KU News Release

Hall Center to honor faculty who published books last year

LAWRENCE — The Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas will host the sixth annual Celebration of Books in honor of humanities, social sciences and fine arts faculty who published works in 2007. The event, sponsored by the Friends of the Hall Center, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 6, at the Hall Center’s Conference Hall.

The event will consist of a reception, a brief program and a display of books. It is free and open to the public.

In 2007, 53 members of the humanities, social sciences and fine arts faculties published 54 works on topics ranging from John Brown’s raid to Taiwan in the 21st century. Many of these works will be on display during the reception that will begin the event.

The celebration’s short program includes three faculty authors talking about their books and answering audience questions. Marta Caminero-Santangelo, associate professor of English and author of “On Latinidad: US Latino Literature and the Construction of Ethnicity,” will address the question of how Latino/a literature wrestles with the implications of the “Latino” label. Patricia Graham, an adjunct research associate at the Center for East Asian Studies and author of “Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art, 1600-2005,” will discuss the transformation of Buddhism from the pre-modern to the contemporary era in Japan. Allan Hanson, professor of anthropology, will discuss his book “The Trouble with Culture: How Computers are Calming the Culture Wars,” which focuses on the way widespread computer use, while encouraging originality and open-mindedness, has the potential to ease polarization and calm the culture wars.

The program will also feature music composed by Kip Haaheim, associate professor of music and dance, from the score of the documentary film “Fall From Grace.”

Victor Bailey, director of the Hall Center, said professors are too seldom congratulated for their research and creative work.

“A published book or artistic work can take anywhere from five to 10 years to complete and requires enormous energy, perseverance and creativity. We need to celebrate these faculty achievements.”

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