Law, Society, and Culture in Asian History

A Spring 2009 Luncheon Seminar Series

Cosponsored by UB’s Asian Studies Program and

the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, UB Law School

With additional funding provided by Mentholatum

12:00 - 1:00 pm      509 O'Brian

Lunch available from 11:30

RSVP for any or all of the luncheons to Anita Mazurek in the Baldy Center at amazurek@buffalo.edu             

January 20      

Why Understanding Ming Autocracy Matters Now
Sarah Schneewind, Associate Professor of History, University of California, San Diego.

Summary: The Ming dynasty is often seen as representing the height of Chinese autocracy. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang has been portrayed as an all-powerful autocrat with a clear plan for China whose power was such that he could pound and shape the state and society like soft plastic. Professor Schneewind will reexamine this image of the Ming founder and of Chinese society as completely under the thumb of the state. She will examine tendencies of autocracy and democratization in China, and show that even subjects of the highly autocratic Ming regime challenged its policies and made political demands. 

Click here to view an article by Sarah Schneewind that will be discussed at the luncheon.

[When you click on the above link, you may need to follow these steps if the paper doesn't appear automatically. Click "login again" on the page that appears. Then click "EBSCOhost Web". Click "Academic Search Premier". Select "title" in the field option and search for the article entitled "Visions and Revisions: Village Policies of the Ming Founder in Seven Phases". When this article comes up in the search engine, click "PDF Full Text". If you still have difficulty, email backer@buffalo.edu, and a copy of the paper can be emailed to you.]

March 3           

Modernization and Traditionalism in Buddhist Almsgiving in Taiwan

Charles Jones, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Catholic University of America 

Summary: Professor Jones will discuss the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Association, which came into being in 20th century Taiwan at the end of a process of modernization that appears to have transpired both in China and the West whereby “almsgiving” became modern “scientific charity.”

Click here to view an article by Charles Jones that will be discussed at the luncheon.

March 17        

Crime and Social Order in early 20th Century Chinese Cities

Zhao Ma, Assistant Professor of History, State University of New York-Fredonia

Summary: Professor Ma will examine the legal implications of customary wedding rituals in early 20th-century Beijing. The adjudication process brings to light legislative reforms and new administrative measures that sought to subject individual life-cycle events to government scrutiny. However, the experiences of lower-class women highlight the importance of customary nuptials and neighborhood networks in helping women engage in a rather fluid pattern of marriage. Bigamy trials offer a case study revealing the role of women in contesting and redefining the urban social order of the period.

Click here to view an article by Zhao Ma that will be discussed at the luncheon.

March 31      

International Law in Shaping Asia’s 20th Century

Alexis Dudden, Associate Professor of History, University of Connecticut 

Summary: Professor Dudden will explain how, by making the terminology of international law standard Japanese practice by the outset of the 20th century, Japanese state aggrandizers enabled Japanese officials to define legal and political power for Asia. The consequences of their actions hold sway to this day.

Click here to view an article by Alexis Dudden that will be discussed at the luncheon.

April 7      

Consent, Coercion, and Influence: Election Law and Democracy in 20th Century India

David Gilmartin, Professor of History, North Carolina State University

Summary: Professor Gilmartin will address the colonial roots of India’s election law and the importance of the legal concept of “undue influence,” and examine how legal structures since 1947 have shaped the meanings of elections and the concept of the people’s sovereignty in the Indian context.

Click here to view an article by David Gilmartin that will be discussed at the luncheon.

David Gilmartin's article, with commentaries, is also available in the Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 68, no. 1, at Cambridge Journals Online by clicking here. This link may only be available if you are associated with UB.

Questions: Contact Bruce Acker at 645-0763 or email backer@buffalo.edu