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September 26

 145 Dwinelle Hall, UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

Archaeology of Knowledge: New Archival and Material Discoveries in Mongolia

9:00 am–5:00 pm

Mongol spaces have always been heavily trafficked intersections, sites of mediation, and global circuits of people and exchange in the heart of Asia. Recent archaeological work is shedding new light on Mongolia's complex history. Experts from Mongolia who have been working with excavation sites join Berkeley and other scholars in analyzing their discoveries and the implications for our understanding of Mongolia's past.

This conference, which celebrates the revival of Mongolian studies and language instruction at UC Berkeley, is free and open to the public. Registration is required: please visit http://www.eventbrite.com/e/archaeology-of-knowledge-new-archival-and-material-discoveries-in-mongolia-a-uc-berkeley-event-tickets-17468149706?aff=es2

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Lecture

October 5

 180 Doe Library, UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

Auspicious Images to Feminist Critiques: The Evolution of Mithila Painting in Rural India

4:00 pm–6:00 pm

Speaker: David Szanton, Ethnic Arts Foundation, Berkeley, California

Since at least the 14th century women from the Mithila region of Bihar have painted images of the Hindu gods and goddesses on the walls of their homes to create auspicious spaces for domestic rituals – especially elaborated for marriage rituals. In the late 1960s they began painting these images on paper for sale. Since 2000 their repertoire has expanded to include contemporary social and political issues and events, and powerful feminist critiques of patriarchy, purdah, gender inequalities, dowry, arranged marriages, bride burning, female infanticide, even marriage itself. This presentation will make passing reference to the other political issues, but focus on the gender dynamics and gender politics increasingly central to this ancient painting tradition.

Sponsors: Institute of East Asian Studies, Institute for South Asia Studies, UC Berkeley

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