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Guest Lecture Series

Since 1993, the Asian American Studies Institute has sponsored, often in collaboration with other UConn academic and student affairs units the Guest Lecture Series that brings some of the most path-breaking scholars, artists, and activists to the University of Connecticut. Our aim is to give our colleagues and students an enriching opportunity to engage featured speakers who are leading authorities in their disciplines, including Asian American Studies, Ethnic Studies, and Human Rights. We have also invited speakers who are working at the leading edge of emerging debates or are contributing novel perspectives.

In 2007, peace activist and former Member of Parliament of South Africa, Ela Gandhi spoke at several gatherings during her visit to the University of Connecticut. Her public address, “Crises of the 21st Century” offered a means at arriving at a more enduring solution to the problems of spiraling violence, in the form of religious and ethnic hatred, environmental degradation, runaway consumerism, terror and warfare. It is available for download as a PDF by clicking at the title of her talk.

In 2008, Gary Okihiro, Professor in the Department of International and Public Affairs and former Director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race at Columbia University, gave the Keynote Address at the East of California Conference held at UConn, October 31 and November 1. Selections from his talk will be available here soon.

A list of AASI Guest Lecture Series Speakers, 1993 to 2006, is also available here as a PDF.