Division of Social Studies Events

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Kundun

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
11:50 am – 1:10 pm

Bertelsmann Campus Center, Weis Cinema
In 1937, a 2 1/2-year-old boy from a humble family in Tibet was recognized as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, destined to become the spiritual and political leader of his people. Director Martin Scorsese brings to the screen the true story of the Dalai Lama. Kundun (1997) brings to life the account of the Dalai Lama's early life, from childhood through the Chinese invasion of Tibet and his journey into exile in northern India, where he remains today. The film also features an award-winning score by Philip Glass.

Due to Chinese business interests, most streaming services have long banned Kundun, including Netflix and Amazon Prime. The film has been largely silenced by those who do not want the biographical account of the 14th Dalai Lama, inclusive of Mao Zedong's 1959 takeover of Tibet and the subsequent atrocities there, to be told. (1).

Open to faculty, staff, and students.
For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

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Conditional Companions: Urban Planning and the Limits of Canine Belonging from Singapore

V. Chitra, Australian National University

Monday, April 6, 2026
5 pm

Olin Humanities, Room 205
This paper examines how urban planning, animal governance, and racial politics converge in the production of interspecies belonging in Singapore. Focusing on the category of the “Singapore Special”—a term used to describe local mongrel dogs—it traces how public housing policy, colonial legacies of environmental control, and racialized ideas of order shape the conditions under which dogs can become companions, citizens, a distinct breed, or threats.
 
Drawing on ethnographic research with animal welfare groups, fosterers, and state-run facilities, alongside a personal account of attempting to recover a lost foster dog during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the paper explores how unruly animal lives are governed through bureaucratic classification, behavioral training, and spatial regulation. Recent shifts away from mass culling toward sterilization and rehoming programs appear to signal a more humane approach to animal care. Yet these interventions hinge on the transformation of “feral” dogs into governable subjects—requiring them to demonstrate proper conduct, emotional regulation, and adaptability within the tightly regulated spaces of public housing.
 
The paper argues that these forms of canine governance mirror racialized modes of human belonging in Singapore, where access to housing, mobility, and security is mediated through administrative categories and ideals of civility. The production of the “Singapore Special” operates as a species analogue to bureaucratic citizenship, rendering care conditional and unevenly distributed. The paper shows how anxieties about urban unruliness are managed through the biopolitical regulation of animal bodies. It wrestles with the conditions under which significant otherness remains structurally excluded and the limits of companionship and care that do not accommodate refusal, flight, and ferality.Sponsored by: Anthropology, Environmental Studies, Asian Studies, Experimental Humanities, and CESH.

For more information, call 845-758-6822, or e-mail [email protected].

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Rome's Jewish Queen: the Story of Berenice

Bruce Chilton, Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Philosophy and Religion; Director, Institute of Advanced Theology

Monday, April 20, 2026
12:30–1:30 pm

Bard Hall
Berenice (born circa 28) was the most notorious Jewish woman in the Roman Empire of her time. Multiple marriages, rumors of incestuous relations with her brother (Agrippa II of the Herodian dynasty), and her scandalous liaison with Titus, the Roman general and emperor‑to‑be, guaranteed Berenice’s celebrity. This reputation does not, however, paint a complete portrait of Berenice, nor does it capture her significance. Her political acumen was as effective as it would become legendary. The great‑granddaughter of Herod the Great and the daughter of King Agrippa I, she promoted the family’s unusual version of Judaism as well as its outsized ambitions. Berenice was a pivotal figure in Agrippa II’s advance in imperial preferment; played a crucial role during the Jewish‑Roman war; and, as consort to Titus, supported his father, Vespasian, in his accession to the role of emperor.

Join us every other Monday starting Feb. 23rd. 
For more information, call 845-758-7667, or e-mail [email protected].

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Anthony Lester Fellows in Human Rights

Thursday, April 23, 2026
5–7 pm

Reem-Kayden Center Laszlo Z. Bito '60 Auditorium
Please join us for an evening with Hadeal Abdelatti and James Rooney, the 2025–26 Lester Fellows in Human Rights. Abdelatti will discuss the work she is doing to address gaps in Alabama law pertaining to the retention and appropriation of deceased prisoners’ organs. Rooney will talk about his time at the Streha Centre in Albania, the first LGBTI+ residential shelter in Southeast Europe, where he provided legal advice and assistance for three months last summer.

The fellowships honor the memory and legacy of Anthony Lester QC (Lord Lester of Herne Hill), one of Britain’s most distinguished human rights lawyers.Sponsored by: Human Rights Program; Human Rights Project.

For more information, call 720-635-8882, or e-mail [email protected].