By Stephen Angle

The second Wesleyan-Shanghai Jiaotong University Conference “Caring for Health and Well-Being: Literary, Institutional, and Philosophical Perspectives” was held at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies October 2-3. This is part of an initiative supported through the donation of Sha Ye, an alumnus of both institutions, with support from Allbritton Center for the Study of Public Life, Center for the Humanities, College of East Asian Studies, Fries Center for Global Studies, and the History Department. The first conference was held at the Minhang campus of Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU).

During their visit to Wesleyan, SJTU student Li Yijie created a video summary of the group’s experiences, which can be viewed below.

The conference itself featured ten panels. Each panel consisted of one faculty member, alumna, or visiting scholar from Wesleyan University, and one faculty or graduate student from SJTU and addresses a major theme in the medical humanities. The geographical scope of the participants’ research covers North America, East Asia, Latin America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe and the time periods span multiple centuries. Presenters from Wesleyan include alumnae Sida Chu and Mingfei Fang, history faculty Courtney Fullilove, Maryam Patton, and Laura Ann Twagira, STS faculty Megan Glick, Tony Hatch, Joe Rouse, and Emily Vasquez. 

On Sunday October 4, the conference delegates visited the Corn Maze at Lyman Orchards. The Wesleyan van was stuck in the mud at the parking lot. Visitors to the orchard extended a helping hand, and we were finally unstuck, when someone came to tow us with his pick-up truck. The experience did more to promote better US-China relations than the conference itself.