Dean Wu's speech soars past race
Conference examines boundaries of citizenships
Jennifer Sills / For The South End
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Web Exclusive News
WSU School of Law Dean Frank Wu delivered the keynote address at The Center for the Study of Citizenship on March 27 at the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.
Wu, author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," was one of 30 speakers and scholars at the three-day "Boundaries of Citizenship" conference. The goal of the conference was to examine the concept of citizenship from different academic disciplines.
"These events work to maintain connections between people that are so necessary to engaged citizenship, especially in democracies," said Marc Kruman, director of the Center for the Study of Citizenship.
"Ultimately, this is the kind of thing that has the potential to shape policy. It's a chance to hear what people, who are on the cutting edge of scholarship say about the kinds of memberships in societies."
The center sponsored the event. Kruman is also chair of the History Department.
Boundaries of Citizenship explored physical and conceptual boundaries that shape the recognition and exercise of citizenship. These boundaries evoke issues beyond those of traditional legal categories.
Wu captivated his audience with an eloquent oration on historical events in Detroit that developed a racial consciousness that set the context for a notorious 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man. Chin was killed by Ronald Ebens, a Chrysler plant superintendent, and his stepson following a fight instigated by Ebens.
Ebens made a derogatory remark referring to U.S. auto manufacturing jobs being lost to Japan, despite the fact that Chin was not Japanese. Ultimately, Chin was clubbed to death in Highland Park.
Wu described Asian Americans as being "the perpetual foreigner" and "anonymous" in American society. The murder of Vincent Chin generated public outrage over the lenient sentencing the two culprits originally received in a plea bargain. Many people believed the attack to be racially motivated.
Wu, author of "Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White," was one of 30 speakers and scholars at the three-day "Boundaries of Citizenship" conference. The goal of the conference was to examine the concept of citizenship from different academic disciplines.
"These events work to maintain connections between people that are so necessary to engaged citizenship, especially in democracies," said Marc Kruman, director of the Center for the Study of Citizenship.
"Ultimately, this is the kind of thing that has the potential to shape policy. It's a chance to hear what people, who are on the cutting edge of scholarship say about the kinds of memberships in societies."
The center sponsored the event. Kruman is also chair of the History Department.
Boundaries of Citizenship explored physical and conceptual boundaries that shape the recognition and exercise of citizenship. These boundaries evoke issues beyond those of traditional legal categories.
Wu captivated his audience with an eloquent oration on historical events in Detroit that developed a racial consciousness that set the context for a notorious 1982 murder of Vincent Chin, a Chinese American man. Chin was killed by Ronald Ebens, a Chrysler plant superintendent, and his stepson following a fight instigated by Ebens.
Ebens made a derogatory remark referring to U.S. auto manufacturing jobs being lost to Japan, despite the fact that Chin was not Japanese. Ultimately, Chin was clubbed to death in Highland Park.
Wu described Asian Americans as being "the perpetual foreigner" and "anonymous" in American society. The murder of Vincent Chin generated public outrage over the lenient sentencing the two culprits originally received in a plea bargain. Many people believed the attack to be racially motivated.
Be the first to comment on this story