Special Events | New York Center for Global Asia

Prior to the presentation of “Secrets of the Sea: A Tang Shipwreck and Early Trade in Asia” at The Asia Society, in New York, from March 7–June 4, 2017, The New York Center for Global Asiais working with the Institute of Fine Arts , with support from the NYU Center for the Humanities and The Asia Society, to organize a symposium, on 4 March, 2017. The symposium will focus on the ninth-century context of the Belitung shipwreck in the Java Sea, Southeast Asia, and more broadly on Indian Ocean trade, on the ship’s 1998 excavation, and on controversiesthat prevented its contents from being displayed at the Freer | Sackler Galleries, the Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art, in 2011.

We call the symposium, “The Belitung Shipwreck: History, Archaeology and Capitalism,” because controversies arose from the excavation of the shipwreck by a private company, which sparked politically effective objections by American archaeologists to US government sponsorship at the Sackler exhibit. Belitung Chinese porcelains and metalwork have since been on display at the Singapore Museum of Asian Civilizations.

Ref: http://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/SW-CulturalHeritage/excavation.asp
and http://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/biletung-shipwreck/

Where: NYU Abu Dhabi House (19 Washington Square North)

When: Friday September 30, 2016, from 4-6 PM

The New York Center for Global Asia is the virtual hub of an emerging NYU network for studies of Global Asia, which is the vast space of human interaction spanning Silk Roads and Southern Seas, from ancient times, and spanning seven seas, after 1500. Our goal is to create new academic connections, conversations, and collaborations, which better suit the 21st century, transcending limits to knowledge production inscribed by 20th century maps of nations, regions, and area studies.

NYU’s three connected portal campuses make this innovative idea a compelling possibility, by forming an institutional framework for new spatial and disciplinary forms of knowledge, which we will develop around the CGA.

The first step came in Fall 2015, with the CGA launch at NYU-SH, where academic programs have begun, a VW Grant is now supporting a summer school, an annual “inter-Asian connections” conference series begins in August 2016, and future plans are off and running.

The second step came in NY, in Spring 2016, when we received encouragement and help to develop a proposal to present formally to the Provost in Fall 2016, in order to launch the CGA in NY in Sept 2017, with our goals being (1) to connect Global Asia interests and activities in all NY schools and departments, and (2) to form a hub for CGA activities across the GNU.

If all goes well, the Sept 2017 CGA launch in NY will coincide with the start of a three-year ($450K) grant from the Luce Foundation for Global Asia research and graduate training focused on three pivotal Global Asia port regions, around New York, Shanghai, and Abu Dhabi. Our Luce project would make NYU portals sites and subjects of academic work connecting humanities, social sciences, and natural and applied sciences (notably engineering and medicine). The Luce draft proposal was received enthusiastically and Luce staff is confident that the NYU CGA will use Luce funding well (in combination with other resources) to improve the production of knowledge about Asia.

Our 30 Sept 2016 meeting is to brainstorm about the CGA and Global Asia network possibilities. Wine and Cheese will be served. Presentations will commence at 4:00 sharp, starting with words by NYU Provost Katherine Fleming.

New York Center for Global Asia Rationale (213 KB .PDF file)

LIST OF ATTENDEES:
David Ludden (Director, Center for Global Asia in New York; Professor of History)

Katherine Fleming (Provost of NYU; Professor of History & Hellenic Studies)

Zhen Zhang (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of Cinema Studies, History)

Kanchan Chandra (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of Politics)

Jack Tchen (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Director of Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU; Professor of Social and Cultural Analysis)

Awam Amkpa (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of Drama, Social and Cultural Analysis)

Zvi Ben-Dor Benite (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Chair, Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies; Professor of History)

Leslie Peirce (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of History, Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies)

Aruna Magier (Organizing Committee, Center for Global Asia in New York; South Asian Studies Librarian, Bobst Library)

Tansen Sen (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of History)

Martin Klimke (Organizing Committee, CGA-NY; Professor of History)