2010 Presenters

Arfiya Eri, Georgetown '10, International Politics and International Development The Fourteenth Ethnicity or Disappearing Ethnicity? Bilingual Education and Uyghur Identity in 21st Century Xinjiang

The increasing tension between the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region’s native Uyghur population and its growing Han Chinese migrant population is manifested in Xinjiang’s changing education policies. I consider education policy as a microcosm of the greater policy implementation process in Xinjiang, one which represents the detached perspectives of Beijing, the local Xinjiang government, and the Uyghur people. Beijing’s emphasis on zhonghua minzu (the “Chinese nation”), minzu tuanjie (ethnic unity), and economic development has culminated in the recent implementation of a “bilingual” education policy in Xinjiang. Uyghurs see the policy as a threat to their cultural survival and fear that the policy will bring about deterioration of the Uyghur language. My research considers the minkaohan, or Uyghurs who have received Mandarin education. I argue that because of their Mandarin education the minkaohan are stranded between Han and Uyghur culture and are able to identify fully with neither. My research suggests that the current bilingual education policy will not decrease ethnic tensions in Xinjiang. Cultural integration, rather than assimilation, is critical for Xinjiang’s stability.   Arfiya Eri is a senior in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics and International Development. She is also a first-year graduate student in Georgetown University’s Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies Program, focusing on Central Asian politics, as well as cross-sections between nationalism, identity, and development. She is ethnically Uyghur and Uzbek, but was born in Japan and raised in various cities of Japan and China. Her background has fostered her strong academic interests in ethnic nationalism and identities, as well as their impact on politics and development, especially in the context of the Uyghur people in China. She enjoys reading, dancing, and chattering away on Georgetown’s Healy Lawn on gorgeous days. She also has the urge to move somewhere every six months, and hence travels without purpose more frequently than she should.

Daniel O. Kanak, Columbia College '10, East Asian Studies Changes in Chinese Consumer Behavior: Repercussions of Sino-Japanese Political Conflict and Negative Country Image (CI) and Japanese Business Response

The economic relationship between Japan and China has improved dramatically in the past thirty years, including a tremendous increase in Foreign Direct In-vestment (FDI) and trade. The political relationship, between the two countries, however, still faces many obstacles to progress, and anti-Japanese sentiment is prevalent in China among both students and working people. The affects of anti-Japanese sentiments on Chinese consumer preference as well as responses of Japanese companies operating in China are both understudied and avoided by the media, as they are masked by the growing statistics in trade and investment. This presentation will explore how Japanese business executives perceive the significance of Country Image (CI) for consumers and the extent to which companies operating in China are considering Chinese consumer behavior responses, as a result of Political action, in formulating business strategies.   Daniel Kanak is a senior at Columbia College, majoring in East Asian Languages in Cultures with a focus in Political Science. Born and raised in Japan, Daniel went to high school at Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts and lived a year in Barcelona, Spain before enrolling at Columbia College. He has worked in a number of professional internships which includes experience at Morgan Stanley in Tokyo and Pacific Esplanade Partners in Shanghai, PRC. He has also worked in the Parliament of Japan as an intern and re-election campaign assistant to former Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Upper House member and Chief Cabinet Secretary, Kosei Ueno. Moreover, as a student of Chinese, Japanese, and of East Asian political-economies, Daniel maintains an active interest in East Asia and will serve as an Advisor to Genron NPO, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating forums for responsible, productive debate about Japan's future. As the great grandson of former Minister of Education and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Takechiyo Matsuda, Daniel maintains an active interest in Japanese Textbooks and the ‘Textbook issue’ which continues to plague Japan’s relations with China and the rest of Asia.

Christine Kwon, Columbia College '10, East Asian Studies and Linguistics Reading the Signs: Language Policy and Change in Post-PRC Tibet

This presentation will argue that the Tibetan and Chinese languages occupy different educational, economic, and political spaces in contemporary Tibetan society. I focus on language issues and debates in the contexts of education, commerce and tourism, and government and politics, looking at concrete examples of language as it is used in various spheres—in other words, at functionality. I examine the contemporary roles and use of Tibetan as compared to Chinese, supplementing a policy-based analysis with fieldwork conducted in July and August of 2009 on public signage in the TAR. The appropriation of the Tibetan language to certain roles has undermined growth more than it has than helped foster its intellectual and social development as a living language. This evaluation can shed light on both the future development of the Tibetan language and the relationship of and interactions between the Tibetans with the majority Han within the People’s Republic.   Christine Kwon is a (very!) recent graduate of Columbia College, with a B.A. in East Asian Languages and Cultures and Linguistics. She is currently acting as research assistant to Profs. Robert Barnett and Gray Tuttle. Most summers will find her out in some obscure corner of the world failing to absorb any country's language or culture with any success, while continually making badder her already deteriorating English. Christine enjoys cooking, and, by extension, almost all foods, with the exception of moldy, fermented old milk--what some like to call 'cheese.’

Mia Lewis, Columbia College '10, East Asian Studies Painting Worlds with Word: Ateji in CLAMP's Manga

This study explores wordplay in the works of CLAMP, a popular Japanese mangaka (comic artist) group. Specifically, it examines CLAMP’s use of ateji, the pairing of kanji (Chinese characters) and furigana (a reading gloss) with different meanings. This allows two different words to become one, creating meanings that transcend words’ literal definitions. Original research on ateji in six different manga zasshi (comic magazines) and three of CLAMP’s works—-Cardcaptor Sakura, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, and Clover—-identifies five distinct ateji techniques. This study focuses on the way these techniques are employed by CLAMP to express complex ideas, develop plot, and portray characters. As a technique embedded within the Japanese language, the implications of ateji use in manga extend beyond the medium of comics, pointing to shifting trends in the language as a whole.   Mia Lewis is a senior at Columbia College majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures. Her interests include literature, environmental issues, and anthropology. She has held a life-long passion for Japan, taking a year off from high school to live in full immersion in Gunma, Japan, and spending her junior year of college studying abroad at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies. Her interest in the power of comics and animation to influence under-standings of language, gender relations, and other cultural issues has been a force behind her undergraduate studies. While in Kyoto she worked on an independent study on the use of manipulation of the visual nature of text, particularly with regards to ateji, in six manga magazines under a professor of Manga Studies at Seika University. This research became the basis for her senior thesis on these techniques as used by the group of manga writers.

Christopher Morales, Columbia College '10, East Asian Studies Neighborhood Change and the Social Construction of Community Identity in Weigongcun, Beijing

Beginning in the mid-1980s, the Weigongcun neighborhood of Beijing housed a migrant enclave of Uyghurs from Xinjiang Province, which gained a reputation for both its Uyghur restaurants and street crime. In 2001, the low-rent housing in which most of the Uyghurs lived was demolished, with most of the Uyghurs leaving the neighborhood permanently. In place of this housing, a new, more expensive apartment complex was built and has since attracted a new class of salaried, non-Uyghur migrants. The adjacent commercial strip that used to house the Uyghur restaurants now houses a number of increasingly popular restaurants serving other types of ethnic minority cuisine. In the summer of 2009, I interviewed 39 current residents of Weigongcun about the changes in their neighborhood. I inquired into their perceptions of the past Uyghur enclave and their perceptions of the cur-rent demographics of the neighborhood. By comparing the patterns among these residents’ characterizations of Uyghur migrants and their “Xinjiang Street” industry with the patterns among their characterizations of the current types of migrants and the “Ethnic Foods Street” industry, this paper examines the process by which residents of a neighborhood construct community identities over time. An analysis of the social construction of community identity may help predict how residents will respond to upcoming social changes, such as the presence of a new Beijing Subway station at Weigongcun. Furthermore, it may help illuminate the problem of achieving a sense of solidarity in developing neighborhoods if these neighborhoods lack the community-building discourse intended to be spread by government-run Residents’ Committees (jumin weiyuanhui) and Street Offices (jiedao banshichu).   Chris is a senior at Columbia College majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures, with disciplinary specializations in Chinese literature and society. He is a founding editor of the undergraduate-run Columbia East Asia Review academic journal and has enjoyed his three years there very much. After graduating in June, Chris will be moving to Shanghai to work at the USA Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo from July through November.

Tania O'Conor, Columbia College '10, East Asian Studies Finding a Voice on the Web: A Case Study of a Naxi Online Community

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which many Chinese "netizens" communicate and express themselves. From email, to chatrooms, to bulletin board systems (BBS), to personal blogs, to virtual communities the Internet has provided a new means for personal expression and interaction creating what some scholars argue is a liberating force in civil society. In a country where the government exerts heavy control over mainstream media and public opinion, the Internet, with its inherent technical capabilities, not only facilitates free access to a wealth of information, but also serves as a potentially powerful medium for anonymous expression of opinion and thought. Along with the rest of the population, China's ethnic minorities have increasingly gained access to the World Wide Web; however, there exist few case studies analyzing the impact of this medium on these marginalized groups. While this paper does not attempt to provide a comprehensive study of ethnic minority use of the Internet, it expands upon Chinese Internet scholarship with a case study of the Naxi online community, Lijiangtime.net. Questions addressed include: How do the website’s design and features generate a sense of community?  Is this website strengthening cultural and communal ties among Naxi internet users? Does the Internet, as an “interactive” medium, offer new ways to represent and negotiate Naxi identity?  Does the presence of a Naxi online community, implicitly or explicitly, challenge the Han-dominated narrative surrounding ethnic minorities on and offline?   Tania O'Conor is a senior in Columbia College majoring in East Asian Studies. For the past year, she has been working at the Rubin Museum of Art as a curatorial intern, where she is collaborating on a Naxi exhibition scheduled for the Spring of 2011. This fall, she plans on moving to Taipei to continue her language study.

Sayuri Shimoda, Columbia College '10, Political Science-Economics and East Asian Studies Thought Control in the Meiji and Taisho Periods: A Methodology to Examine the Effect of the 1883 Decree and 1909 Press Law

A major puzzle that arises from examining the political discourse surrounding the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-1926) periods in Japan is whether or not the censorship laws and regulations implemented during this time were repressive. While many scholars have explored this topic, this particular question is still being debated. This thesis utilizes a quantitative methodology to explore the possible effect that the two laws, 1883 Decree No. 12 and 1909 Press Law, might have had to answer the question of whether the laws and regulations were as repressive as some believe. Instead of just considering the quantity of publications banned and the number of journalists and editors punished, this paper examines trends in the content published in newspapers, magazines and journals in relation to the implementation of the two laws. It concludes that while the frequencies of certain terms declined significantly after the implementation of a regulation, frequencies of other terms were not as affected or increased instead. This suggests that while the censorship regulations did have an impact on what was published, there are other factors such as self-censorship, changes in the nature of journalism, the use of euphemisms, and methodological issues to consider.   Sayuri Shimoda is a Columbia College senior majoring in Political Science-Economics and East Asian Cultures and Languages (EALAC). She is involved in the Columbia Japan Society and Columbia East Asia Review. Sayuri grew up both in Tokyo, Japan and Vancouver, Canada. Her primary regional interest is Japan but is also interested in foreign affairs in the Asian region. While she focused on history within the EALAC major, she is also interested in politics and economics. She was able to combine her training in political science and economics and also history to write her thesis, which provided a historical overview of a fascinating time period in Japan and also developed a quantitative methodology to examine the censorship laws in late Meiji and Taisho periods in Japan. She is planning on staying in New York City after graduation and hopes to pursue a career that would apply her interest in Asia.

Grace Zhou, Columbia College '10, Linguistics and Anthropology Essentialist Legacies and Shifting Identities: Language in Central Asian Nation-Building

Language is a window onto the forces that shape cultural and national identity; it illuminates dialogues of power within a society, and is a tool in shaping politics, used to both build national solidarity and emphasize group divides. It is malleable, and yet powerful in its malleability. The legacies of Tsarist administration and Soviet nationality policy in attempting to consolidate language and identity in Central Asian republics may have directed identity development in a certain fashion and shaped the official methodology of nation-building after the collapse of the USSR, but it did not undermine the region’s diversity, and perhaps in some ways emphasized it. In my attempt to trace the complexities of identity in Central Asia, I will first discuss the theoretical background of nation-building and language planning, then the historical essentializing processes of nationality during Tsarist and Soviet times, both of official policy stance and native involvement. This first portion will draw on readings from historical, theoretical, and critical sources. Then I will bring the discussion into post-Soviet times by examining how essentialist Soviet legacies are maintained in independent Kyrgyzstan, and finally attempt to break the essentialist model in a case study using interview data collected from original field research in Osh, Kyrgyzstan.   Grace Zhou, CC '10, majored in Linguistics and concentrated in Anthropology. She is interested in languages and Central Asia and is currently learning Russian and Uzbek. Her senior thesis brings together her fieldwork projects conducted in Southwest China, Ireland, and Kyrgyzstan, touching on topics such as linguistic attitudes, social belongings, and "identity." She will be pursuing a Master's degree next year at Columbia through the Harriman Institute's Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe Regional Studies program. She will be going to Dushanbe, Tajikistan this summer to study Uzbek.