Orna Naftali
Abraham Miller Chair in Chinese Studies, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Research interests include the anthropology of childhood and youth, education, gender and the family; nationalism, militarism and the nation-state; youth legal education and legal consciousness in modern and contemporary China.
I work on a range of topics relating to childhood and education in China, including: the construction of national and class identities among contemporary Chinese youth; new conceptualizations of privacy and subjectivity in Chinese education and child-rearing, and the rise of child psychology in contemporary urban China. I have also worked on the development of a new Chinese discourse on children's rights and citizenship, a topic which was the focus of my first book, Children, Rights, and Modernity in China: Raising Self-Governing Citizens (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).
My latest book, Children in China (2016, China Today series, Polity Press) provides an overview of the changes that have taken place in the lives of rural and urban Chinese children since the launch of economic reforms in 1978. Covering schooling, consumption, identity formation processes, family and peer relations among other aspects of children’s lives, the book explores the rise of new ideas of child-care, child-vulnerability and child-agency; the impact of the One-Child Policy; and the emergence of children as independent consumers in the new market economy. It further demonstrates how economic restructuring and the recent waves of rural–urban migration have produced starkly unequal conditions for children’s education and welfare both in the countryside and in the cities.
Recent and on-going research projects include:
• An ethnographic field project on War and the Military in Contemporary Chinese Education: The Effects of Schooling and the 'Patriotic Education' Campaign on the Attitudes of Middle-School Students toward Armed Conflict (supported by a Spencer Foundation Grant, 2016-2019)
• A cultural history project on constructions of gender, war, and political violence in PRC children and youth culture (1949-present)
• An ethnographic field project on "Education and the Formation of National Identity in China: The Effects of Schooling and ‘Patriotic Education’ on Youth of Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds” (sponsored by the ISF and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, 2012-2016). The project examined the effects of schooling, the Chinese government's 'patriotic education' campaign, and consumption of foreign popular culture products on the attitudes of urban and rural Han-Chinese youths of various class backgrounds toward their nation-state and foreign 'Others'.
I welcome inquiries from prospective MA and doctoral students interested in the following topics:
• Children, childhood and youth in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Schooling and education in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Anthropology of gender and the family in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Popular nationalism in contemporary China
• Militarization of childhood and youth in the PRC
• Youth legal consciousness in contemporary China
Address: Department of Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel
Research interests include the anthropology of childhood and youth, education, gender and the family; nationalism, militarism and the nation-state; youth legal education and legal consciousness in modern and contemporary China.
I work on a range of topics relating to childhood and education in China, including: the construction of national and class identities among contemporary Chinese youth; new conceptualizations of privacy and subjectivity in Chinese education and child-rearing, and the rise of child psychology in contemporary urban China. I have also worked on the development of a new Chinese discourse on children's rights and citizenship, a topic which was the focus of my first book, Children, Rights, and Modernity in China: Raising Self-Governing Citizens (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).
My latest book, Children in China (2016, China Today series, Polity Press) provides an overview of the changes that have taken place in the lives of rural and urban Chinese children since the launch of economic reforms in 1978. Covering schooling, consumption, identity formation processes, family and peer relations among other aspects of children’s lives, the book explores the rise of new ideas of child-care, child-vulnerability and child-agency; the impact of the One-Child Policy; and the emergence of children as independent consumers in the new market economy. It further demonstrates how economic restructuring and the recent waves of rural–urban migration have produced starkly unequal conditions for children’s education and welfare both in the countryside and in the cities.
Recent and on-going research projects include:
• An ethnographic field project on War and the Military in Contemporary Chinese Education: The Effects of Schooling and the 'Patriotic Education' Campaign on the Attitudes of Middle-School Students toward Armed Conflict (supported by a Spencer Foundation Grant, 2016-2019)
• A cultural history project on constructions of gender, war, and political violence in PRC children and youth culture (1949-present)
• An ethnographic field project on "Education and the Formation of National Identity in China: The Effects of Schooling and ‘Patriotic Education’ on Youth of Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds” (sponsored by the ISF and the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, 2012-2016). The project examined the effects of schooling, the Chinese government's 'patriotic education' campaign, and consumption of foreign popular culture products on the attitudes of urban and rural Han-Chinese youths of various class backgrounds toward their nation-state and foreign 'Others'.
I welcome inquiries from prospective MA and doctoral students interested in the following topics:
• Children, childhood and youth in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Schooling and education in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Anthropology of gender and the family in the PRC (1949 to present)
• Popular nationalism in contemporary China
• Militarization of childhood and youth in the PRC
• Youth legal consciousness in contemporary China
Address: Department of Asian Studies, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel
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Education targets are being reshaped in response to the need to compete in a global economy; education systems are evaluated and compared according to league tables, and education itself has been transformed into a “good” that can be commercialized worldwide. But, globalization entails additional implications for education. Globalization also means more intimate contact with different types of societies, cultures and kinds of knowledge. This has resulted in the growing
diversity of the student populations in educational institutions and a multiplication of studies dealing with non-western countries. Regardless of whether the “intimate contact” results from positive experiences (such as tourism or scholarly cooperation) or from threatening experiences (such as Muslim students becoming suicide bombers in the UK), different cultures and kinds of knowledge challenge our “universal” foundations and research tools. Educational research is confronted
with major challenges resulting from this complex globalization process. This edited volume addresses four major challenges that are the heart of the problematic of the production of educational knowledge: 1. understanding the process of denationalization of education; 2. uncovering the agents of globalization of education; 3. exploring the implications of the emerging international educational
institutions and international curricula; and 4. understanding non-western education and integrating it into western knowledge.
Education targets are being reshaped in response to the need to compete in a global economy; education systems are evaluated and compared according to league tables, and education itself has been transformed into a “good” that can be commercialized worldwide. But, globalization entails additional implications for education. Globalization also means more intimate contact with different types of societies, cultures and kinds of knowledge. This has resulted in the growing
diversity of the student populations in educational institutions and a multiplication of studies dealing with non-western countries. Regardless of whether the “intimate contact” results from positive experiences (such as tourism or scholarly cooperation) or from threatening experiences (such as Muslim students becoming suicide bombers in the UK), different cultures and kinds of knowledge challenge our “universal” foundations and research tools. Educational research is confronted
with major challenges resulting from this complex globalization process. This edited volume addresses four major challenges that are the heart of the problematic of the production of educational knowledge: 1. understanding the process of denationalization of education; 2. uncovering the agents of globalization of education; 3. exploring the implications of the emerging international educational
institutions and international curricula; and 4. understanding non-western education and integrating it into western knowledge.
The paper begins with an examination of the educational agendas of Shanghai's administration as well as the concrete schemes different city schools have employed in pursuit of these agendas. The discussion then moves on to consider the possible effects of 'international understanding' programs on the attitudes of Shanghai students attending elite, regular, and vocational middle schools, while reflecting on the role of these programs in the construction of distinct middle-class identities in the space of this globalizing city.
Drawing on the analysis of government, media, and school documents, and on interviews conducted among city students in 2012-2016, the study finds that Shanghai's local government legitimates cosmopolitanism as a desirable disposition, and professes to advance an education that fosters 'international understanding' among all city students. However, the implementation and actual contents of cosmopolitan education programs significantly diverge across school types within the public education sector, and is unevenly distributed to students of different social backgrounds. While some schools seek to promote a cosmopolitan education as a means to foster a more open and inclusive attitude to different cultures, and are largely successful in achieving this goal, others conceptualize cosmopolitan education as a particular set of behavioral skills which function as social and cultural markers, indicating the level of students' 'civility' and 'modernity'. In this respect, cosmopolitan education programs in the city of Shanghai function as a new kind of distinction, that is, as a basis of exclusion of local class Others.
The present paper aims to address this gap by exploring notions of Japan, its people, and its culture among Chinese teenagers of different locations and social class backgrounds. Drawing on the results of fieldwork conducted from 2012 to 2014 among rural high-school students in Henan Province, and among Shanghai high-school students of both middle- and lower class backgrounds, the study finds that school messages play a significant role in fostering a pronounced anti-Japanese sentiment among Chinese teenagers, particularly those of rural backgrounds and urban, lower class backgrounds. The study also reveals that consumption of Japanese popular culture products among youth of different backgrounds may not reverse this attitude, but it can attenuate it, producing a 'love-hate' relationship with Japan and its culture. These findings highlight the role of popular culture consumption in the construction of youth social and national identities in contemporary China. They further indicate that the consumption of foreign popular culture products may help to instill a more tolerant attitude toward foreign "others" among Chinese youth, even in the face of lingering historical memories and an ultra-nationalistic educational discourse promoted by the Party-state.
The application deadline is February 11, 2022.
For further information about the fellowship requirements and the application process, please see attached call.
For questions and further information please contact [email protected]
Deadline: March 6, 2017
See http://www.eacenter.huji.ac.il/
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, department of Asian studies, is calling for applications in modern and current China (20th-21st centuries, area of specialization open; open rank). The position is open to all candidates who have attained a Ph.D. degree or to advanced graduate students who expect to be granted their Ph.D. no later than July 1, 2018.
Job requirements:
Candidates should be specialists in modern and current China (20th-21st centuries). Area of specialization is open, with some preference for candidates whose expertise includes politics, economy, or foreign relations of modern and current China. Responsibilities include the teaching of required and elective courses in the candidate's field(s) of specialization (at B.A. and M.A. degree levels), as well as introductory courses in current Chinese affairs, and supervision of MA and PhD students in these fields. Successful candidates are expected to conduct independent and original research at the highest academic level, demonstrate academic leadership, compete for Israeli and international research grants, and should display an ability to work cooperatively with colleagues in the Faculty of Humanities and the university at large. Where pertinent and in accordance with inter-departmental needs, a joint departmental appointment or teaching sharing arrangement may be considered, combining with one of several departments and cognate areas of study in the Humanities.
The language of instruction at the Hebrew University is Hebrew, but candidates who do not possess a mastery of Hebrew will be given time to reach proficiency in Hebrew during the initial years of their appointment.
Qualified candidates will be invited for a job talk and interview.
For more information, please contact Prof. Nissim Otmazgin [email protected]
More information on the department of Asian Studies can be found at http://en.asia.huji.ac.il
Job requirements:
The position is open for all fields of Japanese Studies. Candidates must exhibit the ability to conduct high-quality academic research which draws on Japanese-language sources. Knowledge of other Asian languages is an advantage.
The position is open to individuals who hold a doctorate degree and for advanced doctoral students whose Ph.D. will be conferred no later than July 1, 2019.
Responsibilities include the teaching of required and elective courses in the candidate's field(s) of specialization (at B.A. and M.A. degree levels). Successful candidates are expected to conduct independent and original research at the highest academic level, demonstrate academic leadership, compete for Israeli and international research grants and have the ability to cooperate with colleagues within the Faculty of Humanities and beyond.
Where pertinent and in accordance with inter-departmental needs, a joint departmental appointment or teaching sharing arrangement may be considered, combining with one of several departments and cognate areas of study in the Humanities.
The Hebrew University's main language of instruction is Hebrew. Nonetheless, the possibility of teaching one or more graduate courses in English may be entertained. Candidates whose Hebrew proficiency is such that they would not be comfortable teaching in Hebrew will be encouraged to master the Hebrew language sufficiently during the initial years following their appointment.
Qualified candidates will be invited for a campus visit, which will include a job talk, an interview and meetings with department members.
For additional details, please contact the department chair, Dr. Orna Naftali, at [email protected], or the Head of the Japan Section of the Department of Asian Studies, Prof. Nissim Otmazgin, at [email protected]
The Department of Asian Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the oldest in Israel and is one of the biggest departments in the Faculty of Humanities, home to over 300 students specializing in Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indian Studies. The department is characterized by its excellence in research and teaching, and it maintains an environment of cooperation between students and faculty in a wide array of extracurricular activities. To read more about the department, visit: http://asia.huji.ac.il/en.
Candidates are requested to apply in writing to: Professor Dror Wahrman, Dean of the Faculty of Humanit
Applicants should provide:
(1) Cover letter
(2) Confirmation of receipt of degree
(3) Curriculum Vitae (Please use – CV form)
(4) Current list of publications (Please use - List of Publication form)
(5) 2-3 page statement of research plans + a statement of teaching plans
(6) Teaching evaluations (from the past three years)
(7) Two representative publications
(8) Letters of recommendation up to three referees sent directly by the recommender
(9) Relatives Declaration (click here)
https://hum.huji.ac.il/applications
Complete applications must be submitted by 13 September 2018
Applications can be submitted at:
http://ttp.huji.ac.il
year 2018-2019. The post-docs are open to scholars in the humanities and social sciences
specializing in East Asia, especially China, Japan, Korea and Mongolia.
Fellowships are granted for one academic year or one term The starting date of the visit should not be later than four years after receipt of the Doctoral Degree; the fellow must hold a valid Doctoral Degree no later than October 2018.
The fellowship consists of a monthly stipend (tax free) of $1,800, paid in Israeli NIS
and linked to the representative rate of exchange. Fellows are entitled to one airline ticket (economy class, up to 1500$) for a direct flight from their hometown to Israel and back.
The fellows are expected to teach one semesterial course at the Hebrew University (for additional payment, according to the Hebrew University regulations). The ability to teach a course in Hebrew is welcome, but is not a prerequisite for attaining the fellowship.
The fellows will also actively participate in the life and activities of the Louis Frieberg Center for East Asian Studies and will present their research at the seminar of the Department of Asian Studies, and possibly at other relevant forums. Any work outside the Hebrew University would be allowed only after specific approval by the Frieberg Center.
Applicants should submit one hard copy and an electronic copy- in one file- of their
application to the address below, no later than March 22, 2018. The application must include:
1. CV
2. Research plan (up to 5 pages)
3. A sample of applicant's publications (if relevant)
4. Two letters of recommendation
The applicant should indicate the names and positions of the recommenders, but the letters of recommendation should be sent by the recommenders directly to the email address below.
Please send materials to:
The Louis Frieberg Center for East Asian Studies
Rm 6300, The Faculty of Humanities
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Mt. Scopus Jerusalem 91905
ISRAEL
email: [email protected]
The 14th Conference of Asian Studies in Israel (ASI18) May 23-24 2018
Deadline: November 6, 2017
We are delighted to announce that the 14th Biennial Conference of Asian Studies in Israel (ASI18) will take place at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus Campus, on Wed-Thu, May 23-24, 2018.
We invite proposals on Asian-related topics (Central, South, East and South-East Asia). Priority will be given to thematic panels, but individual paper submissions are also welcome. The deadline for submitting proposals for either organized panels or individual papers is November 15, 2017.
The proposal should include the title of the panel or the individual paper together with a short abstract (150-200 words), as well as a short CV (1 page max) of the presenter/s. With the exception of roundtables, panel proposals should also include the title and abstract of each paper. Please indicate in your proposal what equipment, if any, will be required for your panel or lecture.
DEADLINE: March 31, 2020
https://eacenter.huji.ac.il/news/asian-sphere-trans-cultural-flows-program