A lecture by Paula R. Curtis

Public-facing scholarship and digital engagement have become not only more prolific among scholars and educational institutions but also increasingly expected as a facet of academic labor. Yet, as they attempt to meaningfully connect with ever-broader audiences, researchers face virulent online harassment campaigns with serious offline repercussions. This talk will discuss recent controversies in the Japan and East Asian Studies field that played out across a variety of digital media. It will situate their causes and consequences within broader patterns of internet-based extremism and mobilization that have affected other academic fields such as History and Medieval Studies and consider how such movements are impacting current and future directions of higher education.