Over the weekend of 24 and 25 February 2024, the CU Boulder Asian Studies Graduate Association (CUBASGA) held our 25th annual conference at UMC. CUBASGA is the largest graduate student conference in our field and is run entirely by graduate students from the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations. We offer MA and PhD students a community to present papers and collaborate on their research as well as networking opportunities with other students and scholars in the field and across disciplines.
With nearly 40 graduate student speakers from around the nation and around the world, this was our biggest CUBASGA yet, facilitating 12 panels over two days. In addition to our visiting student speakers, we had 17 speakers from CU—from the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations as well as from other departments around the university. We also hosted two visiting professors, who gave keynote speeches: Professor Wai-yee Li from Harvard University and Professor Zev Handel from University of Washington, Seattle.
Prof. Li, building on her work elsewhere on Sima Qian’s monumental history, the Shiji, gave a talk on his varying depictions of Confucius. How do such images of the sage fit into the act of chronicling? What is the influence of this kind of storytelling? Prof. Li reckoned with questions crucial to the genre and our understanding of the figure of Confucius. Prof. Handel gave an entertaining and interactive account of the development of writing systems derived from Chinese characters throughout Asia. His talk connected topics across fields in Asian Studies and presented an accessible approach to questions in linguistics. These talks were both followed by questions and spirited discussions among students and professors.
We enjoyed graduate presentations on a wide range of subjects—from the language of the early Chinese text Zhuangzi to prewar avant-garde Japanese film to the textile industry in modern China. Our presenting students gave short, 15-minute presentations, followed by panel discussions. These panel discussions, moderated by CU students, offered an opportunity for visiting students to discuss and examine each other’s research across traditional disciplinary lines. The discussions also allowed visiting students and undergraduates to ask questions and learn about graduate-level research and issues in Asian Studies.
Furthermore, our conference offered many opportunities for students involved in Asian Studies to engage with one another. In addition to attendance from faculty, staff, and the local community, we had students from our undergraduate Chinese and Japanese classes attend and listen to presentations. After the conference, attendees were welcomed at You & Mee Noodle House for a dinner full of lively debate and discourse. Speakers and professors ate together, talked about their presentations in more detail, and made connections.
Based on verbal feedback and messages from our participants, speakers, and other attendees, this year’s CUBASGA was a resounding success, both in the quality of the presentations and in the scale of attendance and engagement! The continuing prestige of the conference is in large part thanks to the financial support of the CU Boulder Center for Asian Studies, Cultural Events Board, and the Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations. We look forward to continuing to facilitate student scholarship and collaboration through our conference!