International Comparative Studies
Although he left office nearly a decade ago, the man known to millions simply as Lula remains Brazil’s single most influential politician, says John French, Duke professor of history. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led strikes against the country’s military dictatorship, founded the Workers’ Party and became president of Latin America’s largest country after his fourth attempt at election in 2002. Lula has spoken out against the right-wing incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic and… read more about Professor John French on Lula, Former Brazilian President (and the Country’s COVID-19 Problem) »
For many, the past decade has created new awareness of gender and sexual politics. North Carolina’s HB2 was just one of the many flashpoints that spurred a movement. And it wasn’t just happening in this country. “This is a time when there’s been a lot more attention to transgender rights and transgender activism, both in the U.S. and, pretty famously, outside of the U.S.,” said Jocelyn Olcott, a professor of History and chair of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies (GSF). There have also been ongoing battles over… read more about New Major Offers Global Perspective on Gender »
For many, the past decade has created new awareness of gender and sexual politics. North Carolina’s HB2 was just one of the many flashpoints that spurred a movement. And it wasn’t just happening in this country. “This is a time when there’s been a lot more attention to transgender rights and transgender activism, both in the U.S. and, pretty famously, outside of the U.S.,” said Jocelyn Olcott, a professor of History and chair of Gender, Sexuality & Feminist Studies (GSF). There have also been ongoing battles over… read more about New Major Offers Global Perspective on Gender »
What cancelled summer plans—and new ones—say about the Duke student body. One was supposed to be saying goodbye to her childhood home on the other side of the Atlantic. Another was meant to be working with refugees in Ireland. Two more had plans for research projects in Africa. None of it happened. With international travel grounded thanks to COVID-19, all of the plans that Duke students carefully laid for the summer came apart at the seams. But Duke’s inherently global nature remains—evident in its diverse student body… read more about Purpose from Disruption »
What cancelled summer plans—and new ones—say about the Duke student body. One was supposed to be saying goodbye to her childhood home on the other side of the Atlantic. Another was meant to be working with refugees in Ireland. Two more had plans for research projects in Africa. None of it happened. With international travel grounded thanks to COVID-19, all of the plans that Duke students carefully laid for the summer came apart at the seams. But Duke’s inherently global nature remains—evident in its diverse student body and… read more about Purpose from Disruption »
In solidarity with Black students, staff, and faculty who have called on Duke University to recognize and address the culture of anti-Blackness on campus and around the world, the Program in International Comparative Studies issues the following statement: We, the faculty of ICS, stand with protestors in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as those around the United States and the world, who have risen up in response to the brutal police murder of George Floyd, calling for an end to anti-Black… read more about ICS Statement in Solidarity with Protests »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
Congratulations to the following student award winners from Duke University units in 2020. African & African American Studies John Hope Franklin Award for Academic Excellence: Elizabeth DuBard Grantland Karla FC Holloway Award for University Service: Beza Gebremariam Mary McLeod Bethune Writing Award: Jenna Clayborn Walter C. Burford Award for Community Service: Kayla Lynn Corredera-Wells Art, Art History & Visual Studies… read more about Student Honors and Laurels for 2020 »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Eighteen Duke students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright placements to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Fulbright US Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, offering opportunities in over 140 countries. The Fulbright award is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. The awards are announced on… read more about Eighteen Duke Students And Alumni Awarded Fulbright Scholarships »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Eighteen Duke students and alumni have been awarded Fulbright placements to teach English, study and do research abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year. The Fulbright US Student Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program, offering opportunities in over 140 countries. The Fulbright award is designed to facilitate cultural exchange and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and those of other countries. The awards are announced on… read more about Eighteen Duke Students And Alumni Awarded Fulbright Scholarships »
Last Thursday April 16th, ICS students presented research on the life histories of people buried in Geer Cemetery, a historic African American burial ground in Durham, North Carolina. This work - coordinated through Duke Service-Learning - was a component of the course "Death, Burial, and Justice in the Americas" (ICS283). The online event between students in ICS283 and the Friends of Geer Cemetery occurred via Zoom with nearly one hundred attendees. Professor Adam Rosenblatt started by communicating how his view of… read more about Histories of Dignity: A Collaboration Between Duke Undergraduate Researchers and the Friends of Geer Cemetery »
Unlocking history to guide the present guest column By Molly Mendoza and Ruth Fetaw April 15, 2020 | 2:09pm EDT For some Duke students, leaving campus entails only of venturing to cafes on Ninth Street and exploring Main Street’s offerings downtown. Oftentimes students fall into the Duke bubble and do not seek out the opportunity to engage with Durham’s rich history. A few students this semester got the chance to change that—at least for themselves. Photo courtesy Adam Rosenblatt.… read more about Unlocking History to Guide to the Present: ICS 283: “Death, Burial, and Justice in the Americas,” »
Dean's Leadership Award This award recognizes a group of people or an individual who have demonstrated exceptional leadership to the department, college or university through research, teaching or service. All faculty and staff of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences are eligible for the award.. Leo Ching, Associate Professor, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies and Director, International Comparative Studies From colleagues: “Prof. Ching is truly unique and extraordinary in his camaraderie and… read more about ICS Director, Leo Ching Awarded the 2020 Trinity Dean's Leadership Award »
Topics and overviews from the 2019 Capstone Colloquium: Workers and Markets, Constitutions and Corporations Commentator: Sumathi Ramaswamy Global Worker Solidarity in the British Trades Union Congress | Nora Hafez Using the theoretical framework considered in Marissa Brookes’s The New Politics of Transnational Labor: Why Some Alliances Succeed, this paper places the UK labor movement in the broader context of the global labor movement. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is the largest confederation of… read more about Students Present at 2019 ICS Capstone Colloquium »
Dr. Nitasha Tamar Sharma (Associate Professor of African American Studies & Chair of Asian American Studies, Northwestern University) presented on her decade of ethnographic research on Black residents in the militarized Hawaiian islands. She investigates the evolving elements of agency and occupation related to Black identity while taking into account various environmental factors. Within the context of US military occupation, there are complex racial dynamics where centering the Island’s Black residents interrupts… read more about Professor Sharma Presents 2020 ICS Spring Keynote Lecture »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Five Duke University students and alumni have been named Schwarzman Scholars, a program that funds one year of study in Beijing, China. Seniors Charles Berman of Durham, North Carolina, and Max Labaton of Washington, D.C., were named Schwarzman Scholars. They join 2019 Duke graduates Yunjie Lai of Chongquing, China, and Kevin Zheng of Glenelg, Maryland, and 2017 graduate Steven Soto of Phoenix, Arizona, as members of the Schwarzman Class of 2021. They are among 145 scholars chosen from more than 4,700… read more about Five From Duke Named Schwarzman Scholars »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Five Duke University students and alumni have been named Schwarzman Scholars, a program that funds one year of study in Beijing, China. Seniors Charles Berman of Durham, North Carolina, and Max Labaton of Washington, D.C., were named Schwarzman Scholars. They join 2019 Duke graduates Yunjie Lai of Chongquing, China, and Kevin Zheng of Glenelg, Maryland, and 2017 graduate Steven Soto of Phoenix, Arizona, as members of the Schwarzman Class of 2021. They are among 145 scholars chosen from more than 4,700… read more about Five From Duke Named Schwarzman Scholars »
Adam Rosenblatt, Associate Professor of the Practice in International Comparative Studies at Duke and Board Member of the Friends of Geer Cemetery, moderated a panel on November 16th about African American cemeteries. The panel, co-organized by Rosenblatt with Debra Taylor Gonzalez and Carissa Trotta of the Friends of Geer, sought to draw attention to Geer Cemetery, one of Durham’s most important historic burial grounds, which has been neglected for decades. The speakers described the history and… read more about Academics, journalists, and activists gather for panel on “African American Cemeteries: Remembering, Reclaiming, Resisting," advocate for restoration of Durham's Geer Cemetery »
This interdisciplinary course explores the phenomenon of necroviolence: attacks on the dignity, integrity, and memory of the dead. Cases come from the U.S., Latin America, and Canada. Topics include the rights of the dead, cultural attitudes towards the dead, and the “ambiguous loss” experienced by loved ones of the missing and disappeared. We also discuss the activism of family members, volunteers who work to preserve neglected cemeteries, and forensic scientists who exhume mass graves to identify the dead. Students will… read more about New Spring 2020 ICS Faculty Taught Class: ICS 283, Death, Burial, and Justice in the Americas (A Service Learning Course) »
What is research, and what are its uses? How do we know what we know? This course introduces students to interdisciplinary research methods and theories for conducting global research. Students practice a variety of hands-on research methods including archival oral history, interviews, mapping, textual analysis, and ethnography. Texts, discussions, and projects focus on the politics and practice of research, different creative forms research can take, approaching global research “from below,” and how… read more about New Spring 2020 ICS Faculty Taught Class: Doing Global Research »
Have you ever found yourself asking the question: "why are there so many #whitepeopledoingyoga?" (Hashtag created by artist Chiraag Bhakta) Join ICS390S: Global South Asia to explore this and other questions such as: What makes South Asia global, and what does it mean to be global South Asian? The peoples of South Asia have migrated and settled all over the world. This course will examine the initial contexts and causes of migration, the social, economic, and political consequences of migration, and the… read more about New! Spring 2020 ICS Faculty Taught Class: ICS 390S, Global South Asia, Prof. Jessica Namakkal »
According to Professor Deonte Harris, many of us here in the U.S. have a fascination with Black music. But at the same time, we tend not to realize that it’s. . . well, Black music. Harris, an International Comparative Studies professor at Duke, holds a freshly minted Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA. At the moment, his research focuses especially on the practice and influence of Afro-Caribbean music and diaspora in London. He chose to conduct his research in the UK because of its large overseas Caribbean… read more about Across the Atlantic: Caribbean Music and Diaspora in the UK »
According to Professor Deonte Harris, many of us here in the U.S. have a fascination with Black music. But at the same time, we tend not to realize that it’s. . . well, Black music. Harris, an International Comparative Studies professor at Duke, holds a freshly minted Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA. At the moment, his research focuses especially on the practice and influence of Afro-Caribbean music and diaspora in London. He chose to conduct his research in the UK because of its large overseas Caribbean… read more about Across the Atlantic: Caribbean Music and Diaspora in the UK »
In 2007, the Rwandan government implemented a new entrepreneurship curriculum in all secondary schools to promote self-reliance and drive economic growth. “The goal of the policy was to transform an entire generation’s ideas about education and work,” said Catherine Honeyman, visiting scholar at the Duke Center for International Development (DCID) and managing director of Rwanda-based Ishya Consulting. As it turns out, however, students and policymakers had two very different ideas about entrepreneurship. Students… read more about Creating "Orderly Entrepreneurs" in Rwanda: Visiting Scholar Discusses New Book »