The Luce Fund for Asian Studies Supported by a four-year grant from The Henry Luce Foundation Inc.’s Luce Fund for Asian Studies, Middlebury College has embarked on a broad effort to strengthen significantly the study of East and Southeast Asia. The Luce Fund for Asian Studies supports the creation of permanent new junior faculty positions at liberal arts colleges that demonstrate a significant commitment to the study of Asia. Middlebury’s long commitment to the study of Asia has been further enhanced through the addition of a strategic position in international studies and political science. In September 2001, Robert Pekkanen joined the political science department faculty and also holds the position of Luce Junior Fellow in Asian Studies. He brings to Middlebury a special focus on Japan and its relations with other Asian states, principally those of Southeast Asia. In addition, his research in the sub-discipline of civil society will lead students equipped with solid linguistic and cultural knowledge to “cross borders” by examining issues relevant to the societies of the region in contexts both local and global. The Luce grant has already enabled the introduction of three new courses taught by Professor Pekkanen: “Introduction to Japanese Politics and Society,” “Social Capital, NGOs, and Civil Society,” and “Political Economy of East Asia.” The Luce initiative is complemented by a multi-faceted program of enrichment activities aimed at extending awareness of Asia and civil society to the wider campus and beyond Middlebury. Luce activities are co-sponsored by CFIA; they include conferences, lectures, exchanges with other institutions, library acquisitions on Japan and Southeast Asia, research, and scholarly travel.
Luce Fund for Asian Studies Research The Luce grant supported Professor Pekkanen’s fieldwork in Japan in December 2001. At that time, he conducted interviews with scholars, bureaucrats, and several sitting members of Japan’s parliament, including ex-Ministers and a former Prime Minister of Japan. Pekkanen’s research focused on the changes in the party system and party organization as a result of the rewriting of Japan’s electoral rules in 1994. Pekkanen later presented the results of this field research at the Association for Asian Studies Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. (March 2002) in a paper co-authored with Professor Ellis Krauss of the University of California at San Diego. Pekkanen and Krauss plan to continue their research and to co-author a book based on their results.
2001-2002 Luce Fund for Asian Studies Student Research Assistants Nicole Finch, Simon Fisherow, Grace Hardy, Daisuke Hotta, and David Yi
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2001-2002 Luce Fund for Asian Studies Lectures and Events October 4: Roundtable discussion with Ethan Scheiner, Duke University Ph.D.; Harvard University post-doctoral fellow; specialist in Asian politics who has completed extensive research on opposition parties in Japan November 1: Roundtable discussion with Harvard University U.S.-Japan Program Associates: Ryuichi Kitano, investigative journalist, Asahi Shimbun; Shunji Izutsu, fighter pilot, Japan Air Self-Defense Force; Yoku Yamazaki, Ministry of Finance; Yoshiyuki Tsuji, National Police Agency. Moderator, Robert Pekkanen, Luce Junior Fellow in Asian Studies, Middlebury College November 1: “Lawyers’ Groups in Pre- and Post-war Japan” by Darryl Flaherty, Reischauer Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University November 7: “Civil Society in China” by Ben Read, Harvard University Ph.D. candidate, Department of Government November 13: “Civil Society and Africa” panel discussion with Joshua Forrest, associate professor of political science, University of Vermont November 27: “International Environmental NGOs and Japan” by Kim Reimann, Harvard University February 28: “Japan from the Inside Out: Ranking Foreigners on the Ladder of Civilization” by Apichai Shipper, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ph.D. March 11: Twilight Scholar program with Karen Nakamura, assistant professor of anthropology, Macalaster College, featuring a number of lectures and discussions: “Deaf Identity in Japan and the U.S.” “Japanese Sign Language and American Sign Language” “Sexuality in Japan” April 22: “North Korea and the ‘Axis of Evil’: Fact or Fantasy?” by David Kang, associate professor of government, Dartmouth College