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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Learning Beyond the Classics: Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema Directed by Isao TakahataWith Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara Not Rated, 89 minutesIn Japanese with English subtitles When an American air raid kills their mother in the final days of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his 4-year-old sister Setsuko are left to fend for themselves in the devastated Japanese countryside. After falling out with their only living relative, Seita does his best to provide for himself and his sister by stealing food and making a home in an abandoned bomb shelter. But with food running short, the siblings can only cling to fleeting moments of happiness in their harsh reality. Based on the personal accounts of survivor Nosaka Akiyuki, Grave of the Fireflies is hailed as one of the most stunning contributions to animation and cinematic history. Deftly depicting the beauty of the human spirit as well as its devastating cruelty, Grave of the Fireflies is a singular work of art from Academy Award-nominated director and Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata. GET TICKETS *Free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB students. **Co-presented by the David A. Heskin and Marilou Brill Endowment for Excellence, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship/Hesburgh Libraries.