Chinese politics scholar to speak

03/19/2024 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the scheduled speaker is unable to attend.

The following panel of SUNY Cortland Faculty members will discuss the topic instead:

• Alexandru Balas, professor, International Studies, coordinator of Clark Center for Global Engagement
• Danielle Candelora and Anisha Saxena, assistant professors, History Department
• Sharon Steadman, SUNY Distinguished Professor, Sociology/Anthropology Department.

One of the more interesting political struggles of contemporary times is the emerging divide between the Tibetans and Beijing over the lineage of the Dalai Lama, the traditional spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism.

Allen Carlson, an associate professor in Cornell University’s Government Department who has focused his scholarship on international relations, will visit SUNY Cortland on Wednesday, March 20, to discuss Tibet and its relationship with China.

The director of Cornell’s China and Asia-Pacific Studies program and adviser for its East Asia Program, Carlson has researched China’s close scrutiny of the tradition of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism and the politics around the selection process of lamas and rinpoches.

His lecture, “Tibetan Buddhism, China and the Politics of Tension,” will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Moffett Center, Room 115.

Seating will be limited, so attendees are advised to arrive early to secure a seat. A reception to welcome Carlson will precede the talk at 4 p.m. in the adjacent Brooks Museum.

The talk continues the university’s yearlong exploration of power struggles through different lenses, themed “The Culture of Power.” Presented by the Rozanne M. Brooks Lecture Series, the lectures are free and open to the public.

The interdisciplinary talks touch on topics ranging from extremist groups in today’s world to gendered power wielded centuries ago. Speakers in the five lectures discuss how the drive for supremacy shapes religious movements, impacts the dynamics of filmmaking and pushes people to excel in physical feats. Attendees at the seminars will be treated to excellent presentations on important topics that affect how we live our lives and how we understand the world around us.

Carlson, whose scholarship also encompasses  Chinese foreign policy and Asian security, currently is exploring the issue of nontraditional security in China’s emerging relationship with the rest of the international system.

In 2005, Carlson was chosen to participate in the National Committee’s Public Intellectuals Program. He earned a Ph.D. from Yale University’s Political Science Department and an undergraduate degree from Colby College.

The final  series presentation will be:

Framing Truth: Exploring Power Dynamics in Documentary Filmmaking — Samuel Avery, an associate professor in SUNY Cortland’s Communication and Media Studies Department and coordinator of Cortland’s annual Blackbird Film Festival, will address the behind-the-scenes power struggles that occur during the creation of documentary films and nonfiction docu-series. The genre often attempts to present reality in its unfiltered form, allowing viewers a transparent look into the authentic truth of a subject’s life. However, beneath the surface of candid storytelling lies a complex web of power dynamics that significantly influence the production, presentation and interpretation of these narratives. The power imbalance between the individual being documented and the one directing the camera can affect the level of trust, consent and agency given to the subject. Many other complex, ethical issues may affect the delicate balance between storytelling and exploitation. April 10, 2024.

The Brooks Series honors the late Distinguished Teaching Professor of sociology and anthropology emerita at SUNY Cortland, Rozanne M. Brooks, whose donated special collection of ethnographic objects to the Sociology/Anthropology Department established the Brooks Museum in 2001.

The 2023-24 Brooks Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Cortland College Foundation and Cortland Auxiliary. For more information, contact organizer and Brooks Museum director Sharon Steadman, a SUNY distinguished professor in SUNY Cortland’s Sociology/Anthropology Department, at 607-753-2308.

Top image courtesy of Sasin Tipchai for Pixabay