The Jews of China: Enduring Survival in the Middle Kingdom

A virtual event presentation by Dr. James Baskind

EVENT CO-SPONSORED BY:

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The story of the Kaifeng Jews is a little-known episode of the Diaspora, but its existence caught the imagination of both European missionaries and prominent Jews, with far-reaching effects. An investigation of this isolated yet enduring enclave will highlight the dynamic tension between fidelity to, and adaptation within, tradition, while under the rule of a dominant and highly codified culture.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Baskind received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 2006. His area of academic research is Japanese Buddhism and culture, with a focus on how Chinese models—represented by the Obaku School—were received in Edo-period Japan. Other areas of research and writing include Buddhist-Christian interaction in early modern Japan, as well as the Zen/Pure Land dialectic as it pertains to Japanese Buddhist discourse. His current project critically examines tea culture in East Asia, and how it became widely perceived as inextricably linked with Zen and its associated arts. Most recently he held the position of Associate Professor of Japanese Thought at Nagoya City University in Nagoya, Japan. While in Japan his research was supported by numerous grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. Apart from his academic pursuits he has also studied and practiced the tea ceremony (both sencha and matcha) as well as Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he currently teaches. In addition, he has nearly completed a book on the cultural history of jiu-jitsu, entitled, Jiu-jitsu: A History of Soft Power.