What does it mean to be human and humane in an age that undermines our humanity? Disruptions are manifest in technological, medical, political, economic, social, racialized, gendered and ecological areas of public discourse. Where are the methods, models and ways for being human and humane in the world together? How do the humanities recover the human(e)?
Vu’s research examines how in 20th-century China, dead bodies –– in photograph, in transit and in memory –– shed light on human and posthuman values in the age of nation-states. First, the many ways people consumed photographs of executed prisoners taken by missionaries at the turn of the century reveal China’s complexity in its first earnest encounters with its neighbors and the West.
My project examines the various ways in which the teaching of Shakespeare in US American schools is often rooted in a logic of white supremacy and how understanding this can reveal that the most celebrated author in the humanities has been consistently used to dehumanize.
The creative industries have become increasingly globally interconnected as technologies of distribution develop and intellectual property regimes become ever more integrated internationally. So what happens to musical creativity and ownership when copyright arrives in a country on the margins of the global North? How do local actors adapt and respond to internationally-derived IP laws as they are implemented?
Much of the cutting-edge work in media theory today draws on neuroscience, citing specific patterns of neuronal “firing” as a sign of certain emotions, perceptions and cognitive operations. The potential danger of this novel field of “neurocinematics” is that it reduces the complexity of the spectators’ engagement with art to biological mechanisms, ignoring the subjects’ socio-cultural background, psychological experiences and situational awareness.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit humanities sector is an essential component of America's economic and civic life. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has received supplemental funding to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been affected by the coronavirus. In keeping with Congress's intent in enacting the CARES Act, proposed short-term projects should emphasize retaining or hiring humanities staff.