Nermin AllamKellogg Visiting FellowAssociate Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University-Newark Allam's project examines how women’s participation in the 2011 Egyptian uprising has influenced their gender consciousness and feminist subjectivities in the afterlife of activism. The uprising, she argues, was an affective encounter that created affective attachments to gender equality and women’s bodily rights. Drawing from the literature on gender and the consequences of social movements, she shows how women’s encounters with gender-based violence in protests and exposures to new social and political networks influenced their personal and professional lives. Building on semistructured interviews with women protestors, she focuses on two examples from women’s biographies: women’s decision to remove the hijab-headscarf and to move out of the family, and the decision by some protestors to change their careers and work in the area of women’s rights. This book project is the first to document the afterlife of women’s engagement in the 2011 uprising. It expands understanding of movement’s impacts on participants following defeated protests and under nondemocratic regimes. More information here

The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History & Design is proud to present its annual MFA thesis exhibition, highlighting the culminating work of four graduate students set to earn their Master of Fine Arts degrees in May 2025. This highly anticipated exhibition will be displayed in two groups, each offering a distinct and engaging artistic experience. The first exhibition will run from February 28 to March 20 at the AAHD Galleries (214/216 Riley Hall), featuring the thought-provoking works of Thomas Callahan and Emma Ryan. An opening reception will be held on Friday, February 28, from 5 to 7 pm, providing an opportunity to meet the artists and experience their work firsthand. The second exhibition will showcase the exceptional pieces of Norah Amstutz and Griffin Liu, on display from April 3 to April 16 at the AAHD Galleries. The opening reception for this group will take place on Friday, April 4, from 5 to 7 pm. This annual exhibition is a celebration of creativity, dedication, and artistic vision, offering visitors a glimpse into the future of contemporary art. We invite you to join us in supporting these talented emerging artists and experiencing their extraordinary work. Originally published at artdept.nd.edu.

This exhibit commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (1939-45) using primarily European visual sources recently acquired by Rare Books & Special Collections. It showcases more than 40 works on paper, including posters, maps, propaganda ephemera, and illustrated books, as well as photographs and first-hand accounts. The exhibit explores themes of Nazi racial ideology, the Holocaust, children in war, resistance, liberation, and memories of war. By examining images created for personal use and for state-sponsored propaganda, the exhibit presents a visual narrative of the war’s profound impact on individuals and societies, offering deeper insight into how this war was experienced and remembered. This exhibit is curated by Natasha Lyandres, Curator, Rare Books & Special Collections; Jean McManus, Catholic Studies Librarian, University Archives; and Julia Schneider, German Language and Literature and Italian Studies Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries. This and other exhibits within the Hesburgh Libraries are generously supported by the McBrien Special Collections Endowment. All exhibits are free and open to the public during business hours. Related Events Monday, March 31, 4:30 pmLecture: Martina Cucchiara, “Fervent Faith, Relentless Persecution: The Daily Life of Erna Becker-Kohen, a Catholic of Jewish Descent in Nazi Germany” Thursday, April 10, 4:30 pmLecture: Robert M. Citino, "The Fascist Lair: the Battle of Berlin" Tuesday, April 22, 4:30 pmYom HaShoah Program to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust Exhibit Tours Meet and speak with curators of the spring exhibit, "Tragedies of War: Images of WWII in Print Visual Culture." Monday, March 31, 3:30 pmThursday, April 10, 3:30 pmTuesday, April 22, 3:30 pm

In 1980, the University of Notre Dame became the first major university to boycott Campbell Soup products in support of Midwestern farmworkers represented by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (Toledo, Ohio). In a few short months, a small and dedicated cohort of students tapped into a growing movement and convinced the campus to act in solidarity. This exhibit was created in conjunction with Somos ND, a campus-wide initiative to honor the history and legacy of Latino and Hispanic contributions to the University. It is curated by Emiliano Aguilar, assistant professor in the Department of History. This and other exhibits within the Hesburgh Libraries are generously supported by the McBrien Special Collections Endowment. All exhibits are free and open to the public during business hours.Open to undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff, postdocs, the public, alumni, and friends  

The Office of Institutional Transformation, in partnership with the Initiative on Race and Resilience, invites students, faculty, and staff to gather weekly for support and fellowship. Wellsprings: A Time for Connection and Care provides a safe space for members of the campus community to discuss fears and concerns related to social divisiveness. Some sessions may feature presentations or information from campus resources. To suggest a topic, please contact Eve Kelly at ekelly11@nd.edu. Originally published at diversity.nd.edu.

Helen Zia by Bob Siang, BHP San Francisco. Photo provided.The Asian American Distinguished Speaker Series honors innovative, creative, and effective Asian American leaders and celebrates their contributions, especially as the visibility of Asian American leadership and success is often overlooked. This year, the Liu Institute will present "Helen Zia: A Life at the Intersection of Activism, Writing, and History" on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at 5 p.m. in the Smith Ballroom, Morris Inn. Jennifer Huynh, assistant professor of American Studies, will moderate the event, which is free and open to the public. Helen Zia is a writer, journalist and Fulbright Scholar who has been a trailblazing activist on issues ranging from human rights to countering gender and hate violence and homophobia. Her role in the national Asian American civil rights movement against anti-Asian violence and racism began after the racially motivated killing of 27-year-old Vincent Chin in Detroit in 1982. After a judge sentenced Chin's attackers to probation, Zia helped organize and lead a coalition of Asian Americans to stand up for justice and equality in the case. Her efforts are documented in the Academy-award-nominated PBS film “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” Zia is the founder of the Vincent Chin Institute, which works to build multiracial solidarity against hate. Zia is also an advocate for marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights. In 2010, she testified as a witness in the federal case on marriage equality decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Her 2008 marriage to Lia Shigemura was featured in The New York Times. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, Zia grew up in New Jersey. After graduating in Princeton’s first coeducational class, she quit medical school to work as a construction laborer, autoworker, and community organizer until she discovered her life’s work as a journalist and writer. Her 2019 book, "Last Boat out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese who Fled Mao's Revolution," was an NPR best book and shortlisted for a national PEN America award, while her first book, "Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People," published in 2000, is a foundational textbook in schools across the country. Zia served as executive editor of the iconic Ms. magazine, a feminist publication for which, among other stories, Zia went undercover in a New York garment factory to expose sweatshop conditions. Zia received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of San Francisco and an honorary Doctor of Laws from the City University of New York Law School for bringing important matters of law and civil rights into public view. In 2023, Hunter College in New York City named its first Helen Zia Distinguished Lecturer in Asian American Studies.Jennifer Huynh, assistant professor of American Studies and Liu Institute faculty fellow, will moderate the event.Zia was one of 79 people in North America who carried the 2008 Olympic torch in San Francisco, the only site in North America passed on the way to Beijing, China. She stated in an op-ed:"There is another vision: that a peaceful and better world is possible through friendly engagement and mutual understanding, not violent confrontation and polarization. It's an Olympic message, a possible dream that our global civilization and everyone who is a part of it can aspire to - and for which I am proud to carry a torch."The lecture is sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies with the Department of American Studies, the Gallivan Program in Journalism, Ethics, and Democracy, and the Klau Institute for Civil and Human Rights at the University of Notre Dame. Originally published at asia.nd.edu.