Olivia DrakeShirley Lawrence celebrated her 34 years at Wesleyan with a retirement party Dec. 14 in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. Lawrence began her Wesleyan career in a part-time position the Mathematics Department where she remained until 1977. Lawrence moved to the Center of Humanities where she worked until 1985, and she worked in Alumni Programs until 1987 when the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies officially opened on Washington Terrace. She is retiring as a program coordinator. Over the years Lawrence has coordinated such events as tours of the Freeman Family Japanese Garden, lectures on U.S.-Japan…
Corrina KerrPatrick Dowdey, curator at the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, adjunct assistant professor of anthropology, and adjunct assistant professor of East Asian Studies, is a co-curator of Pearl of the Snowlands: Buddhist Printing at the Derge Parkhang, an exhibit of original prints from Tibetan Buddhists. The exhibit will be held from Sept. 11 to Dec. 5 at The Center for Book and Paper Arts at Columbia College in Chicago. The prints from the Derge Parkhang are still created from hand-carved woodblocks, as they have been for over 300 years. Dowdey will participate in a Nov. 21 panel discussion about the prints he helped retrieve…
Twenty-five students majoring in East Asian Studies presented their research at a poster session April 29 in the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. The first-ever event allowed the graduating seniors to share their projects in a visual way with faculty, staff and fellow students. (Photos by Alexandra Portis '09)
Vera Schwarcz, the Mansfield Freeman Professor of East Asian Studies, chair of the East Asian Studies Proggram, professor of history, professor of East Asian studies, is the author of Chisel of Remembrance, a new collection of poems that draws from roots in Jewish, Chinese, and other ancient traditions. The 76-page book of poetry was published from Antrim House Books.
Thirty years ago, the United States opened its first embassy in the People’s Republic of China as our nation began reestablishing its relations with the country. Vera Schwarcz, professor of history and East Asian studies and director of the Freeman Center, remembers the events well. After all, she was part of them. Schwarcz, an expert on Chinese culture, politics and literature, was one of only seven official exchange scholars invited to visit China in February 1979 when the embassy opened. Her recollections of this time, and her subsequent 30 years of experiences studying in and about China, served as the…
In the sparsely populated, mountainous region of Ladakh, India, elderly Buddhist nuns are suffering from isolation, illiteracy and lack of respect from their communities. These women, who spent their lives serving their family or working as laborers, have rarely had the opportunity to become ordained or to worship in a monastery like the highly regarded male monks. "These women have been devalued from the beginning," says Jan Willis, professor of religion, professor of East Asian studies. "All they've ever wanted to do is serve the dharma and study, but instead, they've become servants of their community, or helpers for the…
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