We are excited to announce Dr. Han Xia as the keynote speaker for the 11th Annual Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Graduate Research Symposium. Han Xia earned his Ph.D. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2017. Following graduation, he joined the Chemical Hazard Laboratory at Eli Lilly and Company, where he became the technical lead in 2020. Under his leadership, the lab advances process safety by thoroughly characterizing and modeling the kinetic and thermodynamic behavior of chemical reactions, unit operations, and materials involved in the development of Lilly medicines. Han collaborates across R&D, internal and external manufacturing, global compliance, and HSE teams to ensure robust process safety assessments for Lilly’s laboratories, production facilities, and global supply chain assets. The Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering looks forward to seeing you at this year's symposium, featuring exciting events such as panel discussion, career fair, poster session, and student presentations.

The Center for Italian Studies is pleased to host a two day symposium in celebration of 30 years of the Devers Program in Dante Studies and the Devers Series in Dante and Medieval Italian Literature at Notre Dame:Global Dante: Translation and ReceptionA Dante Symposium Celebrating 30 Years of the Devers Program in Dante Studies and the Devers Series in Dante and Medieval Italian LiteratureDepartment of Special Collections, Hesburgh Library, University of Notre DameFeaturing the exhibition of worldwide translations of Dante's Commedia: “‘What through the universe in leaves is scattered’ (Par. 33.87): Mapping Global Dante in Translation” Selections from the John A. Zahm, C.S.C., Dante CollectionThe symposium explores the global translation and reception of Dante’s works, highlighting cross-cultural interpretations, regional adaptations, and evolving scholarly approaches. Through lectures and panels spanning Africa, East Asia, the Americas, and Europe, it examines how Dante’s Divine Comedy continues to inspire diverse literary, academic, and artistic traditions worldwide.Particpants: Marco Sonzogni (Victoria University of Wellington); Ted Cachey (UND); Clíona Ní Ríordáin (UND); Kathleen Boyle (UND), Dennis Looney (University of Pittsburgh, Modern Language Association [retired]); Joseph Rosenberg (UND); Henry Weinfield (UND, emeritus); Kristina Olson (George Mason University); Elizabeth Coggeshall (Florida State University); Jacob Blakesley (University of Rome, Sapienza); Vittorio Montemaggi (UND, London / Von Hügel Institute, Cambridge); Rebecca Bowen (UND), Valentina Mele (Marie Curie Fellow, UND/ University of Pavia); Aistė Kiltinavičiūtė (University of Manchester); Jonathan Noble (Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, UND); Silvano Mo Cheng (Peking University); Michel Hockx (UND); Chiara Sbordoni (UND Rome); Jieon Kim (UND), Inha Park (UND); Salvatore Riolo (UND); Daragh O’Connell (University College Cork). Download the program schedule here.Symposium Program Thursday, September 25 9:00–9:30 AM — Welcome 9:30–11:00 AM — Lecture“Whose Dante? Time and Place for Timelessness and Placelessness: A Transoceanic Testimony”Marco Sonzogni (Victoria University of Wellington) Chair: Theodore J. Cachey Jr. (Director, Devers Program in Dante Studies, University of Notre Dame)Respondent: Clíona Ní Ríordáin (Chair, Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame) 11:00PM Coffee Break — Scholars Lounge, 106 Hesburgh Library 11:30 AM–1:00 PM — Roundtable Discussion ofAmerican Dantes. Traditions, Translations, Transformations (Eds. Z. G. Barański & T. J. Cachey, University of Notre Dame Press, 2025) Panel:Kathleen Boyle (University of Notre Dame) Dennis Looney (University of Pittsburgh, emeritus) Joseph Rosenberg (University of Notre Dame) Henry Weinfield (University of Notre Dame, emeritus) Kristina Olson (George Mason University)Chair: Elizabeth Coggeshall (Florida State University) 1:00–2:20 PM — Lunch (B02 McKenna Hall) 2:30–4:00 PM — Lecture“Dante in Africa”Jacob Blakesley (University of Rome, Sapienza) Chair: Dennis Looney (University of Pittsburgh, MLA, retired)Respondent: Kristina Olson (George Mason University) 4:00PM Coffee Break — Scholars Lounge, 106 Hesburgh Library 4:30–6:00 PM — "New Directions” Panel IRebecca Bowen (University of Notre Dame)“Dantean Other Worlds: Crafting the Commedia for a Renaissance Readership”Valentina Mele (Marie Curie Fellow, University of Notre Dame / University of Pavia)“‘No, Kid, Don’t Enter Here’: The Berkeley Renaissance’s Californian Dante”Aistė Kiltinavičiūtė (University of Manchester)“Dante’s Translations and Reception in 20th- and 21st-Century Lithuania”Chair: Vittorio Montemaggi (University of Notre Dame, London / Von Hügel Institute, Cambridge) 6:30 PM — Reception and Celebration Dinner (Mahaffey Family Presidential Suite, 14th Floor, Hesburgh Library)Friday, September 26 9:30–11:00 AM — Lecture(Co-sponsored by the Dante in East Asia Working Group) “Becoming Dante: More on Dante Translation and Reception in China” Silvano Mo Cheng (Peking University) Chair: Jonathan Noble (Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, University of Notre Dame) Respondent: Michel Hockx (Director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, University of Notre Dame) 11:00PM Coffee Break — Scholars Lounge, 106 Hesburgh Library 11:30 AM–1:00 PM — Session on Dante in East Asia (Presentation and discussion of forthcoming volume, Dante in East Asia, eds. J. Blakesley, A. Brezzi, R. Pepin, C. Sbordoni)Jieon Kim (University of Notre Dame)“‘La 'Lingua Mentale Comune' a Dante e al Coreano: 단테의 시적 표현과 우리말의 관용적 표현”Inha Park (University of Notre Dame)“Teaching Dante in Korea: Translation, Reception, and Localization of Dante in Post-Korean War South Korea”Salvatore Riolo (University of Notre Dame)“‘Trasumanar Significar per Verba’: The Global Translations of The Divine Comedy in the Zahm Dante Collection”Chair: Chiara Sbordoni (University of Notre Dame Rome) 1:00–2:20 PM — Lunch (B02 McKenna Hall) 2:30–4:00 PM — “New Directions” Panel IIDaragh O’Connell (University College Cork)“‘Duppy Conqueror’: Lorna Goodison’s Jamaican Dante’s Inferno”Elizabeth Coggeshall (Florida State University)“The Commedia as Transmedia Franchise? Dante in Convergence Culture”Chair: Theodore J. Cachey Jr. (Director, Devers Program in Dante Studies, University of Notre Dame) 4:00 PM — Exhibition Tour with Curators “‘What through the universe in leaves is scattered’ (Par. 33, 87): Mapping Global Dante in Translation” 7:00PM — Reception & Dinner at Rohr’s Bistro, Morris InnSaturday, September 27 9:00AM - 5:00PM — Dante Society of America Graduate Student Conference (136 De Bartolo Hall)Conference Organizer: Beatrice Rosso, Graduate Student Coordinator, University of Notre Dame Originally published at italianstudies.nd.edu.

In 2002, the Medieval Institute inaugurated a lecture series in honor of Robert M. and Ricki Conway. Robert Conway was a 1966 graduate of Notre Dame and trustee of the University, He was (and his wife Ricki continues to be) a long-time friend and supporter of the Medieval Institute. The annual Conway Lectures bring senior scholars of international distinction to Notre Dame each fall to speak on topics across a variety of disciplines.  The third and final talk in the 2025 series will be given bey Adam Benkato, the Bita Daryabari Presidential Chair of Iranian Studies, on "Reconstructing Sasanian and post-Sasanian Chanceries: Where do the Middle Persian documents fit in?" About the Talk This talk will consider the existing traces of official document production in the Sasanian Empire and in post-Sasanian/early Islamic Iran based on groups of seals, sealings, and documents that have been discovered over the 20th century at a variety of sites, and in comparison with observations from Islamic sources. It will attempt to discuss the notions of 'chancery', 'archive', and 'diwan' as they pertain to the material evidence of Sasanian and post-Sasanian administrative practices and will examine the existing groups of evidence with regards to their internal coherence. About the Speaker Adam Benkato is an associate professor in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and holder of the Bita Daryabari Presidential Chair in Iranian Studies, at the University of California, Berkeley. His research investigates a wide variety of textual and audio sources through the lenses of material philology, sociolinguistics, and archive studies. His two main fields are (ancient) Iranian studies (particularly philology of Middle Iranian languages) and Arabic linguistics (particularly dialectology). He is the leader of two digital projects pertaining to sources in Iranian languages of late antiquity and the medieval period: the Open Archive of Middle Persian Documents, and Chorasmian Online.Originally published at medieval.nd.edu.

The final event in the 2025 Conway Lectures is our speaker roundtable on this year's theme, "Medieval Political Thought and its Legacy," featuring our three speakers. About the Conway Lectures In 2002, the Medieval Institute inaugurated a lecture series in honor of Robert M. and Ricki Conway. Robert Conway is a 1966 graduate of Notre Dame and trustee of the University, and he and his wife are long-time friends and supporters of the Medieval Institute. The annual Conway Lectures bring senior scholars of international distinction to Notre Dame each fall to speak on topics across a variety of disciplines.Originally published at medieval.nd.edu.

This drop-in tour will introduce you to your Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Join a student gallery teacher or a member of the museum staff to explore the architecture of the building through some of its most unique spaces and discover works of art that are highlights of the collection. Meet at the Welcome Desk. All are welcome and no registration is required. This tour will explore all gallery levels of the museum. Although the tour will keep moving between spaces, gallery stools are available upon request. Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

The Chornobyl nuclear catastrophe of April 1986 shook the world. Its radioactive plumes defied borders and sowed fear across Europe. Yet in Soviet Ukraine, Chornobyl became more than a chilling site of ecological and human trauma: it resounded as a clarion call that galvanized new currents of resistance against the Kremlin. A figure long cast out of Soviet society emerged in Ukrainian culture to symbolise this union of hope and despair: the Madonna. Join Rory Finnin, professor of Ukrainian studies at the University of Cambridge and visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame during the 2025-26 academic year, to explore the immediate aftermath of the Chornobyl disaster in searing works of Ukrainian documentary film, poetry, and prose. He will show how Marian imagery invigorated a political movement for Ukraine’s independence and liberty — a movement that played a decisive role in the collapse of the Soviet empire and resonates in Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression today. This event is open to Notre Dame students, faculty, staff, and visiting scholars. A short reception will follow. About the SpeakerRory FinninRory Finnin is professor of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Cambridge. He established the Cambridge Ukrainian Studies program in 2008. Finnin has curated and organized over 40 exhibitions and cultural events, advancing public understanding of Ukraine’s language, history, and society in the UK and beyond. His research focuses on the interplay between culture and identity in Ukraine, with particular attention to Crimea and Crimean Tatar literature, and his broader interests include nationalism studies, solidarity studies, and cultural memory in the region of the Black Sea. Finnin received his Ph.D. in Slavic languages and comparative literature from Columbia University. He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Ukraine, 1995-97). Finnin has published extensively, and his book, Blood of Others: Stalin’s Crimean Atrocity and the Poetics of Solidarity (University of Toronto Press), has received eight international awards, including the 2024 Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, administered by the University of Notre Dame’s Nanovic Institute for European Studies. Professor Finnin has also served as head of the Department of Slavonic Studies and chair of the Cambridge Committee for Russian and East European Studies. Originally published at nanovic.nd.edu.

Across the Continent: Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (1868) by Frances Flora Bond Palmer. Lithograph published in New York by Currier and Ives. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ppmsca-03213.Thomas A. Tweed (University of Notre Dame) will discuss themes of his new book, Religion in the Lands That Became America: A New History (Yale University Press, 2025). Those interested in continuing the discussion are encouraged also to join the Dolan Seminar in American Religion the following morning. Both events are free and open to all. From the Publisher A sweeping retelling of American religious history, showing how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age Until now, the standard narrative of American religious history has begun with English settlers in Jamestown or Plymouth and remained predominantly Protestant and Atlantic. Driven by his strong sense of the historical and moral shortcomings of the usual story, Thomas A. Tweed offers a very different narrative in this ambitious new history. He begins the story much earlier—11,000 years ago—at a rock shelter in present-day Texas and follows Indigenous Peoples, African Americans, transnational migrants, and people of many faiths as they transform the landscape and confront the big lifeway transitions, from foraging to farming and from factories to fiber optics. Setting aside the familiar narrative themes, he highlights sustainability, showing how religion both promoted and inhibited individual, communal, and environmental flourishing during three sustainability crises: the medieval Cornfield Crisis, which destabilized Indigenous ceremonial centers; the Colonial Crisis, which began with the displacement of Indigenous Peoples and the enslavement of Africans; and the Industrial Crisis, which brought social inequity and environmental degradation. The unresolved Colonial and Industrial Crises continue to haunt the nation, Tweed suggests, but he recovers historical sources of hope as he retells the rich story of America’s religious past. Originally published at cushwa.nd.edu.

Classics in the Browning Directed by Akira KurosawaWith Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa Not Rated, 143 minutesIn Japanese with English subtitles Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low, the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa recently revamped by Spike Lee in Highest 2 Lowest. Adapting Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society. GET TICKETS *Co-presented by the Meg and John P. Brogan Endowment for Classic Cinema.

Power, betrayal, and forgiveness: Shakespeare's classic The Tempest touches on timeless themes in one of his last (and most beloved) works. Blending romantic machinations, political scheming, and more than a bit of magic, Shakespeare brings to life vivid characters and powerful imagery in a tale whose themes continue to resonate with audiences everywhere. Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, is stranded on an island with his daughter, Miranda.Possessing magic powers, Prospero conjures a storm to expose his brother, Antonio, and King Alonso, who had him deposed. As Miranda falls in love with Alonso's son Ferdinand, Prospero's quest to reestablish his power leads him to a compelling dilemma: whether to destroy or forgive his enemies.Experience a satisfying evening of theater highlighting the text's brilliance while showcasing the actors' chameleon-like skill. Actors From The London Stage's minimalist and imaginative take on The Tempest requires just five actors who rotate roles and build entire worlds with simple props, capturing the humor, magic, and power struggles of one of the Bard's final plays. An AFTLS veteran or seeing your first play? Regardless, this performance promises to be accessible and exhilarating—proof that timeless stories still cast the most potent spells. GET TICKETS

The Center for Italian Studies is proud to announce that the 2nd Annual Dante Society of America Graduate Student Conference will be hosted by the University of Notre Dame. "Dante’s Other Worlds: Art, Language, and Imagination," is the second in a series of conferences organized by graduate students working in the field of Dante Studies in America. This opportunity allows younger dantisti in the Americas to present their work and research among other scholars. The conference will take place on Saturday, September 27, 2025 following a two-day symposium dedicated to the conference "Global Dante Translation and Reception," hosted by the University of Notre Dame. The symposium will be open to speakers and participants of the DSA conference. In those days, participants are encouraged to visit the exhibit “Commedia: Mapping Global Dante in Translation.” The collection includes every major translation from more than 24 languages, including rare ones such as Japanese (the first edition of the first translation), Korean, and Bangla, along with approximately 120 of the 137 existing English translations. Organizers:Beatrice Maria Rosso (University of Notre Dame)Stefano Scandella (New York University)Evan Underbrink (The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA) The full program schedule is available here. Originally published at italianstudies.nd.edu.

Designed to help children develop their visual and verbal literacy skills, Artful Storytime is a partnership with the St. Joseph County Public Library. Each Artful Storytime includes stories, songs, artwork explorations, art-making, and more! We’ll be celebrating all our furry, feathered, and scaly pets this month. This program is best for families with children ages 4 to 6. Parking is available in the Visitor Lot immediately north of the Sculpture Park for a fee during the week (before 4:30 p.m.). Free two-hour parking is available in the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage or along Angela Blvd. After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, parking is free and available in any non-gated campus lot. If traveling via South Bend Transpo, take the No.7 bus and use the Eddy St. Commons stop.   Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

One artistic form can inspire another, creating profound connections, often in eye-opening and fortuitous ways. In this writing workshop led by Brenda Cárdenas, Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, you will learn about various approaches poets take to the mode of ekphrasis—poems that converse or correspond with, interpret, or “riff off” of visual art. Then, with the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art’s permanent collection at your disposal and using prompts to guide you, you will write poems in response to works of visual art that inspire, intrigue, puzzle, or move you. We will work toward creating a third space where the poem and art together are something more or different than their parts—something, perhaps, unexpected! This workshop is free and open to writers of all experience levels. Registration is required, and the workshop is limited to 15 participants. Register here. Parking is available in the Visitor Lot immediately north of the Sculpture Park for a fee during the week (before 4:30 p.m.). Free two-hour parking is available in the Eddy Street Commons Parking Garage or along Angela Blvd. After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, parking is free and available in any non-gated campus lot. If traveling via South Bend Transpo, take the No.7 bus and use the Eddy St. Commons stop. About the instructor:Brenda Cárdenas has published ekphrastic poems in her two books, Trace (Red Hen Press, 2023) and Boomerang (Bilingual Press, 2009), as well as in literary magazines and anthologies, most recently in Latino Poetry: The Library of America Anthology. Cárdenas is also co-editor of two anthologies, including Resist Much/Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance (Spuyten Duyvil Press, 2017). She co-designed and co-taught the inaugural master workshop for PINTURA: PALABRA, a multi-year Letras Latinas initiative in partnership with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is Professor Emerita of English at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where she taught undergraduate and graduate classes and seminars on poetry and the visual arts. Cárdenas’s campus visit launches “Poets & Art: Ekphrasis at the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art,” a multi-year partnership between the Museum and Letras Latinas, the literary initiative of the University’s Institute for Latino Studies (ILS). This workshop will be preceded by a reading and talk on ekphrastic writing in the Museum on Wednesday, September 24th. Between the reading and workshop, Cárdenas will spend two days at the Museum observing, reflecting, and writing a new ekphrastic poem inspired by an artwork on display.   Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Classics in the Browning Directed by Akira KurosawaWith Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyoko Kagawa Not Rated, 143 minutesIn Japanese with English subtitles Toshiro Mifune is unforgettable as Kingo Gondo, a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a cold-blooded kidnapper in High and Low, the highly influential domestic drama and police procedural from director Akira Kurosawa recently revamped by Spike Lee in Highest 2 Lowest. Adapting Ed McBain's detective novel King's Ransom, Kurosawa moves effortlessly from compelling race-against-time thriller to exacting social commentary, creating a diabolical treatise on contemporary Japanese society. GET TICKETS *Co-presented by the Meg and John P. Brogan Endowment for Classic Cinema.

New at the Browning Directed by Spike LeeWith Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky Rated R, 133 minutes When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the best ears in the business is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma. Frequent collaborators Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the fifth in their long working relationship for a reinterpretation of the great filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's crime thriller High and Low, now played out on the mean streets of modern day New York City. GET TICKETS

Join an extraordinary opportunity to learn firsthand about ancient Chinese ceramics through the world-famous Imperial Kiln Museum in Jingdezhen, China. This two-part experience will allow participants to hear from the museum’s renowned curator and then restore a replica of one of its most significant pieces. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register by September 25, 2025 LECTURE & LUNCH: 11:45 a.m.—12:45 p.m. Sunday, September 281030 Jenkins Nanovic Halls Curator Yanjun Weng, the director of the Imperial Kiln Museum, will discuss Chinese ceramics culture—their meaning in history, archaeology, and human life—for this virtual lecture. Weng will draw upon the history of Jingdezhen, known as China’s “Porcelain Capital,” which has been regarded for its porcelain production for 1,700 years. Registration is required. Lunch will be available with registration. CERAMICS REASSEMBLY WORKSHOP 1:00—3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 28, Art StudiosNew location: 1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls In this workshop, participants will use ancient techniques to reassemble a replica of an artifact from the Imperial Kiln Museum. The “DucKtor Sui” (岁岁鸭) is a royal incense burner with rich historical significance. Participants will experience the excitement of an archaeological dig by unearthing ceramic fragments and then piecing them back together in a restoration process. At the end, participants will take home their restored “DucKtor Sui.” The workshop will be guided by Coleton Lunt, a professor of ceramics and 3D design at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Participation is limited to 45 people, and registration is required. You must attend the lecture to participate in the workshop.  The lecture and workshop are sponsored by the Imperial Kiln Museum, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures,  and Notre Dame Beijing. It is organized by Notre Dame students Nikki Shao ’26 and Yingxin Cindy Liu ’26.   Originally published at asia.nd.edu.

Professor Pfinklepfunder's $1 Sunday FilmsDirected by Dean Fleischer CampWith Jenny Slate, Isabella Rossellini, Rosa SalazarRated PG, 90 minutes, Blu-rayMarcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family. A beloved character gets his big-screen debut in this hilarious and heartwarming story about finding connection in the smallest corners. GET TICKETS

This drop-in tour will introduce you to your Raclin Murphy Museum of Art. Join a student gallery teacher or a member of the museum staff to explore the architecture of the building through some of its most unique spaces and discover works of art that are highlights of the collection. Meet at the Welcome Desk. All are welcome and no registration is required. This tour will explore all gallery levels of the museum. Although the tour will keep moving between spaces, gallery stools are available upon request. Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.

Organist Jonathan Moyer, last on the 2016 Presenting Series, returns for an awe-inspiring performance that blends virtuosity with profound musical insight. His program, The Life and Works of Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621), is composed entirely of compositions by the great Dutch master. The program will offer Sweelinck's vast and diverse keyboard compositions as a biographical window into the fascinating world of sixteenth-century Amsterdam.Moyer's recital is a sonic experience that fills the hall with everything from fanfare to full swell, all the Fritts Organ's voices sounding with grandeur and emotion. Our longtime organ enthusiasts demand these recitals, and growing numbers want to explore one of music's most commanding forms. This hour-long concert in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center provides respite and inspiration in an afternoon interlude. GET TICKETS

Disappearance Studies Conference The Journal of Disappearance Studies, in collaboration with the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, invites you to attend its inaugural conference, scheduled to take place from September 29–30, 2025, at the University of Notre Dame. This landmark event marks the official launch of the Journal of Disappearance Studies, edited by scholars affiliated with the University of Bristol, Durham University, and the University of Tampere, which offers an interdisciplinary platform to examine the phenomenon of disappearance worldwide. The conference will convene scholars, practitioners, policymakers, artists, families of the disappeared, and advocacy organizations to explore the socio-political, cultural, and economic dimensions of disappearance. Conference Schedule MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 299:45 AM – 10:15 AM: Opening remarks – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic Halls10:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Panel 1, Memory, Art, and Embodied Testimony – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsAlison Ribeiro de Menezes – From Disappearance to Disappearability: Natalia Beristáin’s Ruido (Noise, 2023)Cheryl Lawther – The Political Lives of Ireland’s Missing: Ownership, Agency and the Demands of the DeadTeri Murphy – From Indignity to Dignity: Search as HealingPortia Chigbu – For Those Washed Away: State Obligations in Addressing Involuntary Disappearances During Natural Disasters 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM: Break1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 2, Power, Politics, and Mobilization – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsBahar Baser, Shivan Fazil and Élise Féron – Missing in the Shadows: Forced Disappearances of Yezidis and the Search for TruthCarlos Martin Beristain – Criterion of psychosocial work in the investigation of forced disappearances in Guatemala, Mexico, and ColombiaCarmen Hassoun Abou Jaoude – The National Commission for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared in Lebanon: challenges and opportunitiesGerasimos Tsourapas – Colonial Legacies and Authoritarian Circulations in Libya’s Disappearance Regime 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 4:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Luz Janet Forero Martinez, Director General of the Search Unit for Missing Persons in Colombia  – Hesburgh Center Auditorium 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Reception – Jenkins Nanovic Halls ForumTUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Panel 3, Legal and Forensic Responses to Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsLauren Dempster – Forensic Scientists in Transitional Justice: Challenges and Possibilities in the Search for the DisappearedGunes Dasli & Nisan Alici – Understanding Political Responses to Enforced Disappearances in Divided SocietiesMónica E. Nuño Nuño – Jalisco and enforced disappearances: a forensic crisis and mass graves 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Break 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel 4, Irish Perspectives on Disappearance – Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic HallsSandra Peake – Orchestrated loss and the Disappeared of Northern Ireland’s ConflictDympna Kerr – My brother ColumbaOrla Lynch – Victims of political violence – a very public traumaPhil Scraton – Disappearance, Loss and Searching: the Cruel Legacy of Mother and Baby InstitutionsJennifer O Mahoney – Disappearing girls and women: Gendered state violence and the ethics of institutional memory in postcolonial Ireland 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Book Launch, The Disappeared: The Hidden Victims of Northern Ireland's Conflict by Sandra Peake and Orla Lynch - Room 1030, Jenkins Nanovic Halls 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Panel 5, Feminist & Gendered Approaches to Disappearance – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsÉlise Féron – Feminist Approaches to Disappearances - Epistemologies of Activism and ResistanceAnush Petrosyan – War that Lingers: The Embodied Legacies of the Armenian - Azerbaijani ConflictTinotenda Chisambiro – The Stories of the Forgotten: Gendered Narratives of Disappearances in the Second ChimurengaSalina Kafle – Gendered Dimensions of Enforced Disappearances in Nepal: Addressing the Challenges of Women Survivors in Transitional Justice 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: Panel 6, Unresolved Absence and the Search for Meaning – Room 1050, Jenkins Nanovic HallsCath Collins – TBD, e.g., "Seeking 'Destino Final': The Limits of Resolution in Enforced Disappearances across Latin America"Julie Bernath – Syrian women’s everyday practices of ‘accounting for’ the disappearedRahaf Aldoughli – Loss, Loyalty, and the Emotional Aftermath of Disappearance: Syrian Fighters and the Mobilizing Power of AbsenceVilho Shigwedha – Missing people, amnesty, and reconciliation politics: The case of disappearance and unmarked war graves in northern Namibia5:30 PM – 6:30 PM: Evening Keynote, Simon Robins – Hesburgh Center Auditorium  Registration for the conference is free but required. Please contact Elizabet Campos Duarte at eduarted@nd.edu to register.   Originally published at irishstudies.nd.edu.

About the Film Immerse yourself in the life of Yonezo Okita as he leaves his home in Hiroshima, Japan, to migrate to Canada in 1935. Experience Yonezo’s peaceful life on a strawberry farm and feel the shock of war and racism that affects his family for generations. Filmmaker Randall Okita pays tribute to his grandfather through interactive and deeply personal storytelling in this room-scale virtual reality film.  Register for the VR Experience Audience members will be able to view this short documentary by signing up for timed one-hour slots at two campus locations at Hesburgh Libraries and Jenkins Nanovic Halls. Staff will be present to assist the user of the virtual reality (VR) equipment throughout the entire session.  Make an Appointment: Fall 2025 Book of Distance Virtual Reality ExperienceAvailable between September 29 and October 6, 2025 Attend the Lecture Join director Randall Okita in person for the free public lecture “Bridging Generations: Memory, Virtual Reality, and the Art of Reclaiming Lost Narratives in The Book of Distance” on Monday, October 6, 5:00 p.m. in 1050 Jenkins Nanovic Halls. About the DirectorRandall OkitaRandall Okita is an artist and filmmaker known for his use of rich visual language and innovative storytelling. His films have screened at Sundance, Venice, Tribeca and TIFF, while his art has appeared in galleries and museums worldwide. With over twenty international awards, including two Canadian Screen Awards, a Webby, and a Japan Prize, Okita continues to push boundaries internationally. Recent work includes the IFC feature film See for Me (Tribeca, BFI London), the VR experience The Book of Distance (Sundance, Venice), the solo exhibition A Place Between at the Prince Takamado Gallery in Tokyo, and Transport to Another World at The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. Of Irish and Japanese descent, Okita was born in Calgary and now splits his time between Toronto and Tokyo. An active mentor and educator, he believes in fostering creative communities. About the Series The film series Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema explores how trauma is experienced intergenerationally in the family within the context of East Asia. Research demonstrates that trauma has lasting effects that reverberate beyond the victims who directly experience it (Cai and Lee 2022; Cho 2006). Families are the primary site where trauma is experienced and transferred across generations. This series sheds light on how these dynamics play out through a gendered lens within the context of East Asia, which has been profoundly shaped by ethnocentric violence during the Japanese imperial period and World War II, as well as social and economic upheaval following the outbreak of civil wars and the spread of Cold War politics in the 20th century. The series is sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and Hesburgh Libraries with support from the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, College of Arts & Letters. Originally published at asia.nd.edu.