Belmont University is holding its first-ever Asian Studies Symposium the week of March 15-19. As part of the symposium, Belmont is hosting several renowned speakers, including Rafia Zakaria, a Belmont alumna and Deputy General Secretary for Amnesty International. A Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Indiana University, she is working on her dissertation titled “Negotiating Identity: Sharia, multiculturalism and Muslim women.” A lawyer and the Director of the Muslim Women’s Legal Defense Fund and The Julian Center Shelter, Rafia writes a weekly column for the Daily Times in Pakistan and her work has appeared in the New York Times, Arts and Letters Daily, the Nation and the American Prospect.
All events are free and open to the public.
Mon., March 15, 7 p.m.
Taliban: A Response to Modernity, Post-Colonialism Authenticity and Identity
Rafia Zakaria, Deputy General Secretary for Amnesty International, will speak on public demonstrations of Taliban justice in Pakistan, including flogged women, amputated hands and beheaded soldiers.
Multimedia Hall, Lila D. Bunch Library
Tues., March 16, 3:30 p.m.
War on Terror and Pakistani Women
Zakaria will lecture on how the War on Terror’s internal displacement, retribalization and American aid are affecting Pakistani women.
Massey Business Center, 200-A
Tues., March 16, 7 p.m.
Compassion in Action: The Ninash Foundation Project of Building Schools in India
Ashok Malhotra, distinguished teaching professor of philosophy at State University of New York at Oneonta and a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, will speak on the Ninash Project.
Massey Business Center 100
Wed., March 17, 10 a.m.
Yoga as the Art of Sculpting the Body, Emotions and Mind
Malhotra will talk about the nature of yoga and give demonstrations.
Beaman Recreational Gym
Thurs., March 18, 7 p.m.
Far More than Black: Race/Gender Configurations in Chinese Productions of Othello
Rachana Sachdev, associate professor of English at Susquehanna University and editor & director of Susquehanna University Press, will discuss Chinese productions of Shakespeare’s Othello and why the Chinese did not use the play to analyze their own social issues.
Massey Business Center 200-B
Fri., March 19, 10 a.m.
Representations of Infanticide in Japan in Early Modern Travelogues
Sachdev will speak on the practice of infanticide in early modern Japan, both from the perspective of the Japanese and from that of European travelers to Japan.
Massey Business Center 103
