To dwell is to think and to reflect. To dwell is to build material, social and emotional architectures. To dwell is to confront and engage. To dwell is to live - however ordinary - a life upon which one ultimately establishes a way of being in the world. Echoing Martin Heidegger's ideas on dwelling in the early 20th century, this paper offers a way of critically engaging with the present-day violence and banality of survival by undocumented queer immigrants in the U.S. This presentation builds and evokes the nuances of dwelling during these precarious times.

The September WiP* discussion features research from Laura Brown (Anthropology), with responses from Scott Kiesling (Linguistics) and Melanie Hughes (Sociology). Text will be available two weeks in advance through the gender studies portal on my.pitt.edu (under “My resources”), or from wstudies@pitt.edu.

October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birthday, is the International Day of Nonviolence, per a United Nations declaration in 2007. Join us for an afternoon of activities celebrating the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and his teachings! Enjoy tea, snacks, and conversations with Pittsburgh organizations at the 2 p.m. reception, followed at 3 by cultural performances, inter-faith presentations, and a talk by Dr. Ed Brantmeier, Assistant Director for the Center for Faculty Innovation and Assistant Professor, College of Education, Gandhi Center, James Madison University.

Stay tuned for fun events all week!

Chair: Professor Susan Z Andrade
Keynote: Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa
Discussants: Frederica Jansz, Arjuna Parakrama

The Asian Studies Center welcome reception for students will be held on Thursday, September 13th from 3:00 to 6:00 PM in 4130 Posvar Hall on the fourth floor. All students and faculty are welcome to join us to meet center staff and faculty, learn about upcoming events and opportunities related to Asia, including lectures and cultural programming, undergraduate internship and career workshops, language tutoring and study groups, language proficiency testing, volunteering, and more! Refreshments will be served!

This is an interdisciplinary seminar, drawing students from art history, films studies, anthropology, and creative writing, which has investigated the role of death and mortality in the formation and transformation of culture. The course is organized around the new constellation structure of HAA, focusing on the conceptual frameworks of agency, identity, and mobility/exchange.

Admission and lunch are covered by Pitt Arts, all students need to do is sign-up at www.pittarts.org

Japan is the Key presents highlights from Carnegie Museum of Art's collection of gorgeous Japanese prints brought together with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's holdings of exquisite Japanese carved ivories. Don't miss this chance to explore Japan's impact on the art and culture of America of the 20th century. Following our tour of the exhibit students will participate in a haiku workshop.

“Biography of Mary” (Meili Xiaozhuan), “Travel Overseas” (Haiwai Zhuangyou) and “Wonderland under the Sea” (Haidi Qijing) were three classical tales written in the mid-1880s by the pioneering thinker and reformer Wang Tao in Late Qing. While scholars have pointed out the tensions between the traditional narrative form and the author’s ever-globalizing sensibility, Wang Tao expresses his disillusionment of Chinese culture when other reformers were advocating only for technological and institutional changes. Shi looks into both the contexts and texts of the three tales.