“Engendering China” Series Talk Highlights Victims of Japanese Exploitation of Women During World War II

To coincide with the start of Women’s History Month, Prof. Xian Wang, East Asian languages and cultures, University of Notre Dame, is delivering a talk on Monday titled “Her Voice: Recounting Japanese Military Sexual Slavery in Chinese Literature and Film.” Sponsored by the East Asia Program, the Cornell Contemporary China Initiative is hosting a series this spring with the theme “Engendering China” — Wang’s talk is the second in this series. 

The “Engendering China” series explores the paradoxical gender relations of Chinese society, particularly the power dynamics from ancient times to the present. They are co-sponsored by various departments and organizations from the University such as Department of Asian Studies, Cornell Center for Social Sciences, Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, the Department of History, The School of Industrial and Labor Relation’s Global Labor Institute, The Levinson China and Asia Pacific Studies Program and Society for the Humanities. Prof. Mara Yue Du, history, is the faculty member hosting the series this semester. Du is a Himan Brown Faculty Fellow from the department of history, with her research focusing on contemporary China and gender studies. 

In her talk, Wang will discuss the portrayal of “comfort women” in Chinese media. The term refers to the thousands of women who were coerced into forced sexual slavery during World War II by the Japanese military.

Tenure: How Cornell Prepares the Next Generation of Academics

“I think Cornell understands that permanent tenured faculty are healthier for the institution, and provide a better classroom experience that ultimately results in better student learning outcomes,” said Professor Adam Smith, archaeology.