"Somebody is Watching"—lecture on Koshikijima no Toshidon (甑島のトシドン)—at Pitt, November 5.

via satsumasendai.gr.jp

Pitt will host Dr. Michael Foster of UC-Davis and his talk on "Koshikijima no Toshidon (甑島のトシドン)" on November 5.

"Koshikijima no Toshidon" is a New Year's Eve ritual performed annually on the island of Shimo-Koshikijima off the southwest coast of Kagoshima Prefecture. During the event, men masked and costumed as frightening demon-deities enter individual households to "discipline" and "educate" young children. In 2009 the ritual was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This talk will introduce Toshidon with a focus on the way a structure of surveillance, of "seeing and being seen," informs the performance of the ritual and to a certain extent the everyday lives of the islanders. An understanding of the dynamic of this "optic imaginary" provides insight into broader questions of community, tourism, UNESCO, and the production of heritage in Japan and elsewhere.

The talk runs from noon to 1:30 pm in 602 Cathedral of Learning (map).

1934 Chinese silent film The Goddess (神女) at Pitt, November 15.

The University of Pittsburgh's Film and Media Studies Program will present the 1934 Chinese silent film The Goddess (神女) on November 15.

The November Pittsburgh Film and Media Colloquium will feature a screening of the Chinese silent film The Goddess (directed by Wu Yonggang, 1934). Released by the Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay), the film stars Ruan Lingyu in one of her final roles. This will be a special presentation featuring pipa artist and composer Min Xiao-Fen and guitarist Rez Abbasi, two New York-based artists who have created a score to accompany the screening of the film. The film will be introduced by Kun Qian, Associate Professor of Chinese Literature and Film.

The movie starts at 6:00 pm in the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium (map).

"Storytime: Chinese and English" at Carnegie Library in Squirrel Hill, October 27.

The Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh will host its next "Storytime: Chinese and English" on October 27.

Celebrate our city’s diverse culture as we explore new words through songs, action rhymes and stories in Chinese and English. For children birth-5 years and their caregivers.

It runs from 11:00 to 11:30 am and is free and open to the public. The Carnegie Library branch in Squirrel Hill is located at 5801 Forbes Ave. (map), accessible by buses 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, and 74.

Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) in Pittsburgh, October 28, 29, 30.

The 2001 Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し) will play in Pittsburgh as part of GKIDS Studio Ghibli Fest 2018 from October 28 through 30.

Authoritarian Governance of Auyghur Autonomous Region in China, October 23 at Pitt.

The Global Citizen Lab at Pitt will host Sarah Tynen and her talk "Authoritarian Governance of Uyghur Autonomous Region in China" on October 23. The talk by a University of Colorado Boulder PhD candidate

explores state territorialization practices as crucial components in shaping everyday life. In particular, it asks: How do citizens experience state bureaucratic power at the neighborhood level in their everyday lives? What is the role of community participation in garnering regime legitimacy? The research draws on 24 months of ethnographic and interview data in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwest China. The findings show that the conflict between state control and social membership revolves around the negotiation for territorial control, especially when it comes to struggle for power over minority bodies in nationalist space.

It runs from 4:00 to 6:00 pm in 4130 Posvar Hall (map).

Paul Tran, "Search & Destroy: Building a New Language for Freedom," at Pitt, November 4.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Student Alliance will host Paul Tran and their talk "Search & Destroy: Building a New Language for Freedom" on November 4.

The Pitt Asian Students Alliance is proud to present our first speaker of the 2018-19 academic year: Paul Tran! Join us as Paul leads a workshop titled Search & Destroy: Building a New Language for Freedom.

Paul Tran (They/Them/Their) is a poet, poetry editor at The Offing Magazine, and 2018 recipient of a Ruth Lilly & Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship. Their work has been featured in The New Yorker, Poetry Magazine, and numerous other outlets.

Join the discussion as they share their experiences of being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and the intersectionality with their Asian background! We hope to see you there!

The event runs from 5:00 to 7:00 pm in the William Pitt Union Lower Lounge (map).

Pittsburgh Chinese School hiring teachers.

The Pittsburgh Chinese School is still hiring teachers for its numerous language and subject classes held each Sunday in Squirrel Hill.

匹兹堡中文学校诚聘有爱心和责任心,有教学经验, 并有工作许可的有关人士加入教师队伍。

岗位要求:
1、热爱中国文化,并有热情将中国的文化广泛传播。
2、喜欢孩子,有爱心、耐心,责任心,有亲和力。
3、普通话发音标准清晰,语言表达能力强。
4、有基本的英语表达沟通能力。
5、有中文教学经验,尤其是有中小学教学经验者优先。
6、有教育或中文相关学历者优先。
7、文艺课教师有相关学历或工作经验者优先。

Mongolian-inspired "nomadic folk metal" band Tengger Cavalry in Pittsburgh, November 27.

Mongolian-inspired "nomadic folk metal" band Tengger Cavalry will play Spirit Lounge on November 27.

Tengger Cavalry, or "the army of sky god", is not only a Billboard-featured metal band, but also a symbol of nomadic warrior spirit that connects fans from all over the world. With a mix of throat singing, Mongolian fiddle and Central Asian instruments, the band performed a sold out concert at Carnegie Hall and featured in CNN, New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Local Asian-Appalachian folk music group Appalasia will open. Tickets for the 7:00 pm show are available online. Spirit is located at 242 51st St. in Lawrenceville (map).

Japan Exchange & Teaching Program (JET) Information Session, October 23 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and the Pittsburgh JET Alumni Association will host a Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Information Session on October 23.

Are you graduating soon? Thinking about the future? Come to the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program information session to find out if this program could be your next adventure! If you're at all interested in working abroad in Japan, this is a great opportunity for you! Positions are available as Assistant Language Teachers or as Coordinators for International Relations. Pittsburgh JET Alumni Association's President, Smitha Prasadh, will be leading the session and a panel of alumni will be available to answer questions.

The event starts at 5:00 pm in 4217 Posvar Hall (map).

Documentary Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki (終わらない人 宮崎駿) in Pittsburgh area, December 13 and 18.

Tickets went on sale today for the US premiere of the 2016 documentary, Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, which will play locally at the Cinemark theater in Robinson on December 13 and 18. A summary from the distributor:

In 2013, Academy Award®-winning film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he can’t shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarks on a new project to utilize CGI for the first time ever. But the artist, who has been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronts many challenges that threaten to cancel the film. Can an old master who thinks he’s past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film Boro the Caterpillar using CGI.

The shows are in Japanese with English subtitles, and tickets are available online.