Dear Colleagues, I would like to announce two conferences that will be taking place in Binghamton, one this fall and the other next fall (2010). The first is actually a research workshop, funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, entitled: "Eurasian Influences on Yuan China: Cross-Cultural Transmissions in the 13th and 14th Centuries." It features papers by fifteen scholars from Asia, Europe and the U.S. and will be held Friday-Saturday, November 20-21 at the downtown campus of Binghamton University. I am pasting a tentative schedule below. We would welcome observers but our capacity is limited, so if you are interested in attending please let me know. The second is a conference hosted by Binghamton's Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies on September 24-25, 2010. It is entitled "Negotiating Trade: Commercial Institutions and Cross-Cultural Exchange in the Medieval and Early Modern World," and while its focus will be primarily European, the organizers are welcoming proposals from other parts of the world. You can find the Call for Papers at http://www2.binghamton.edu/cemers/conferences/call-for-papers.html. Although the Call gives an October 31st deadline for proposals, that has been extended to November 30th. Best wishes, John John Chaffee Distinguished Service Professor of HIstory and Asian and Asian American Studies Director, Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas Binghamton University ------------------------------- Eurasian Influences on Yuan China: Cross-Cultural Transmissions in the 13th and 14th Centuries Binghamton University November 20-21, 2009 Tentative Program (10/4/2009) Friday, 9:00-9:30 Introductory Remarks 9:30-11:00 - Historical perspectives * John Chaffee (Binghamton University), "Cultural Diffusion through the Maritime Route in Yuan China" * Morris Rossabi (Columbia University and CUNY), "Eurasian influence on the late Yuan and early Ming" 11:15-12:45 - Foreigners in Yuan China * Michael Brose (University of Wyoming), "Semuren and Koryo Korea" * Liu Yingsheng (Nanjing University), "From Slave to Prime Minister--a study on Qipchaq Il-Temur and his family" 1:45-3:15 - The Role of Islam * George Lane (SOAS), "The Phoenix Mosque and the Persian Community of Hangzhou" * Nancy Steinhardt (University of Pennsylvania), "Mosque and Observatory in Yuan China" 3:30-5:00 - Visual and Material Culture * Linda Komaroff (Los Angeles County Museum of Art), "The Visual Language of Mongol Iran" * Mau Chuan-Hui (National Tsinghua University, Taiwan), "The introduction in China of cotton techniques and the specialisation of silk work during Song-Yuan period" Saturday, 9:00-10:30 - Geography and Cartography * Hyunhee Park (John Jay College, Taiwan), "On Geographic Knowledge of the World in Yuan-dynasty China" * Ralph Kauz (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna), "Geographical and Cartographical Impacts from Persia to China" 10:45-12:15 - Law * Bettine Birge (University of Southern California), "Inner Asian Influences on Yuan Law" * Ma Juan (Nanjing University and University of Wyoming), "Semuren and the Politics in the Yuan Dynasty: a case based on 'Abd al-Rahman, Ahmmad and El-Temur" 1:30-3:00 - Medicine and Food * Angela Schottenhammer (University of Mexico), "Muslim Medicinal Drugs in Yuan China" * Mathieu Torck (Ghent University), "Sino-Mongol army diets: exploring changes and transitions against the background of the Mongol conquest of China" 3:15- Final Discussion