1) Asian Immigrants and Print Culture
The origins of Asian collections in Western countries are connected with the history of Asian immigration. Chinese and Japanese immigrants in the US, Canada, and in countries of South America published their own newspapers and often helped to build Asian libraries. These activities were also related to the conflicts between the immigrants and original residents.
2) War Time Intelligence and Asian Collection
During World War II Asian books in Western countries became useful resources for the war, and Asian languages as well became strategic weapons for Western countries. Through the history of the US Navy school of Japanese language, we will see the effects of the World War II on Asian studies and Asian collections.
3) Requisitions of Asian Collections during and after the World War II
During World War II and after the war, many collections in Asia were requisitioned, appropriated or purchased by military organizations and private universities of western countries. We will focus on the book acquisition activities in Japan by various countries during the US occupation period, 1945-1952.
4) During the Cold War Era
The cold war and its confrontation between ideologies changed the roles and status of Asian collections in the western world. For the US, Japan became the frontline of capitalism and China became the opposite side to be wary of. We will examine the influences of political conflicts on Asian collections in the US and Canada after World War II.
5) Digital Libraries and Asian Collections
The digitalization of many Asian collections in western countries is making progress. We will consider problematic issues and the wider effects of these projects.
Teaching and evaluation methods, including the percentage of the overall grade assigned to each evaluation:
Essays about the lectures 25%,
Attendance record 25%,
Cross-cultural Presentation 25%,
Asking questions and answering in class 25%
Roger Chartier, Forms and Meanings: Texts, Performances and Audiences from Codex to Computer, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995.
Christine Pawley and Louise S. Robbins, eds., Libraries and the Reading Public in Twentieth-Century America, Madison, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin Press, 2013.
Wayne A. Wiegand, Main Street Public Library: Community Places and Reading Spaces in the Rural Heartland, 1876-1956, Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2011.
