‘Jedi Masters, Karate Kids and Kung Fu Pandas’

The Portland Canter for Public Humanities presents a lecture by guest speaker Jane Iwamura titled “Jedi Masters, Karate Kids and Kung Fu Pandas: Reimagining American Religions for a New Generation.” The lecture will take place Thursday, May 4, at 7 p.m. in Smith Memorial Student Union.

Drawing from her recently released book, Virtual Orientalism: Asian Religions and American Popular Culture, Iwamura will be discussing the fascination with Eastern spirituality in contemporary fare and how “the rise of entertainment supersystems ensures virtual Orientalism’s continuing power and influence.” The speech will incorporate film and other media examples.

“Iwamura traces American popular culture’s long fascination with Eastern spirituality,” said Professor Marie Lo, director of the PCPH. “Her talk will specifically focus on ‘kid-oriented’ films like Star Wars, The Karate Kid and Kung Fu Panda, and it will examine what these representations reveal about American ideas of citizenship, gender, race and religiosity.

“What is important about Professor Iwamura’s work is the fresh and insightful connections she draws between religion, media studies and American racial politics,” Lo added.

Professor Jane Naomi Iwamura is the visiting scholar and lecturer in Asian American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is the author of Virtual Orientalism: Asian Religions and American Popular Culture and the co-editor of Revealing the Sacred in Asian and Pacific America.

“We are very excited about Jane Iwamura’s upcoming lecture,” Lo said. “I think this talk will be specifically of interest to Portlanders because many here are interested in eastern religions and spirituality.”

The lecture is free and open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Department of English and the Diversity Action Council Grant.