Area Studies Centers’ Diversity Speaker Series
Ohio State is taking a fresh look at the Black Lives Matter movement and how it relates to every facet of knowledge we engage in across all disciplines and from multiple cultural perspectives. The Office of International Affairs, in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and curated by the area studies centers, presents a series of events dedicated to exploring the links between the Black Lives Matter movement and the diverse communities around the globe. These events are intended to showcase different perspectives about the American racial struggle; to remind us of the interconnectedness of the contemporary world; and to spark reflection about the consequences of the tragic reality that some communities are treated as though they matter less than others.
Sponsored by: The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of International Affairs, and the area studies centers.
Schedule of events:
East Asian Studies Center
Wednesday, Oct 14, 5:00-6:30 PM
This event will comprise two short presentations and a panel discussion. In Part One, Dr. Pil Ho Kim (assistant professor, DEALL) will offer a historical overview of the relationship between Korean popular music and the United States, focusing in particular on the role that American civil rights anthems and modern folk songs played in the development of the protest song movement against the military dictatorship in South Korea. Then Wonseok Lee (Ph.D. student, School of Music) will bring the story to the present by discussing how K-Pop’s explosive global fandom has allowed its leaders to champion various social causes, including recent anti-racist activism in the U.S. Finally in Part Three, a group of undergraduate and graduate students at Ohio State join the conversation to share their first-hand experiences with respect to K-Pop and social activism in the contemporary moment.
For more information: https://easc.osu.edu/events/iks/pkim-wlee
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Center for African Studies
Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 5:00-6:00 PM
The term ‘African Diaspora’ naturally applies to all those who emigrated from the continent over the course of history. The experiences of those who were brought to America as slaves, as well as their modern-day descendants, are unique from those who have come as immigrants and refugees. At times there appears to be a dearth of shared experience and even tension between different generations of Diasporans. Yet America’s civil rights movement and Africa’s decolonization struggles have always had many parallels as well as differences. How does today’s Black Lives Matter resonate for more recent Diasporans from a historical perspective and for today’s black youth with strong cultural ties to Africa? This event will provide a discussion among a number of Ohio faculty, students, and alumnae about the links between the African Diasporas and the contemporary moment. Panelists will include: Dr. Lupenga Mphande (AAAS, OSU); Dr. Randy Quaye (Black Studies, Ohio Wesleyan U); Teresa Temu, MA (African Studies scholar); Fairuz Ali (OSU alumnae); and Emmanuel & Keji Latio (current OSU students).
For more information: https://oia.osu.edu/events/pan-african-voices-in-the-era-of-blm-intergenerational-diasporans-speak-on-their-experiences-in-america/
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Center for Slavic and East European Studies
Tuesday, October 27 4:30-6:00 PM
Black in Russia: Student Perspectives from the U.S. and Belarus
Despite having citizens and visitors from Asia, Europe, the U.S. and Africa, Russia sees itself as almost exclusively white. This event will bring together Brandon Harvey (CSEES dual MA/MPA student) and Teresa Temu (a Russian-speaking African Studies scholar), two Black scholars who have studied in Russia. How do Black Americans and Black Russians cope with the way Russians react to their identities? What kinds of positive interactions are common? How does Russian vocabulary about Blackness sound to an English-speaker? Are there regional differences, and if so, what do they tell us about Russian urban and rural spaces? How have famous Blacks in Russia and abroad and/or African/U.S. Black music factored into the picture? Each speaker will describe and analyze their own experiences in Russia, and they will respond to questions from the moderator, Dr. Angela Brintlinger (CSEES director and Professor of Russian) and the audience. Given the importance of Russian language, culture, and influence for people all over the world, this conversation will aim to get at the issue of Blackness in Russia and help further understanding of potential conflicts and complications as well as opportunities for Black students in Russia.
For more information: https://slaviccenter.osu.edu/events/black-russia-student-perspectives-u.s.-and-belarus
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Center for Latin American Studies
Wednesday, November 4, 5:00-6:30 PM
Antiblackness, racial violence, and a report on teaching “Black Lives Matter across the Americas"
Black people across the Americas have historically faced antiblack violence in so many forms. Recent black mobilizations in Brazil have generated unprecedented gains in terms of affirmative action laws and policies. However, these gains are increasingly under attack from the conservative right. A similar situation is unfolding in other countries in the Americas. Dr. Antonio Bacelar da Silva will describe the magnitude of antiblackness, explore why antiblackness helps explain how we got here, describe how he approaches the topic in his course Black Lives Matter across the America at the University of Arizona, and have an informal conversation about ways for moving forward in antiracist education.
For more information: https://clas.osu.edu/events/antiblackness-racial-violence-and-report-teaching-black-lives-matter-across-americas
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Middle East Studies Center
Wednesday, November 18, 2020, 5:30-6:30 PM
Reckoning with Minority Community Rights in Turkey, and the Parallels to Black Lives Matter
The Middle East Studies Centers brings you a panel of experts to provide an understanding of the diversity of religion in the Middle East region and a look at the Alevi community in Turkey, a sect related to Shi’i (Shi’ite) Islam and mystical traditions. The Sunni-Shi’i divide is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg of regional religious diversity and the complex social, economic, and political differences which were brought to light by the Gezi protests of 2013. The protests were famously motivated by urban development projects which ran rough-shod over common areas and green spaces but also by social policies which favored religion as part of national identity, and specifically Sunni Islam. The government framed the protests as Alevi in nature (Karaya-Stump, 2018) as the police targeted Alevi protesters. In reality protesters came from a variety of backgrounds, united against authoritarian government policies affecting all citizens.
Parallels that can be observed between the Gezi Park protests in Turkey and Black Lives Matter protests in the U.S. are striking. In Turkey, minorities have borne the brunt of urban development projects targeting what have been their traditional neighborhoods, and subsequently the brute force exacted on them during protests against these government-imposed building projects. Similarly in the U.S., Black Lives Matter and related protests call attention to racist institutions in the U.S. and react against police brutality targeting Black neighborhoods and individuals. Victims of police brutality galvanized movements in both countries. Berkin Elvan in Turkey and George Floyd in the U.S. became martyrs along with many others from their respective backgrounds and communities. May they Rest In Peace.
The presentation will be for a general audience but we will provide perspectives and information of interest to academics, journalists, and independent researchers, as well. After the presentation we will open the floor to a Q&A session. Audience members will then be able to share their knowledge and/or personal experience of these issues. We plan to have a meaningful conversation and will seek to create an atmosphere free from politicization, open to learning and understanding these issues more deeply. Panelists will include Professor Ayfer Karakaya-Stump (William and Mary University) and Professor Alam Payind (Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State University). Dr. Melinda McClimans (Assistant Director of the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State University) will serve as moderator.
For more information: https://mesc.osu.edu/events/reckoning-minority-community-rights-turkey-and-parallels-black-lives-matter
Register here
