Talk by Hyunhee Park, History, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

This presentation delves into the historical interactions and perspectives of Muslims concerning East Asia during cross-cultural exchanges in the premodern era. The Islamic civilization, which emerged in the early seventh century, rapidly expanded and evolved into one of the world’s most prosperous and influential societies during the medieval period. Muslim merchants from the Middle East played a dominant role in the Indian Ocean trades, regularly undertaking voyages to reach China, a paramount commercial hub in premodern Afro-Eurasia. Their contributions greatly facilitated the exchange of people, goods, and ideas across Afro-Eurasia, thereby shaping the global nature of the medieval period. The premodern interactions between the Middle East and East Asia serve as exceptional case studies for understanding the Global Middle Ages, as they offer a wealth of literary and cartographic sources left behind by scholars and firsthand observers from both societies. By comparing evidence from these sources, including written records and maps, we aim to identify patterns of continuity and change in geographic understandings, particularly during the Mongol and post-Mongol eras when both worlds experienced significant political transformations. This exploration allows us to comprehend how Muslim societies developed their conceptualization of the wider world, while also being influenced by it. Importantly, it reveals the active participation of Asian civilizations in global interactions well before 1492, challenging the notion that globalization began solely with European expansion.

Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program (LACS) Seminar Series, Co-sponsored by: City and Regional Planning (CRP) and the Cornell Center for Health Equity (CCHEq).

A discussion with three Puerto Rican community leaders from Caño Martín Peña CLT, Taller Salud and La Colmena Cimarrona who will be speaking about strategies of resistance, community solidarities and emancipatory processes to advance collective land ownership and land-based repair mechanisms that improve access to housing, built environment, environment, food security, and climate adaptation; ultimately contributing to achieving health justice. Land is at the root of structural inequities. It is also the basis for community sovereignty, justice and healing. Within a Puerto Rican context, community land claims acquire particular relevance due to the continuous exposure to climate injustices, the lack of adequate investment for basic infrastructure on the island and structural power inequities.

In the past decade, China's grassroots feminist movement, primarily led by young women, has brought about transformative changes to various gender-discriminatory policies in the country. Through activist endeavors, this movement has initiated a ground-up understanding of feminism among the general public. Despite the constrained political environment, the feminist movement persists in various manifestations and continues to evolve.

In this talk, Churan Zheng, Chinese feminist activist and organizer, provides an overview of the strategies employed by young feminist activists in China, while also delving into the current trajectory and objectives of the feminist movement amidst a backdrop of political tightening.

Zheng will be introduced by Eli Friedman (ILR), faculty host and moderator. The event is hosted by the Einaudi Center's East Asia Program and cosponsored by the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Cornell.

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About the Speaker

Churan Zheng is a Chinese feminist activist and organizer and is one of the China Feminist Five. Since 2012, she has been organizing young Chinese women to engage in policy advocacy and public education and has also worked on advocating for female workers’ rights. She is one of the co-recipients of Ms. Magazine's 10 of the Most Inspiring Feminists of 2015 and one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2016.

The Cornell Population Center brings Luca Maria Pesando, Associate Professor of Social Research and Public Pollicy at New York University Abu Dhabi. He will give his talk, "Dynamics of School Expansion and Sociocultural Changes in inter-Casate Marriage in India."