Every Fall the Asian Studies program sponsors an event to commemorate the life and works of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi’s leadership of India’s anti-colonial struggle through non-violence has inspired liberation and civil rights movements across the world.

Recent Gandhi’s birthday commemoration events have included a showing of Shyam Benegal’s “The Making of the Mahatma,” and lectures by distinguished scholars and activists.

This event usually takes place in late January or early February, depending on the date the New Year happens to fall on. At the celebration, students and faculty members get together to watch performances by students and enjoy Chinese food. All the performances reflect aspects of the Chinese culture and are mostly conducted in Chinese, with an MC who translates into English. The performances are based on the creative ideas of the students, and as such are often full of humor. The students also utilize this event as an opportunity to express their talents in a venue that the class setting does not provide. Performances usually include comic skits, songs and music, martial arts, poetry readings, painting demonstrations, and food preparation. Students also decorate the celebration area with pieces of their Chinese calligraphy. It is a great opportunity for students and faculty to meet in an environment outside of the classroom, have fun and learn about the Chinese culture.

The Cherry Blossom Festival (Sakura Matsuri) is held annually in early April. At the festival, Japanese students and faculty, working alone and in groups, perform skits, songs, dances, and other forms of entertainment in Japanese to display what they have learned in class. Students also participate in Haiku and Tanka (two forms of Japanese poetry) contests and other Japanese games. A Japanese lunch is provided. The Sakura Matsuri is a fun way to celebrate spring and a wonderful opportunity for students who are learning Japanese to practice the language in a very enjoyable and challenging way. It is also a good opportunity for all who are interested in Japan to experience many interesting aspects of the Japanese culture.

Lecture: "Civilizational Difference and Area Studies"
Thursday, September 27, 2007 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall, 200

Naoki Sakai, Professor of Comparative Literature and Asian Studies and member of the graduate field of History at Cornell University. Sakai presents how the notion of an “area” was historically formed in such Area Studies as Asian Studies by examining the aspects of modernity that are closely associated with the emergence of the West. He will also address those aspects of modernity which most effectively undermine and disrupt the ‘civilisational difference,’ between the west and the rest of the world by examining the synchronous making of the west and the rest.

2007-2008 Gandhi Lecture. “Contexting and Contesting the Gandhian Legacy.”
Monday, October 29, 2007 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. in Sanders Hall, 212

Speakers: Sipra Johnson, Associate Professor Emeritus of Anthrolology at SUNY, New Paltz and Glen Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Vassar College.

Korean Traditional Music Today
Friday, Sept. 22, 2006 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. in the Rosenwald Theatre in the Drama/Film Building

Dr. Chan E. Park, Associate Professor of Korean Language and Literature at Ohio State University will present a lecture/demonstration/workshop entitled Korean Traditional Music Today: P'ansori at the Rosenwald Theater at Vassar College on Friday, September 22 at 4:30 p.m. The "p'an" of p'ansori means a gathering, such as a marketplace, as well as a stage set or scene. The second syllable, "sori", is a native Korean word that means song or sound. P'ansori is structured as a musical sequence of rhythmic model configurations weaving a complex texture with dramatic narrative episodes. This event is sponsored by the Asian Studies Program and The Korea Society in New York City.

Chinese and Japanese Culture Day

This event combines the efforts of students of Chinese and Japanese and their professors to demonstrate various aspects of the cultures of China and Japan. Classes perform songs, practice calligraphy, and compete in games and contests. The department also invites members of the local Chinese and Japanese communities to the culture day to perform traditional art forms. Their performances add an important contribution to the cultural diversity celebrated at the event. At our first Chinese and Japanese Culture Day in the fall of 2004, professors and students performed traditional dances of Japan, and the Mid-Hudson Chinese American Association Dance Group complimented them with traditional Chinese dances. Students of both languages performed a variety of songs. The audience was treated to an exhibition of Gong Fu and Aikido, and had a chance to participate in both Aikido and Bonodori, a type of Japanese folk dance. A Chinese and Japanese lunch was served. The Chinese/Japanese Culture Day provides the campus community a wonderful opportunity to learn more about different cultures. It also allows students of Chinese and Japanese to observe what their counterparts are studying. The Chinese/Japanese Culture Day is an enjoyable event that teaches about different cultures while promoting diversity, tolerance and understanding.