As we all face challenges wrought by the global pandemic, racist violence, along with economic and institutional upheaval locally and globally, it seems important to come together to assess where we are and how we’d like to move forward. What should community look and feel like in the face of such unprecedented challenges? And how might these challenges encourage us to redefine and reaffirm habits of scholarly inquiry, mutual respect, worldly engagement, and communal thriving? This inaugural meeting addresses these questions in conversation with students, lecturers, staff, faculty, and non-academic members of the CJS community.

Reginald Jackson is Associate Professor of premodern Japanese literature and performance at the University of Michigan. His research interests include medieval calligraphy and illustrated handscrolls, Noh dance-drama, contemporary Japanese choreography, queer theory, and critical race theory. He is the author of Textures of Mourning: Calligraphy, Mortality, and the Tale of Genji Scrolls (University of Michigan Press, 2018), and A Proximate Remove: Queering Intimacy and Loss in The Tale of Genji (University of California Press, forthcoming 2021). His newest research project examines the relationship between slavery and performance in premodern Japan, drawing from black studies and Japanese studies to read beyond their respective disciplinary blind spots. His writing appears in Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, TDR: The Drama Review, Theater Survey, boundary 2, Asian Theatre Journal, and Women and Performance: a Journal of Feminist Theory. His scholarly pursuits are enriched by a devotion to illustration, luthiery, and playing electric guitar.

Zoom registration required here: https://umich.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1amYTNlaQ8KYuiP7J6VFqA

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation to attend this event, please reach out to us at least 2 weeks in advance of this event. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.