Nationalism Unsettled presents a critical exploration of national imaginaries that disturb, defy or deviate from mainstream nation-state narratives, demanding renewed consideration of the nature of nationalism. In tackling this subject, we bring to the table speakers with cross-disciplinary expertise, spanning history, sociology, geography and the arts, and consider case studies spanning the Caribbean of the late 18th century, China under Mao, and contemporary Venezuela and Russia. At a time when nationalism globally is being re-energized through shifting and newly affecting forms, we invite you to join us in taking a deep dive into this vital subject, harnessing the power of a comparative perspective.

Discussant: Begüm Adalet, Department of Government

Format: 10 minute talk by each panelist on their individual research topic, followed by a 20 minute talk by the discussant, and up to 60 minutes for responses to the discussant and Q&A.

Presentations:

Ernesto Bassi, Department of History: Economic proto-nationalism or creole patriotism? Eighteenth-century visions of prosperity and the broken promises of empire

Mara Yue Du, Department of History: What Was Loving China: Revolutionizing Patriotism under Mao

Irina R. Troconis, Department of Romance Studies: Nation, Unsettled: Translucency, Memory, and Materiality in the Venezuelan Diaspora

Leila Wilmers, Department of Sociology: The myth of national resilience and non-statist imaginaries of the Russian nation

Register for viewing on Zoom.

This event is hosted by the Institute for European Studies as part of the Einaudi Center's democratic threats and resilience research priority. It is co-sponsored by Latin American and Caribbean Studies and the East Asia Program.

Conducting international fieldwork provides significant value for dissertation research in various disciplines. Panelists will share information, guidance, and lessons learned related to planning, preparing, and conducting fieldwork overseas. Topics include factors shaping field site location(s) and/or partner(s), handling the logistics of fieldwork, data accumulation and protection in varied contexts, models and practices of in situ collaborations, and planning for and getting acclimated to living and working in a new environment and culture.

Moderator

Chris Barrett (Dyson School)Panelists

Emily Dunlop (Government, A&S)Samantha Lee Huey (Nutritional Sciences, CHE)Stacey Langwick (Anthropology, A&S)***

Grad Chats: Conversations on International Research and Practice is a series hosted by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies to support graduate students with interdisciplinary training and planning around conducting international research.

Spring 2023 Schedule

From Plan A to Plan B: Designing Research for a Changing World (Thursday, February 16, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Uris Hall G02)Beyond the IRB: Ethics and International Research (Wednesday, March 29, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Uris Hall G08)Best Practices and Challenges in International Field Research (Thursday, March 30, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Uris Hall G02)Finding a Research Focus through Creative Writing (Tuesday, April 18, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Uris Hall G08)Travel Health and Safety Awareness for Conducting Research Abroad (Tuesday, May 9, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Uris Hall G08)

The Portrait as/in Ethnography: Work in Progress Screening and Discussion of These Days, These Homes

Jenny Chio is a cultural anthropologist and filmmaker at the University of Southern California.

Learn more about Professor Chio at http://www.jennychio.com/

Abstract:

What are the ethnographic and filmic possibilities of the portrait?

These Days, These Homes is a work in progress film project centered on the lives and homes of two rural Miao women in 21st century China. As an ethnography, the work behind the film explores domesticity, gender, and development. As a film, the praxis of documentation, conversation, and composition attempts to harness the potential of the portrait as a mode of critical knowledge-making that recognizes the incompleteness of all representational forms as well as the foundational relationships (and obligations) structuring all ethnographic encounters.

These Days, These Homes preview: https://vimeo.com/jennychio/tdthpreview

This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Performing & Media Arts; The Department of Asian Studies; the Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies; and East Asia Program. Thank you!