The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Program promotes ethical leadership and international research around the world—starting with the passionate leaders and learners found on campuses like Cornell. Open to first- and second-year students, the two-year Laidlaw program provides generous support to carry out internationally focused research, develop leadership skills, engage with community projects overseas, and become part of a global network of like-minded scholars from twenty universities worldwide.

At this session, we'll share more information about the program, including independent international projects with the Einaudi Center’s trusted partners around the world for the summer 2026 leadership-in-action portion of the program, and tips for writing a successful application. Applications are due January 12, 2026.

Register here. Can’t attend? Contact programs@einaudi.cornell.edu.

Speaker: Dr. Patrick Hällzon, Postdoctoral, Uppsala University, Department of Linguistics

Talk Description: Swedish archives host some of the world’s largest collections of early-20th-century Uyghur material culture and written sources. This consists of manuscripts, printed books, photographs, as well as artifacts including medicine and seed collections. Many of the sources have been digitized and are freely accessible online for the general public. In the presentation I will discuss how I have used these sources in my current research project and what they can tell us about oasis life in Eastern Turkestan before the area became incorporated into the People’s Republic of China under the term Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

This multi-disciplinary panel brings together scholars studying Chinese migration to 20th century Malaya and contemporary Singapore. The overarching concern is to assess how geopolitics and class differentiation have shaped the experiences of Chinese migrants to the region as well as their local reception. The speakers hail from anthropology, labor relations, and history, and will discuss the experiences of Chinese university students in Singapore amid a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape; the responses and interactions of local industrial workers towards their migrant counterparts, including Chinese workers, in contemporary Singapore; and how racialized citizenship policies in Cold War-era Malaya and Singapore reshaped the Chinese diaspora's relationship to China.

Panelists:

Zach Howlett, Associate Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore

Wen Li Thian, PhD student, ILR, Cornell University

Darren Wan, PhD student, History, Cornell University

Moderator: Shaoling Ma, Associate Professor, Asian Studies, Cornell University

Join Einaudi Center experts for World in Focus Talks on global events in the news and on your mind. Our faculty's research and policy insights put the world in focus.

This year we’re hosting informal campus discussions on many Tuesday afternoons. This week’s topic:

The Gaza–Israel conflict escalated dramatically in October 2023, following Hamas's attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent military campaign in Gaza. After intense fighting that caused massive Palestinian casualties and displacement, a ceasefire and the outline of a peace agreement have been announced. These events will have far-reaching consequences for the region and the world: heightening political and security tensions in the Middle East, disrupting international humanitarian and legal systems, and straining international relations.

How is the Gaza–Israel conflict transforming the Middle East and challenging the international order?

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Featured Speakers

Sandra Babcock (SEAP) | Law SchoolAlexandra Blackman (SWANA) | GovernmentEsam Boraey (PACS, Migrations) | GovernmentPeter Katzenstein (IES, PACS) | GovernmentJoseph Margulies (PACS) | GovernmentJake Silver | Near Eastern StudiesChantal Thomas (IAD) | Law School

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Conversations Matter at Einaudi

This conversation is hosted by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and its regional and thematic programs. Find out what's in store for students at Einaudi!