Rohatyn Center for Global Affairs

The Role of the State and International Institutions GMO Trade Negotiations as Proxy for Cultural Differences Patricia Stapleton, Director, Society, Technology, and Policy Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute “Erst Kommt Das Fressen”: Food insecurity and food sovereignty in Greece Harry Konstantinidis, Economics, University of Massachusetts, Boston Changing Contours of Discourses Surrounding “Food Security” Tomiko Yamaguchi, International Christian University, Japan

International and Global Studies Colloquium “Stateless Children? Surrogacy for Gay Couples in France” by William Poulin-Deltour, associate professor of French. While lesbian and gay couples in France obtained the right to wed legally in 2013, French bioethical laws prohibit these couples’ access to reproductive technologies. Medically assisted procreation is available only to “stable” infertile heterosexual couples of “childbearing age” and child surrogacy is banned in all circumstances.

David Austin is the author of Fear of A Black Nation: Race ,Sex and Security in Sixties Montreal winner of the 2014 Casas De Las America and winner of the silver medal at the 2014 Independent Mr. Austin has produced documentaries on Frantz Fanon and CLR James for CBC Radio’s Ideas .

What is it like to be working at the grass-roots level in Tibet today? What are the challenges as well as the bright sides? What positive social changes have been taking place in Tibet? What still needs to be done? Come join us for a talk by Dr. Losang Rabgey, founder of Machik, a leading grassroots organization devoted to incubating social innovation in Tibet. Following the talk, there will be a screening of “Tharlo”, the latest feature by the renowned Tibetan filmmaker Pema Tseden.

This talk will examine the ways that a growing awareness of food and foodways creates a national image for those inside and outside of the country. International attention has the paradoxical effect of enhancing a sense of shared identity as Brazilian while simultaneously strengthening people’s awareness of themselves as particular kinds of Brazilians.

The Mystery of the Israeli Detective Why are there hardly any detective stories in Hebrew? Is it true that there is no mystery in Israel? What can the marginal genre of crime writing teach us about Hebrew culture? What does crime fiction have to do with ethnicity and identity in Israel? Award winning author Dror Mishaani will discuss his best-selling detective series and his diverse scholarly work, ranging from Mizrahi culture and Hebrew literature to the history of crime fiction. The lecture will be followed by book signing and sale.

Zhang Mengqi graduated from the Dance Academy of China Minorities University in 2008. “Self-Portrait: Dreaming at 47 KM” (2013, 77 min, Chinese with English subtitles) was her second film for the Memory Project. 47 KM is the name of the village where Zhang’s grandfather lives. Zhang has said, “In the summer and winter of 2010 …

Wu Wenguang (b. 1956) is a leading figure in the Chinese New Documentary Film Movement. He has made ten films, including the seminal “Bumming in Beijing” (1991). In 2005 Wu co-founded the Caochangdi Workstation Art Center in Beijing, where he curated the Village Documentary Project (2005) and the on-going Memory Project (2010), which organizes amateur filmmakers to record memories of China’s Great Famine (1958-1961) and family and local histories. From 7:00 to 8:00 PM Wu will talk in English about the Memory Project and take questions.

International and Global Studies Colloquium Cannibalizing the Cannibals: The Consumption and Circulation of Brazilian ‘Culture’ in France in the 1960s Darién Davis, professor of history, Middlebury College. Lunch is free for current Middlebury College students/faculty/staff; suggested $5 donation for others; RSVP by 4/5 to rcga@middlebury.edu.