iRead recap: Dr. Claire S. King

On March 22nd, 2011, Cumberland University was treated to a presentation by Dr. Claire S. King of Vanderbilt University as part of Vise Library’s ongoing iRead program. Dr. King’s presentation was titled “Imitation of Life: Mediated Constructions of Gender”. She began by showing a provocative advertisement of a beautiful woman in lingerie. The text of the ad said “Bet you didn’t notice the armadillo”. Sure enough, there was an armadillo sitting on a chair next to the half-naked woman. Dr. King explained the various meanings of this ad, from woman as an object of heterosexual male gaze, to the humor inherent in pointing out that a va-va-voom female tends to draw attention to one’s eye to the exclusion of anything else in the picture.

Dr. King went on to explain the concept of “gendered looking”—the idea, exploited by movies, TV, and other visual media, that women are to be looked at and men do the looking. She tied this point back to Cumberland’s iRead selection, Bich Minh Nguyen’s Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, by pointing out the impact that popular culture and other children had on the author while growing up: Nguyen learned what she was “supposed” to eat, wear, and play by observing others. Indeed, her desire to be like her American classmates was strong enough to spur her on to seek out images and culture that would help her fit in.

Dr. King then explained the position of a particular scholar, Judith Butler, who argues that gender is culturally constructed and there is no such thing as “natural” gender. According to Butler, gender is a choice (often made unconsciously and sometimes even made for us, such as when baby girls are dressed in pink) and a performance we engage in every day. Butler challenges the idea of a “true, authentic self”, something that is a dearly held belief among many individuality-loving Americans. Instead, Butler argues that we all look outward for cues on how to adopt and form an identity.

Dr. King was an engaging speaker who was able to take complex and controversial theories and clearly explain them in an accessible way. Her friendly demeanor made it easy for audience members to ask questions both during and after the presentation. It was a real treat to hear Dr. King speak on the fascinating issue of gender and media.

Upcoming event

On March 22, we will welcome Dr. Claire King from Vanderbilt University, as she discusses gender and popular culture and their relationship in Stealing Buddha's Dinner. The event is scheduled to take place at 12:30 in the Heydel Fine Arts Center.

We would also like to congratulate the door prize winners from our last session: Marjorie Anderson (faculty), Presli Dickerson (student), and Simon Ryan (student).

iRead recap: Dr. Susan Schoenbohm

Susan Schoenbohm was the iRead guest speaker on February 22, 2011. Dr. Schoenbohm is currently the Practice Leader at the Nashville Zen Center. She has taught philosophy at the University of the South and Penn State University, and she teaches Buddhism in the religious Studies Program at Vanderbilt.

Dr. Schoenbohm’s talk was about the history, philosophy, and practices of Buddhism. She explained that there are different forms of Buddhism with different understandings of its teachings. Zen Buddhism is a form of Ch’an which practices Dhyana, sitting meditation, to learn the teachings of Buddha which can not be learned through words or doctrine. Like Buddha, enlightenment can be gained through meditation practices. She brought with her a statue of Buddha and explained in Zen philosophy it is a symbol of meditation. In other Buddhist traditions the statue of Buddha is revered in veneration of the enlightenment experience. However, Buddha is not considered a god and did not claim divinity.

Buddhism was born in Northern India and the early practices drew upon Hindu worship. As it spread throughout Asia, it took different routes and developed different forms. The early teachings of Buddha were transmitted orally and memorized by nuns and monks. Later they were written down but ultimately there were many variations in the teachings. There are two major branches of Buddhism, Theravada, and Mahayana. Mahayana tradition includes seated meditation and does not focus on the writings, but emphasizes what Buddha himself practiced. Practice undergirds all of the teachings. The most important truth in Buddhism is the realization that everything is impermanent. After all of Buddha’s seeking, he could not find anything that lasts forever.

Buddha was a Prince, Siddhartha Gautama, who was destined to be a holy man. His father did not want this so he protected him with a lavish lifestyle and kept him sheltered from the world. One day Buddha wonders from the palace and sees poverty, disease, old age, and death. He is inspired to understand suffering and goes on a spiritual journey in which he develops a philosophy based on Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth is called Dukkha meaning bitterness of life and its dissatisfying nature as it is always undergoing impermanence. The Second Noble Truth is the cause of life’s dissatisfactions, clinging to impermanent things. The Third Noble Truth is Nirvana. It is the cure for clinging and leads to freedom from entanglement with impermanent things. Seated meditation, as Buddha practiced, is itself enlightenment. The Fourth Noble Truth is the Eightfold Path, the practice of right thought and finding a balance.

During her talk, Dr. Schoenbohm led a short meditation session for the group. We focused on straight posture, breathing, and freeing our minds from thoughts. By practicing a lot, she told us, we can quiet our minds from fears, hopes, desires, and expectations. Through meditation we can develop understanding and compassion by realizing that we are all interconnected and that loss is inevitable.

Door Prize Winners!

Congratulations to Ryan Critchelow, Alissa Klein, and Scott Miller, the latest winners of our Stealing Buddha's Dinner door prizes!

Vise Library sponsored a photographic exhibition for its fourth iRead program on the book, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner. Mr. Bernie Ash, professional photographer and owner of Creative Photography on the Square in Lebanon was our featured artist. Mr. Ash began by setting the context of the times when he was 18 years old in 1965 and a recent graduate from Lebanon High School. Martin Luther King, Jr. was leading the Civil Rights movement, the cost of the average home was $13,000, and you could buy a cup of coffee for 5 cents. The War in Vietnam was being fought and young boys approaching 18 had to decide what to about the War. Some got married and others went to college to defer their service. Others were drafted and sent to fight in the infantry. It was a heavy decision. Many men stepped up and did not wait to be drafted. Bernie was one of these young men. He joined the Air Force and with one year of service left, he received orders to go to Vietnam for 12 months. Since he had a desire to become a preacher, he asked to be assigned as a Chaplain’s Assistant. Chaplains could not carry weapons so he travelled with the Chaplain to provide protection. He was sent to the Central Highlands of Vietnam, Phu Cat, near the South China Sea. It was great – except for the War!

During the Vietnam War 58,000 American soldiers were killed and 350,000 were wounded. Mr. Ash read the names of 15 young men from Wilson County who lost their lives. Several of these men were friends of his in high school, and one of them was an African American who was one of the first students to integrate Wilson County Schools. Over 2 million Vietnamese were also killed.

Mr. Ash carried an M-16 and a camera with him and took photographs of the people and places he saw on his tour of duty in Vietnam. He went with the Chaplain to visit villages, churches, and missionaries where they were helping people displaced by the War. As he guarded the jeep, he took photographs of the children he observed. Some not only lost their families, but their arms and legs as well. The “Girl with the Doll” (below) was taken as the little girl was leaving a missionary. She shows great joy in receiving this prize treasure. The other children in the photographs are all also smiling and playing like children everywhere. Even though they are living in a war zone, there is hope and innocence in their eyes.

Mr. Ash’s photographs, Children of Vietnam, will be exhibited in the Library until March 31, 2011.

Reminder!

iRead is tomorrow at 12:30 PM in the library. Local photographer, Bernie Ash, will be here to talk about his photographs of Vietnam. We will also have a reception with food and drinks. Be sure to join us!

Spring Events

Two events have been scheduled for the spring semester:

On January 25, local professional photographer Bernie Ash will speak about his photographic exhibit- Children of Vietnam. This event will take place at 12:30 in the Lawlor Room of the Vise Library.

On February 22, Susan Schoenbohm, practice leader at the Nashville Zen Center, will talk about the history, philosophy, and practices of Buddhism. This event will take place at 12:30 and is tentatively scheduled in Baird Chapel in Memorial Hall.

Look for more information about these events as they get closer!