RCAH LookOut! Gallery exhibit opening reception. 

Imagining the Indian dancer in Indian and Western visual culture from the colonial past to the post colonial present. 

Curated by Sitara Thobani

Exhibit Sept. 24 - Oct. 19

 

The Greater Lansing Bengali Association welcomes bengali students and faculty to an evening of Adda.

This lecture is part of the GenCen Fall 2018 Colloquia Series New Research on Women and Gender, Global and Local Perspectives.

The figure of the 'Indian' dancer – depicted variously in the image of the devadasi, the tawa'if and the bayadere – has long captured imaginations on both sides of the colonial divide. In this paper, I historicize manifestations of the generalised figure of the Indian dancer in contemporary popular culture to examine its genealogy from the 18th century to the present. Drawing on examples from the visual and cinematic arts as well as from music and dance performances and literary texts, I analyse the ways in which this figure is evoked by different actors to varied effects. Moving beyond the dominant approach that centres the male Orientalist gaze however, I focus specifically on representations produced by women. So doing, I address the following questions: how is/has this figure been evoked by different women actors and to what specific effect? In what ways do representations of this figure converge and/or diverge with the identities of their producers? How do the tropes of female sexual agency and sensual femininity come to be attached to this figure by women, and what do they accomplish? My approach allows for a comparative analysis of Indian and Western constructions that sheds light on larger processes of gendered, sexual and racial-cultural identity formation. My paper thus presents an analysis of how gendered Orientalising  discourses grounded in the colonial past are iterated in alignment with the gendered contingencies of the present

Arabic Diwan is a gathering of Arabic students who are in the Arabic program, where they speak the language and learn about the culture in a relaxed environ­ment with our Fulbright teaching assistant. Students from all Arabic language levels are encouraged to attend. Also, we extend the invitation to the Arabic speaking students at the English Center. 

For more information please contact Fatima Alaiwi, fatima_bh(at)msn.com.

Queen is a movie about growing up. Rani is a Delhi girl from a conservative family who's fiance has ditched her right before the wedding. She decides to take the European honeymoon by herself, and grows in the process. She travels the world, has new experiences, and discovers her own identity.

MSU Film Collective presentation. Fall theme: Work/Place.

Expanding upon themes of separation, loss, migration and gender, Dor (2006) draws attention to those aspects of contemporary migrant labour that are often overlooked. Based on true events, the film is about two women brought together after their husbands leave to work in Saudi Arabia. As their relationship unfolds, each must come to terms with the changes their new situation brings. Critically acclaimed, Dor was directed by Nagesh Kukunoor and features the award-winning cast of Ayesha Takia, Gul Panag and Shreyas Talpade

filmstudies.cal.msu.edu/filmcollective

 

Director Miao Wang will screen and discuss "Maineland," a documentary film "that follows two affluent and cosmopolitan teenagers as they settle into a boarding school in blue-collar rural Maine." Wang, a former Chinese international student, will share the production processes and her own stories about acclimating to America.

For more information contact Geri Zeldes, alumitge(at)msu.edu.

Co-Sponsors Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education, Communication Arts and Sciences, Office for International Students and Scholars, Resident Education and Housing Services, and Visiting International Professional Program.

To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel and reflect on that history, the Michigan State University Jewish Studies Program is very proud to sponsor its largest academic conference ever: "Israel at 70: Complexity, Challenge, and Creativity" on September 16-17, 2018 at MSU's Kellogg Center. The conference brings together 40 internationally recognized scholars from Israel and the United States under one roof to discuss Israeli society, culture, politics, foreign policy, and agricultural, biomedical, water, environmental, and business innovation. Scholars and researchers will come from Michigan State and 9 other U.S. universities, including Syracuse University, Smith College, Washington University, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Illinois. Israeli panelists hail from institutions including the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Tel Hai University, Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion University, the Weitzman Institute, Hadassah University Hospital and more. The conference includes entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and members of non-governmental organizations and think tanks, including the Brookings Institution and the Institute for National Security Studies affiliated with Tel Aviv University.

A featured keynote speaker is Gilead Sher, who heads the Center for Applied Negotiations and is a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Sher was PM Chief of Staff and Policy Coordinator to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and in 1999-2001 he served as the Israeli Chief and co-Chief negotiator at the Camp David summit and the Taba talks. He has written several books and co-chairs the NGO Blue White Future. Another keynote speaker is Oded Shoyseyov. an expert in nanobiotechnology who has authored or co-authored more than 160 scientific publications and is the inventor or co-inventor of 45 patents. Other experts include Naomi Chazan, Professor Emerita of Political Science at the Hebrew University, who served three terms as a Member of the Knesset on behalf of the Meretz Party, has authored eight books on comparative politics, served as President of the New Israel Fund between 2009- 2012 and is among the founders of the International Women's Commission for an Israel-Palestinian Peace. Another prominent speaker is Donna Robinson Divine, the Morningstar Family Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of Government, Emerita at Smith College, who has written several books and is currently serving as President of the Association for Israel Studies.

The conference is open and free to the public. Join us for this amazing array of American and Israeli academic excellence. Meals are complementary and one can register for kosher meals.

Conference registration.

If you have any questions call Amy Shapiro at 517-432-3493.

Co-sponsors include the College of Arts and Letters, James Madison College, the Eli Broad College of Business, the Institute for Quantitative Health Science & Engineering, the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, the College of Social Science, the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Department of Linguistics & Languages, the Asian Studies Center, the Science, Technology, Environment, and Public Policy Program, the Israel Institute, the Academic Engagement Network, the Ravitz Foundation, and the Lester & Jewell Hillel Jewish Student Center.