【35th Talk】Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziying You: “Defining Global Asian Folklore Studies”
Upcoming Event
|
Introduction |
The 35th session of the “Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series,” organized by the Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute at New Era University College is now open for registration. The lecture will be delivered by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziying You of the University of Georgia. The topic will be the establishment of global Asian folklore studies, which will be discussed in the context of integrating global Asian studies and critical folklore studies. Similar to critical Latin American folklore studies, global Asian folklore studies employs interdisciplinary and intersectional research methods with the objective of focusing on the racialised and gendered experiences of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals and communities, as well as the discrimination, inequality, and oppression they encounter in their daily lives. The objective of global Asian folkloristics is twofold: firstly, to facilitate discourse and debate surrounding the enhancement of the lives, representation and visibility of Asian and Asian Pacific communities in the America; secondly, to foster broader alliances in response to the challenges currently facing the Transnational Asia/Pacific of the American Folklore Society. This is a form of “care work” for our global community. It creates a space for dialogue for Asian and Asian Pacific folklorists, as well as for those who study Asian and Asian Pacific folklores, and their allies. The goal is to achieve healing and alliance building, and to forge a way forward. |
|
Speaker |
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziying You (University of Georgia) Dr. Ziying You, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies at the University of Georgia and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Asian Studies. She is currently a member of the executive board of the American Folklore Society and president of the American Folklore Society’s Transnational Asia/Pacific. Her research interests include Chinese literature, folklore studies, critical heritage studies, women’s and gender studies, anti-Asian racism, and global health. Her published monographs include Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Chinese and Chinese American Women: Racism, Feminism, and Foodways (2025) and Folk Literati, Contested Tradition, and Heritage in Contemporary China Incense Is Kept Burning (2020). Co-editor of the Chinese Folklore Studies Today: Discourse and Practice (2019), the English special issues Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia: Traditions in Transition (2020) and Covid Narratives in China and the US (2025). |
|
Moderator |
Dr. Lew Siew Boon (Assistant Professor, Institute of International Education, NEUC) Dr. Lew received her PhD from the National University of Singapore and is currently an Assistant Professor at the Institute of International Education, New Era University College, as well as the Head of the International Academic Exchange Office. Her main research interests include folklore and folk culture, and the history of Chinese communities in Singapore and Malaysia. She has published several works, including Discovering the Goddess of Mercy in Swee Nyet Temple of Pulai, Kelantan and Hakka in China and Southeast Asia: Cross-Regional Field Work and Essays (co-authored). She has also published more than 20 academic papers. |
|
Information |
Date:25 September 2024 (Wednesday) |
Trailer (Video)
Lecture Postscript
The 35th session of the "Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series," organized by the Institute of International Education, New Era University College and the Tan Lark Sye Institute, was held on October 30th. The guest speaker, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziying You from the University of Georgia, presented a lecture titled “Defining Global Asian Folklore Studies.” She discussed the establishment of global Asian folklore studies within the context of integrating global Asian studies and critical folklore studies.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ziying You is an Associate Professor of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies at the University of Georgia and an affiliated Professor at the Center for Asian Studies. She currently serves on the executive board of the American Folklore Society and is the Senior Convener of Transnational Asia/Pacific section. Her research interests encompass Chinese literature, folklore studies, critical heritage studies, women’s and gender studies, anti-Asian racism, and global health. Her published works include Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Chinese and Chinese American Women: Racisms, Feminisms, and Foodways (2025) and Folk Literati, Contested Tradition, and Heritage in Contemporary China: Incense Is Kept Burning (2020). She is also a co-editor of Chinese Folklore Studies Today: Discourse and Practice (2019) and the English special issues Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia: Traditions in Transition (2020) and Covid Narratives in China and the US (2025).
In her lecture, Dr. You emphasized that global Asian folklore studies employ interdisciplinary and intersectional research methods to focus on the racialized and gendered experiences of Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) individuals and communities. She highlighted the discrimination, inequality, and oppression these groups encounter in their daily lives. The objectives of global Asian folkloristics are twofold: first, to enhance the lives, representation, and visibility of Asian and Pacific communities in America; second, to foster broader alliances in response to the challenges currently facing Transnational Asia/Pacific within the American Folklore Society. This represents a form of “care work” for our global community, creating a dialogue space for Asian and Pacific folklorists, scholars of Asian and Pacific folklore, and their allies, with the goal of achieving healing and alliance-building. Dr. You demonstrates her social commitment as a folklorist and applies it in her research.
Following the lecture, a Q&A session allowed the audience and the moderator to engage with Dr. You on the topic of global Asian folklore studies. The event was moderated by Assistant Professor Dr. Lew Siew Boon from NEUC.
