Arif Dirlik is now an Independent Scholar living in Oregon. Arif Dirlik was Professor of History at Duke University from 1971 – 2001. He was then Knight Professor of History and Anthropology and Director of Center for Critical Theory and Transnational Studies at the University of Oregon. Dirlik is one of the leading experts on the political culture and party politics of the People’s Republic of China. He is the author of more than a dozen books on Chinese Communism, Revolution, Chinese Historiography, and historiography from such presses as Oxford, California, and Duke.

What are the elements of Japanese aesthetics and design?
How is the Japanese approach to creativity different from the American approach? How can you apply these principles to your daily life?

This lecture will close the Cultural Studies Common Seminar Colloquium on “Cultural Dis/Union” and will be presented by Maria Todorova, Professor of History at the University of Illinois. An introduction will be provided by Professor Rajani Sudan, Associate Professor of English, Southern Methodist University; responses will be offered by Professor B. Venkat Mani, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin and Professor Robert Hayden, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies.

Sewickley Academy's Michael-Ann Cerniglia, will frame Conor Grennan's Little Princes in in the context of Human Security to discuss Nepal's child workers. She will share with our K-12 community on how she also used the book to look at globalization and how she incorporated the text into her Human Geography. Participants will receive a free copy of the book. To register: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGtrNGFva2JUQU9RN0x...

Christopher Clark will talk about his most recent, prize-winning book The Sleepwalkers and explain the fascinating story of how political mismanagement in Europe led to the outbreak of World War I. A reception with light refreshments will follow the talk. Please RSVP to Kathy Gibson at kag36@pitt.edu if you are planning to attend the lecture.

Robert J. Donia is a leading historian of Bosnia & Herzegovina (Islam under the Double Eagle: The Muslims of Bosnia-Herzegovina 1878¬1914 [1981]; Bosnia & Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed [with John Fine, 1994], Sarajevo: A Biography [2006]) and was a frequent expert witness for the Office of the Prosecutor in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

The Breaking Down the Headlines is a five part series that will begin with a historical overview of the late 19th and 20th centuries; a time period which witnessed the demise of the Ottoman Empire, colonial land grabs, the rise of nation states and their struggles for power. With over one-third of the population now living as refugees, our readings and presentations will cover conflicts, power grabs, identity and citizenship. The series concludes with a literary perspective.

The Breaking Down the Headlines is a five part series that will begin with a historical overview of the late 19th and 20th centuries; a time period which witnessed the demise of the Ottoman Empire, colonial land grabs, the rise of nation states and their struggles for power. With over one-third of the population now living as refugees, our readings and presentations will cover conflicts, power grabs, identity and citizenship. The series concludes with a literary perspective.

The Breaking Down the Headlines:Understanding the Levant is a five part series beginning with a historical overview of the late 19th and 20th centuries; a time period which witnessed the demise of the Ottoman Empire, colonial land grabs, the rise of nation states and their struggles for power. With over one-third of the population now living as refugees, our readings and presentations will cover conflicts, power grabs, identity and citizenship. The series concludes with a literary perspective.