University of Virginia Library

E. Asian Group Starts Chinese Program

Under the sponsorship of the
University's East Asian Committee, a new
visitors program in Chinese area studies
will bring scholars with specialized
knowledge and experience in that area
here for extended stays.

The purpose is to provide yet another
scholarly assault on the mysteries of the
Orient.

"Although the University already has

a wide-ranging Asian studies program, we
feel that it will benefit from the infusion of
outside ideas and experience, especially since
there is a sense of physical and cultural
separation from the object of study," said John
Israel, associate professor of East Asian History
and director of the East Asian program.

Financial Grant

The program, funded by a grant from the
Elida B. Langley Charitable Trust, allows for
visiting scholars to remain on the Grounds for
several days, lecturing, participating in courses
and seminars related to their field, holding
research consultations with faculty and
graduate students and meeting students
informally.

"We want the visitors to be experiences for
the academic community, rather than simply
events," Mr. Israel said. "This multi-faceted
approach will add new dimensions to the
knowledge and understanding of students and
faculty in the China field and stimulate interest
in the area among the University at large."

First Visitor

The first visitor in the program will be Mark
Mancall, University Fellow at Stanford
University. Mr. Mancall will be at the University
from November 2 to November 7.

On Monday of that week (Nov. 3) Mr.
Mancall will give a public lecture on the
"Metaphysics of Chinese and American Foreign
Policies" at 7:30 p.m. in the South Meeting
Room, Newcomb Hall.

Mr. Mancall is engaged in a long-term
research project on the phenomena of
revolution, concentrating on the Taping
Rebellion, the Chinese Communist Revolution
and several revolutionary, movements in modern
Latin America.

Harvard Degree Holder

In addition to his doctoral work at Harvard
University, Mr. Mancall has received fellowships
and grants for study at the University of
Helsinki, Taiwan Normal University, Leningrad
State University and for research in Tokyo.
This year he received the E. Harris Hatbison
Award for Distinguished Teaching from the
Danford Foundation.

Widely Published

His articles on China's economy, politics and
history have appeared in numerous magazines
and scholarly journals, encyclopedias and
anthologies. He is presently preparing an
annotated translation and introduction to
Lucien Sbag's "Marxism et Structuralisme."