Since 1988, the Center for Asia Pacific Studies has gained a reputation for conceptualizing and hosting events that promote greater understanding of the peoples and cultures of the Asia Pacific region. Fostering and promoting innovative research and teaching designed to create conversation and dialogue, our programs attract diverse audiences, consisting of faculty, staff, students and members of the public from the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the world. As the semester comes to an end, the Center is excited to share recordings and highlights of our past lectures.
FX’s ‘Shōgun’: Exploring the True Historical Narrative
Lecture by:
Eleanor Hubbard, Independent Scholar
Morgan Pitelka, Bernard L. Herman Distinguished Professor of History and Asian Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies welcomed Eleanor Hubbard and Morgan Pitelka to provide historical analysis on the American historical drama television series Shōgun.
Eleanor Hubbard’s talk put John Blackthorne, a main character in Shōgun, into historical perspective by comparing his path to Japan with that of William Adams, the historical figure on which Blackthorne is based. She highlighted Adams’s previous experience working in Morocco, making the point that by the time English merchants and seamen arrived in Asia, they already had engaged in cross-cultural trade and were accustomed to accommodating themselves to culturally different contexts in which their survival and success depended on making themselves congenial to powerful foreigners. She showed that this task was a difficult one in Asia, because English merchants — largely the agents of the East India Company — had to contend with the aspersions of their European rivals, Portuguese and the Dutch, as well as with the unruly behavior of their own seamen and violent interventions by English interlopers. She argued that by emphasizing the Europeans’ desperate need to convince the Japanese warlords of their own utility and good intentions, Shōgun provides an accurate depiction of the historical power dynamics at play.
Morgan Pitelka’s talk discussed the pivotal year 1600 in Japanese history. The year 1600, in which the historical fiction of Shōgun is set, was a monumental and transitional moment in Japanese history. The warlord Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged as the strongest and most likely successor to the hegemon Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had died in 1598. The titanic Battle of Sekigahara, which Ieyasu and his allies won, positioned the Tokugawa family to dominate Japanese politics for centuries. In this presentation, he discussed how the show Shōgun navigates these themes while also highlighting understudied aspects of this shift in military and political power: the influence of networks, the importance of ritual, deep engagement with cultural practices, and the complex entanglements with global travelers such as Iberian Jesuits and European merchants.
Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with America
Lecture by Yunte Huang, Distinguished Professor of English, University of California, Santa Barbara
The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies and the Fromm Institute welcomed Yunte Huang to campus for a lecture based on his award-winning book, Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong’s Rendezvous with American History. Professor Huang explored the tortured legacy of Anna May Wong, who rose from her father’s laundry in Los Angeles to become the first Chinese icon in Hollywood. The book was named one of the Notable Books of the Year by the New York Times and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
Innovative Approaches to Sustainability in the Asia Pacific Region
Panel Members:
Juyeon Jung, Wear Again Lab, CEO
Veerappan Swaminathan, Sustainable Living Lab (SL2), Founder & Director
The University of San Francisco Center for Asia Pacific Studies and Center for Business Studies and Innovation in the Asia-Pacific welcomed Juyeon Jung and Veerappan Swaminathan to discuss their innovative approaches to sustainability in their work.
Juyeon Jung’s talk discussed sustainable clothing culture and the critical role consumers play in addressing the climate crisis. In an era shaped by consumerism, both governments and companies can only be influenced by the actions of consumers. She emphasized that a shift in consumer awareness and behavior is the only solution for humanity to escape the climate crisis.
Veerappan Swaminathan’s talk focused on the importance of climate adaptation in the Asia Pacific region. While much attention has been paid to climate mitigation (i.e. decarbonization, carbon credits, carbon capture & storage), very little attention and investment have gone towards climate adaptation. Given that effects of climate change, such as extreme heat and floods, are more keenly felt in the Asia Pacific region, he shared how companies and communities are innovating to survive and thrive in a changing climate.
21% Party: Clothing Exchange to Save Our Planet
The Center for Asia Pacific Studies and Office of Sustainability threw USF’s first 21% Party! Did you know that 21% of the clothes in our closets go unworn for months or even years? Students, staff, and faculty joined us for a fun and engaging clothing exchange event inspired by South Korea’s innovative WearAgain Lab to refresh their wardrobe sustainably and connect with others who care about reducing waste!
Asia’s Space Race
Lecture by James Clay Moltz, Professor, Department of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)
No recording available.
The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies welcomed Professor James Clay Moltz to discuss the dramatic recent expansion of space activity among Asian countries, which has fundamentally altered the balance of power in orbit. In just two decades, China has demonstrated advanced human spaceflight and military capabilities, while surpassing Russia as the world’s second leading space power. But China’s rise has stimulated a space race in the region as countries like India, Japan, South Korea, and Australia have dramatically boosted their space spending. China’s military programs have also caused these countries to move closer to the United States. In civil space, many Asian countries have joined the U.S.-led Artemis Accords to cooperate in returning to the Moon. Meanwhile, China plans to work with Russia to develop the International Lunar Research Station. Understanding these dynamics will shed new light on emerging international challenges in space. This presentation summarized Asia’s recent emergence and compare and contrast the space strategies of key Asian actors, as well as consider what these dynamics mean for the United States.
Panda Diplomacy–Its Past, Present, and Potential
Lecture by E. Elena Songster, Professor of History, Saint Mary’s College of California
The USF Center for Asia Pacific Studies welcomed E. Elena Songster to campus to present a lecture on panda diplomacy. Almost exactly a year ago, the people of the United States bid farewell to the giant pandas living in the National Zoo. The San Diego pandas and Memphis pandas had already returned to China and the Atlanta pandas were scheduled to return in 2024. At that time, anxiety spread across the United States–what did this reflect about the relations between the United States and China? Would the US be without pandas? If so, for how long? Now with the recent return of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo and the much anticipated arrival of pandas to San Francisco, we much less anxiously ask, what does this mean? In this talk, Songster traced the history of panda exchanges and their impact on the wild panda population and foreign relations to better understand the power of panda diplomacy.
If you would like to support these and other events centered on the Asia Pacific, please consider making a donation here.