News from the John W. Kluge Center: In the Know #12: The Newsletter of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress 

In the Know #12: The Newsletter of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress 

We at the Kluge Center would like to thank all of you, our supporters and friends, for your continued support and engagement as we pulled through this past pandemic year together. We hope that you are beginning to see changes around you that inspire hope for the future. This newsletter will continue providing regular updates on the Kluge Center’s activities, including our events, fellowship competitions, and blog posts. Please share this newsletter with anyone who might be interested in following or viewing Kluge events. Our dedication to bringing you the highest quality conversations on important public issues and scholarship will continue. Let’s keep the conversation going.

John Haskell, Director of the Kluge Center

 

Our Common Purpose

We concluded the Our Common Purpose series of events hosted by Kluge Prize winner Danielle Allen, with the third event, Finding a Shared Historical Narrative. All videos and blog posts for these events can be found on our blog.

 

The Pillars of Democracy

The Kluge Center announced a new event series, the Pillars of Democracy, beginning on July 8. We are partnering with the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution for this endeavor. This series will look at the central institutions in American society, and try to understand why they are experiencing such a crisis of legitimacy. The July 8 event will look at the US Congress, and registration is open now.  Click here for more information and the schedule of events.

 

Kluge Kudos

We at the Kluge Center are proud of our alumni and their continuing work. We provide these links to scholarly articles of interest by Kluge alumni to other interested alumni.  If you have any suggestions for potential links (subject to Library of Congress policy at https://www.loc.gov/legal/comment-and-posting-policy/?loclr=eanfwk), please send them to scholarly@loc.gov for consideration. Please do not provide links to book reviews or sales sites, per Library of Congress policy.

Constanze Stelzenmüller (Kissinger Chair) wrote an article for the Brookings Institution titled, “Nord Stream 2 impasse threatens trans-Atlantic ties.” The article explains how the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline might affect relationships among several countries. Also, Stelzenmüller moderated a panel discussion for the seventh annual Justice Stephen Breyer Lecture on International Law about Defending democracy against its adversaries. She was also named the inaugural holder of the Fritz Stern Chair and participated in a related event.

Susan Schneider (Astrobiology Chair) founded the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University. The Center for the Future Mind explores scientific and philosophical innovations to achieve a richer understanding of emerging technologies and the future of the mind.

Aynne Kokas (Kluge Fellow) commented in a Washington Post piece on China not showing the Oscars live. In a Nikkei Asia article on how anti-Asian attacks have eroded the US's image abroad, she is quoted saying that "there's not enough effort to distinguish between the behaviors and policies of the Chinese government and the Chinese people in China, as well as Chinese Americans in the United States." And she is quoted in a South China Morning Post piece on how Chinese movies have struggled to find audiences overseas. Kokas co-wrote an article titled, “China-Born Chloe Zhao Sought Common Ground in Oscars Speech,” in Nikkei Asia. She testified at a hearing titled U.S.-China Relations: Improving U.S. Competitiveness Through Trade held by The U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. She was mentioned in several articles: Oscar Winner Chloé Zhao Becomes Lightning Rod in US-China Relationship, Says Media Professor, This Year’s Oscars Most Diverse Ever | Voice of America – English, China and Hollywood: The End of the Affair. She appeared on the Wilson Center’s Need to Know podcast. In addition, Kokas was selected as a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

David Baron (Astrobiology Chair) gave a virtual talk hosted by La Sierra University in Southern California. The speech focused on his previous books and his research at the Library of Congress.

Carla P. Freeman (US-China Relations Chair) won The China Quarterly's 2020 Gordon White Prize for her article titled, "An Uncommon Approach to the Global Commons: Interpreting China's Divergent Positions on Maritime and Outer Space Governance." Freeman, whose research and teaching focuses on Chinese foreign policy, examines China's approach to the global commons—those areas throughout the globe over which no country has sovereignty and that are accessible to all, such as the maritime and outer space commons.

Jemima Paine (Arts and Humanities Research Council Fellow) is involved in organizing a conference at the British Library called National Libraries Now. The aim of the conference is to bring together library professionals working directly with collections in national libraries to share current practice and new approaches to curatorship.

 

Open Applications

We have extended the deadline for the Article One Fellowship to July 15. Click here for application information and here for the application itself. This is a post-doctoral fellowship to support research on key topics, including: the separation of powers, the role of constituent voice in policymaking, diversity and representation in the legislative branch, and institutional reforms to increase congressional capacity.

The Kluge Fellowship remains open until July 15. Click here for more information and here for the application.

 

Blog Posts

Lee Ann Potter, of the the Library of Congress Center for Learning, Literacy, & Engagement, interviewed Rodrigo Corral, designer of the poster for the Our Common Purpose series as well as many recognizable book covers. Past holders of the Kissinger Chair in Foreign Policy and International Relations shared their reflections on the 20^th anniversary of the chair’s establishment. Kislak Chair Louise Burkhart was interviewed on her work with Nahuatl Passion plays. We looked at some of the key points from the Our Common Purpose event on American identity, and considered What Makes Americans American? The Kluge Center also announced new chairs in residence for 2021.

 

Events

Materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez joined us for an interview on the way that inventions and innovations in science and materials have shaped our lives. Experts discussed the state of Middle Eastern politics in 2021. Kislak Chair Simon Martin spoke about politics among the ancient Maya. Charlie Laderman, a recent Kluge scholar, was interviewed on his book: “Sharing the Burden: The Armenian Question, Humanitarian Intervention, and Anglo-American Visions of Global Order.”

 

Did You Know? Interesting Facts About the Kluge Center

Did you know that Kluge Center scholars have been associated with more than 500 different institutions from all over the world?

 

Social Media:

Be sure to follow our Twitter account to get all the latest on our blog posts, open applications, and any future events.

 

We Want to Hear From You:

Do you have thoughts on what would make an interesting blog post? Submissions for the Kluge Kudos and Media Mentions section? What about an idea for event programming? Please reply to this email or contact scholarly@loc.gov.