice in
a $985 million leveraged buyout, creating the largest African American
company in the United States. She has spoken to audiences around the
country and the world to promote Why Should White Guys Have All the
Fun?, the biography of her late husband. Details ...
Wednesday, March 3, 12:45 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
Reception to follow.
March 4
"My
Heart is in the East":
A Celebration of Asian Jewish Cultures
Taking its title from a verse by the medieval Hebrew poet Yehudah Halevi, this
evening-long festival includes films, food, live Sephardic music, and a lecture
by Dr. Houman Sarshar on the Jews of Iran. Co-sponsored by Hillel Foundation
for Jewish Life and Hillel Student Club. Details
and schedule ...
Thursday, March 4, beginning at 3:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre
March 5
Using
Technology to Advance the Humanities Agenda: Three Projects
about Japan by Shigeru Miyagawa
Dr. Miyagawa is Professor of Linguistics and Kochi-Manjiro Professor of Japanese
Language and Culture at MIT. Sponsored by the Department of Asian and Asian
American Studies Colloquium Series with Charles B. Wang Center and the Japan
Center at Stony Brook. For further information, contact Eriko Sato, Coordinator,
Asian and Asian American Studies Colloquium Series, ((631) 632-9477, esato@notes.cc.sunysb.edu.
Friday, March 5, 11:40 a.m. - 12:50 p.m., Lecture Hall 1
March 9
Ban Wang: The Banality of Everyday Trauma:
Globalization, Migration, and Nostalgia
In
a wide-ranging talk, Dr. Ban Wang will seek to dispel the mirage of globalization
by revealing its traumatic consequences on the laboring body on the move.
Excerpts from the film Durian Durian (Liulian piaopiao),
by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan, will illustrate the traumatic images
of the productive body in the sex trade. Ban Wang is Associate Professor
in Comparative and Chinese Literature at Rutgers University. He taught
at Stony Brook from 1993 till 2000. He is the author of The Sublime
Figure of History: Aesthetics and Politics in 20th Century China (Stanford
1997), Narrative Perspective and Irony (Mellen 2002), and Illuminations
from the Past: Trauma, Memory, and History in Modern China (forthcoming
from Stanford, 2004). He was awarded a fellowship by the National Endowment
for the Humanities in 2000 for his trauma and memory project. Co-sponsored
by Stony Brook University’s Humanities Institute
Tuesday, March 9, 5:00 p.m., Wang Center Lecture Hall 1
March 2,
9, 16 & 23
Indian Popular Cinema: To
Sing, To Dance, To Live!
Replete
with heartwarming songs, flamboyant dances, lush scenic design, and
high melodrama, this series of popular films from India reveals the
complexity, power, and humanity of women. Featuring the classic Mother
India, the tempestuous Dil Se, and 2003 Oscar candidate Devdas.
All with ravishing music and English subtitles. In celebration of
Women’s Month. Co-sponsored with Frank Melville Jr. Library. Details
and schedule ...
Tuesdays, March 2, 9, 16 & 23, Wang Center Theatre
Free admission.
March 21
Cross Fertilizations: Long Island String
Quartet in Concert
The
refreshing repertoire includes imaginative compositions by Asian artists
Tan Dun and Franges Ali-Zadeh, as well as Western composers Alan Hovaness
and Marga Richter, inspired by the poetry of Buddhist monk Ryokwan. Music
from India and China rounds out the program. Performing with guest artist
William George (countertenor), the Quartet comprises Rose-Marie Johnson
and Judith Spokes (violin), Elizabeth Nilsen (viola), and Amy Cumus (cello).
Sunday, March 21, 3:00 p.m., Charles B. Wang Center Theatre. $10
general admission; students admitted free.
March 24
The Spirit of the Wang Center: A Spirituality & Architecture
Tour
Taking inspiration from teachings of Feng Shui and
the multifaith symbolism of Asian cultures, this tour is designed by Brother
Clark Berge to help participants enjoy the many features of the Wang Center
which, he will argue, speak directly to the soul. Co-sponsored with the
United Protestant Campus Ministries.
Wednesday, March 24, 1:00 p.m., Wang Center Main Lobby. Free to all.
March 25
Film: The Way Home
Documentary featuring the voices of 64 women who come together to talk about
race, gender, and class in the U.S. Cross-cultural audience discussion will
follow, facilitated by members of each of the 15 sororities on campus and diversity
facilitors. Cosponsored by AURA-[AA]2, IFSC (Inter Fraternity Sorority Council),
aKDP, ESP, KPL, and SBU AA E-Zine. Funded by [AA]2 with a grant from the Long
Island Fund for Women and Girls (LIFWG).
Thursday, March 25, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Room 401. Free to all.
March 28
San Jose Taiko In Concert
San
Jose Taiko mesmerizes with the spellbinding and propulsive sounds of the
Taiko drums by joining traditional rhythms of Japanese drumming with the
beat of African, Balinese, Brazilian, Latin, and jazz percussion. Founded
in 1973 by young Asian Americans searching for an artistic and musical
outlet to convey their unique experiences as third generation Japanese
Americans, San Jose Taiko offers a dynamic, contemporary take on Asian
tradition.
Sunday, March 28, 3:00 p.m., Charles B. Wang Center Theatre. $10
general admission; students admitted free.
March 30
Film: Karvaan (Shadows in the Dark)
When
a Pakistani couple arrives in Delhi, carrying repressed memories of violence
committed and endured, they must share lodging with a proud Muslim who
has opted to stay on in India and has lost a son to the carnage. Pankaj
Butaila's film presents a poignant look at the loss of community and
identity that followed the partition of Pakistan and India. With Kitu
Gidwani and Naseruddin Shah. Followed by discussion with the with director.
Co-Sponsored with SBU Film Society, Third World Matters.
Tuesday, March 30, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre, $5 general admission;
students admitted free.
April 4
Harmony: Indian Classical Music Concert
Bamboo flute maestro Shashank, enchants with a
team of virtuoso artists on violin, Indian percussion instruments, and
moorsing ( Jewish harp). Sponsored by India Focus Group and Indian Graduate
Student Association. More
information.
Sunday, April 4, 3:00 pm, SAC Auditorium. Students free; $50, $25,
$15 tickets available to general public.
April 13
Film: Farmingville (special Long
Island screening)
The
brutal attempted murders of two Mexican day laborers catapult a small
Long Island town into national headlines, unmasking a new frontline in
the border wars: suburbia. A shocking and revealing documentary, Farmingville received
a Special Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was awarded
Best Documentary at San Antonio’s CineFestival. Co-sponsored by
School of Social Welfare, Office of Alumni Relations in the HSC, Office
of Diversity and Affirmative Action, Union Universitaria Latinoamericana,
the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center, Hispanic Languages and
Literature Department, and Long Island Museum of Art, History, and Carriages.
Details ...
Tuesday, April 13, 2:30 p.m. (first screening with panel discussion), 7:00
p.m. (second screening), Wang Center Theatre. Seating is limited; free admission
to all on a first come, first served basis.
Film: Life
and Debt
The
critically-praised documentary on neo-colonialism in Jamaica (Stephanie
Black/2001/86 min.) features a vibrant reggae soundtrack by Ziggy Marley
and narration written by novelist Jamaica Kincaid. Followed by a discussion
on how the World Bank and International Monetary Fund policies have affected
Jamaica and its people. Part of the Global Issues Forum, sponsored by the
Sociology Department.
Tuesday, April 13, 4:00 p.m., Wang Center Lecture Hall 1. Free to
all.
April 14
Daughters of the Motherland Speak: Gender,
Sexuality and Ethnicity Conference
Cross-cultural
presentations on the ways in which young women adapt and negotiate
issues and concerns of gender and sexuality in the United States. Includes
a panel discussion by SB students. Special feature is the launch of
the new book Desilicious: Sexy, Subversive, South Asian (Arsenal
Pulp Press, 2003). Details and schedule ...
Wednesday, April 14, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Free to all.
April 15
Film: Tribute and Remembrance: Asian
Americans After 9/11
Commissioned by the Asian American Federation
of New York, this documentary (Renata Huang/69 min./2003), narrated by
David Henry Hwang, examines the multitude of ways the September 11 tragedy
impacted the Asian American community —from economic devastation
to INS detentions to loss of loved ones. Cao K. O, executive director
of the Asian American Federation of New York, is the guest speaker. Made
possible through a generous donation from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
Thursday, April 15, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre. Free to all.
April 16, 17 & 18
Stony Brook Digital Video Festival
The first annual Stony Brook Digital Video
Festival offers a unique opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers to have
their work recognized and to contribute a fresh artistic perspective to
the New York area. Three evenings of short and feature-length videos, followed
by a reception each night, plus an awards ceremony on the third night. Schedule
information....
Tuesday, April 16; Wednesday, April 17 & Thursday, April 18, 6:00
- 11:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre. Admission: Students admitted free; $5
per day, $12 festival pass for the general public. Reception to follow
each night at the University Cafe.
April 19
Growing Up Asian American in the 21st Century
A panel of students and faculty share their experiences
of growing up as an Asian American, exploring the clash of traditional
Asian values with more liberal American culture. Co-sponsored by Asian
and Asian American Studies Department and Asian American Staff And Faculty
Association.
Monday, April 19, 4:30 pm, Wang Lecture Hall 1. Free to all.
April 20
18 Mighty Mountain Warriors
Funny,
brazen, and edgy, this razor-sharp comedy sketch group from San Francisco
tackles the madness and delights of being Asian American. The Warriors
perform in the tradition of Monty Python, Culture Clash, SNL, and Kids
in the Hall. Their irreverent style of skit comedy ranges from slapstick
to political and takes no prisoners. Followed by by a talk on the use
of humor in activism.
Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Theatre. Free to students;
$10.00 general admission.
April 21
Eating Chinese, Dreaming American: The Culture
of Chinese Cuisine in America
Potstickers. Chow Mein. Chop Suey. What do they
mean to Americans? Chinese cuisine scholar Jacqueline Newman, historian
Jack Tchen, and SB’s own William Arens enlighten us on the significance
of producing, cooking, and creating a taste for Chinese cuisine in the
history of the Chinese in America, as well as in contemporary American
society.
Chinese food tasting to follow, using recipes from the Jacqueline Newman Cookbook
Collection in Special Collections. Co-sponsored by the Special Collections
Department of the University Libraries.
Wednesday, April 21, 12:45 p.m. Free to all.
April 22, 23, 24
Chick Flick Fest: The Second Annual
Asian American Film Series
Featuring
the films of pioneering Asian American screen siren Anna May Wong, once
all but forgotten but now in the midst of an enthusiastic rediscovery (no
less than three bios of the bewitching 30s icon have seen print this year).
Also, indie chick flicks Chutney Popcorn, The Red Thread,
performances, and more. Details
and schedule ...
Thursday, April 22; Friday, April 23; Saturday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m.,
Wang Center Theatre.
April 22
Peter Kingsley: Philosophy as a Sacred Traditon
Talk introducing the extraordinary spiritual tradition, drawing from shamanistic
practices originating in Central Asia, India, and Tibet,
that lies forgotten at the origins of our Western world, and explore its crucial
significance for us today. Peter Kingsley is an honorary professor both at
the University of New Mexico and at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and
is the author of three widely successful books, Ancient Philosophy, Mystery,
and Magic (1995), In the Dark Places of Wisdom (1999), and Reality (2003).
He is visiting Stony Brook as senior fellow in religion and philosophy in the
Center for Religious Studies, Department of Asian and Asian American Studies,
which is sponsoring this lecture.
Thursday, April 22, 7:00 p.m., Wang Center Lecture Hall 1. Free admission.
April 24
Conference: Young Asian American
Women Speak Out!
All-day conference for high school and college students,
featuring workshops and info sessions on partner violence protection, safe
sex and sex choices,
leadership skills, depression and suicide, college life (for high school students),
and career choices (with alumni professionals for college students). Meet representatives
from LI/metro NY service organizations. Buffet
dinner with special guest speaker followed by an evening of entertainment.
Co-sponsored by Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, AURA-[AA]2, aKDP, ESP,
KPL & SBU AA E-Zine. Funded by [AA]2 with a grant from the Long Island
Fund for Women and Girls, Melville Memorial Library.
Saturday, April 24. Advance registration strongly suggested: www.aasquared.org/AURA
April 25
Hai-Tien Chorus in Concert
Award-winning
mixed-voice Chinese championship chorus with the longest and most distinguished
history in New York. Incorporating hai (oceans) and tien (heavens)
into its name, the group brings familiar music (hsiang yin)
to the overseas Chinese as well as to broader audiences. A lively repertoire
of Chinese traditional songs will be performed. Download
program (pdf format).
Sunday, April 25, 3:00 p.m., Wang Center
Theatre. Students free; $10 general admission.
April 27
Fay Chiang: Poet, Activist, Asian American
A
mover and shaker of Asian American arts activism shares her poems and
experiences of resistance and hope. Chiang is founder and former director
of the Basement Workshop and a pioneer of Asian Studies in New York.
Co-sponsored by Asian American Faculty and Staff Association, Frank Melville,
Jr. Memorial Library, Social Justice Alliance, Taiwanese Student Association.
Funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received
from The Friends of Poets & Writers and from Dialogues Across Differences.
Tuesday, April 27, 12:45 p.m., Lecture
Hall 1.
Globalization and Jobs: Friends or
Foes?
What are the connections between US support for
international trade agreements and the “offshoring” of highly
skilled jobs to countries like India? How will the increasing globalization
of the US economy affect job prospects for SUNY graduates? Part of the
Global Issues Forum sponsored by the Sociology Department.
Tuesday, April 27, 4:00 pm, Lecture Hall 1
April 29
Symposium: Race, Representation, and Reality
The
Fourth Annual “With Liberty and Justice for All…” symposium,
dealing with Asian American contributions to struggles for social justice,
features activist artist Tomie Arai, performance artist Coco Fusco, Program
Coordinator for Asian American studies at the University of San Francisco
David Kim, and internationally renowned race scholar and activist Angela
Davis. Sponsored by the Asian American Center Bridge with the collaboration
of the Office of Diversity and Affirmative Action, the President’s
Rotating Stars Program in Philosophy, the Dialogues Across Differences
Program, Asian American Faculty and Staff Association, Black Faculty and
Staff Association, UUL, the Asian American Journal, the Social Justice
Alliance, Musician for Peace, Women’s Studies Program, Organization
of Chinese Americans of Long Island, Uncle Wally’s and WLIW21.
Thursday, April 29, 6:30 p.m., Student Activity Center Ballroom A
April 30
Pan-Asian Youth Day
Stories, performances, and workshops by Stony
Brook students provide a rich experience of the cultures of Asia and Asian
America to middle and elementary school children. Co-sponsored by the Persian
Cultural Association, Asian American Journal, and the Asian American
Center Bridge.
Friday, April 30, 11:30 a.m., Wang Center Theatre.
May 4
Film: Lajja (Shame)
"Why
do you men go to a temple and pray to Durga, Kali and Saraswati—yet
when you go home you treat your Durga’s, Kali’s and Saraswati’s
so maliciously?” From the cosmopolitan city of New York to a remote
village in India, these inspired vignettes portray how a wealthy wife, an
independent woman, a dutiful daughter, and a courageous villager live their
lives with fierce dignity, despite cultural misogyny. With Manisha Koirala,
Jackie Shroff, and Rekha. "Sensuous, exhilarating ... powerful."—Planet
Bollywood
(Raj Kumar Santosh/2001/202 min./Hindi with English subtitles)
Tuesday, May 4, 7:00 p.m.
May 6
Asia and America: Emerging Opportunities
What does the phenomenal economic expansion of Asia
mean to people in the United States? What can Asia offer the adventurous
entrepreneur, the soul-searching individual, the curious traveler?
What are the career and business opportunities that China, Japan, Korea,
and India offer to students of Stony Brook University, and to the Long
Island communities? Officials from the New York diplomatic communities
of China, Japan, Korea, and India present the cultural and economic
potential and possibilities of these powerful countries. The presentations,
moderated by Yacov Shamash, SBU”s Vice President of Economic
Development will be followed by an Open forum and a reception. Sponsored
by The Charles B. Wang Center, Department of Asian American Studies,
Japan Center at Stony Brook University, Center for India Studies, Korea
Studies Program, and China Studies Program. Details ...
Thursday, May 6, 1:30 p.m., Wang Center Theatre. Free to all.
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