Clio Society's webinar on China's influence on Africa moved to November 16

The Department of History's Clio Society, with support from the East Asian Studies Center, will present "China and Africa: Historical Perspectives on a Rising Power" on Tuesday, November 16 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. online (registration required). The webinar will feature panelists Nicholas Breyfogle (moderator), Patrick Nash, and Joe Parrott, all from The Ohio State University.

Abstract: China has expanded its global presence over the last decade much to the concern of U.S. officials. Africa is a major recipient of this new influence, building on Cold War relationships first forged during an earlier era of Sino-American competition. Yet looking at Chinese engagement in Africa over the last 50 years reveals that increased power has transformed Beijing’s foreign policies and strained its global relationships.

Season 2 of Prologued streaming now

Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective has released its second season of Prologued, a serial-style history podcast that offers in-depth discussions of the historical roots of the world today—a past that has often been lost, ignored, or misconstrued.

Season 2 examines The Global War on Drugs and asks: When and where did the War on Drugs really begin? Join us as we explore how a century of drug wars fought around the world informs today's conversations about marijuana use, abuse, and legalization.

Episodes 1 & 2 are streaming now, with new episodes released on Tuesdays in November. Subscribe to Prologued on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, or where ever else you get your podcasts to listen to new episodes.

Emily Wilcox to present on using performance to strengthen Third World solidarities on November 12

The Asian Futures Project and Humanities Collaboratory, with funding from the Global Arts + Humanities Discovery Theme, will present a lecture by Emily Wilcox, College of William & Mary, on Friday, November 12 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The lecture will be available online via Zoom as well as in person at Hagerty Hall, Room 198 (registration is required). Dr. Wilcox will present "Performing Solidarities: Third World Alliance as Choreographic Practice."

Abstract: The concept of Third World unity emerged in the mid-twentieth century as a way of forging political alliances and solidarities among Asian, African, and Latin American people, by focusing on shared experiences of colonial history and decolonial struggle and imagining possibilities for global interaction beyond the bipolar Cold War framework. In this talk, Wilcox explores uses of performance, especially dance, to build and enact Third World solidarities. Through examples such as the 1930s Central Asian dances of Chinese-Trinidadian dancer Sylvia Silan Chen and the 1960s Asia-Africa-Latin America programs of China’s Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble, Wilcox asks what it means to choreograph solidarity.