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DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement


Ralph Litzinger on China: Tying Research to Service

Posted by Eric Van Danen on 2009-11-09

In the three years since its establishment at the university, DukeEngage, the volunteer service program for undergraduates, has proven highly appealing among students, attracting more than 1500 applications since its full launch year in 07-08.  More than 800 students have participated in service around the world since DukeEngage began.

Increasingly, DukeEngage is also attracting faculty into its program leaders ranks, whether inspired by a connection to one’s research, an opportunity to work more collaboratively with students, or a chance to enhance one’s teaching back at Duke.

Ralph Litzinger, associate professor of cultural anthropology, has written extensively on ethnic minority politics, nationalism and the state in China. Since the Summer of 2008, and in collaboration with J.P. Morgan, Litzinger has led the DukeEngage in Beijing program which places student volunteers at the Dandelion Middle School (Pugongying Zhongxue), located in Daxing District in Beijing to work with children of migrant workers—rural residents who have moved to China’s largest cities in the last 20 years.  Often underpaid, with no health or employment benefits, and subjected to a range of discriminatory practices, China’s migrant workers have built the new global cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, among other places, and increasingly provide service labor to China’s emerging urban middle class.  The children of these migrant workers are at the center of the DukeEngage program’s work.  Because migrant families lack the residential permit that grants access to the state education system, as well as the financial resources necessary to pay the steep tuition of private schools, more and more migrant youth now attend the “unofficial” schools that have sprung up in the last 10 years through the extraordinary efforts of Chinese and international education and social activists. 

Below, Professor Litzinger responds to questions about the evolution of his DukeEngage program in Beijing and how it has emboldened his academic research.

1.  In what way does The DukeEngage in Beijing program you lead connect to your ongoing research? 

For the last 20 years, my research in China has almost consistently focused on questions of power, inequality, and social and economic forms of discrimination and marginalization.  The first phase of my career explored these issues in the context of state policies of development and modernization in regions of China inhabited predominantly by ethnic minorities.  The second phase of my research and publishing career has focused on issues of economic change and environmental and ecological justice on the Tibetan plateau, particularly in the Himalayan regions of northwest Yunnan Province. The third phase of my career is returning me to Beijing, where my studies in China began as a graduate student in the early 1990s.  The Dandelion Middle School, the site of our Duke Engage Beijing project, has enabled a long term research project on migrant workers, and in particular on the families and children who began to come to Beijing in the late 1990s from all over rural China to build and service the astonishing local city that we see today.  But this is not just a project about labor, and education, and migrant kids.  It is also about globalization and its relationship to the Chinese government, as it eagerly attempts to address the astonishing degrees of economic disparity that today characterize China. Through our partnership and collaboration with a number of different non-governmental organizations and corporate social responsibility projects, I have been able to begin to map the complex ways in which both Chinese and international capital is pushing particular kinds of development and attempting to work with different sectors of Chinese society and government to address the many social and economic problems in China today.  The migrant labor issue is obviously one of the largest and one of the most politically charged, in large part because it is always about issues of power, inequality and marginalization—the core focus of my research agenda in China.

2.  Given the other demands you face as an engaged member of the faculty, how do your responsibilities related to DukeEngage fit into a very busy schedule, and why do you feel it's an important element of your professional experience? 

For me, as with many of my colleagues, the Duke Engage Beijing project is a massive amount of work, in large part because of the amount of time, energy and labor it takes to set up and maintain this kind of project in China. I do this because of my commitment to make this kind of pedagogical project part of a larger process of reflecting on issues of advocacy, activism, and politics of intervention, historically and in our present moment.  At the same time, I am in a constant battle to convince many of my colleagues at Duke that this kind of pedagogy is not divorced from larger theoretical debates—about power, knowledge, capitalism, globalization, the nature of oppression, the possibilities for resistance that are so much at the center of discussion in the social sciences and humanities at Duke.  Admittedly, it is sometimes a hard sell.

3.  Your particular DukeEngage program has proven to be one of the most successful and is being offered again in 2010.  How would you characterize the success of the program thus far and what are you planning to do differently—if anything—in 2010?

One way to measure “success” is the enormous interest our project generates each year among Duke students—over the first two years we have had about 60 applicants a year for six spots each summer.  But for me a better measure of success is that all 12 students who have volunteered at the school and in Beijing over the last two summers have come away from the program feeling like they have had to personally and collectively struggle to finds ways to work productively with the staff, teachers, and students at the school.  If struggle and small measure of accomplishment occur each summer, then we are experiencing some kind of success.  For me, working at the school is not supposed to be easy; nor is something called “engagement” always guaranteed.  We have all had to work hard to adjust to living in an area of the city that sees few if any foreign tourists and has none of the usual amenities found in the more ritzy and international sections of the Beijing.  We’ve had to learn to follow the everyday schedule of the school, which is highly structured and organized and disciplinarily rigorous.  And we’ve had to learn to first listen to what the school needs, and then figure how to act in a meaningful and effectively away.  That our students over the last two summers have been able to meet these challenges, and come up with projects that the school, and the staff and the students greatly appreciated, is what has made our program a “success.”  For the school, success is measured differently.  It is measured in terms of how many kids it can keep in school, and how well those who remain in school do.  But it is also measured in terms of economic and political survival.  As long as the school remains open, enrollment numbers stay high, and innovation is part of the curriculum, then the school will be a success.  If the Duke presence there can play even a small role in the survival and growth of the school, then I think we can continue to say our own program is a success. 

4.  What do you hope DukeEngage students come away with after completing the Beijing program?


My first desire is for them to come away with a greater appreciation of how a middle that must depend on constant fund raising and volunteerism works in China.  More importantly, I want them to learn about the political, economic, and social conditions of migrant life, what it means for individuals and families from all across the Chinese countryside to live in a city such as Beijing, to live without the social support system that was once assured under socialism, and to now struggle with everyday forms of discrimination, the privatization of health care and education, and how these people’s lives are so precariously linked to global capitalism and China’s place in the world system.

5.  What personally have you come away with through your participation with DukeEngage?  


What I have come away with is obviously a greater understanding of migrant labor and education issues in China, which was part of the goal from the very start.  More practically, I have come away with a massively expanded social network in Beijing, not just in the academy, but in sectors of contemporary society I previously had limited access to – in the international and domestic non-governmental scene, in the world of Chinese and international journalism (because of the intense interest in the school), and in the corporate social responsibility scene.

 

Tagged: Beijing, China, migration

Durham native keeps his service at home

Posted by Eric Van Danen on 2009-09-24

photo by Eric Van Danen

Derek Williams didn't have to cross the globe to embark in meaningful service this summer through DukeEngage.  The junior elected to remain in his hometown of Durham to give back and see "home" through a different lens.  Below he describes what attracted him to this particular DukeEngage opportunity.

1.  What drew you to this particular program in your hometown of Durham?

I thought it would be really neat to do service in my hometown and see it from a new perspective. I've always seen it through the eyes of a Durham citizen. This summer, I was able to see it through the eyes of a Duke student, as well as someone providing service on a full-time basis to Durham.

2.  What excited you about working with your community partner, the North Carolina Minority Support Center?

From the moment I met my program contact, Ms. Kimberly Knox, I knew she would be really cool to work with She's very nice, but at the same time she's about business.  I'm the same way. I could tell thhat she really wanted a hard-working student to intern with her when we talked in our interview.  I felt that I was that student and I could bring something to the table to help her just as she is helping me. Also, Ms. Knox is the director of marketing for the center, which is exactly the field I intend to go into after I finish school.  It was a perfect situation for me.

3.  What benefit did you hope your service  would have for the NC Minority Support Center and for Durham?

I went in hoping that my service could be of great use for the NCMSC and Durham. I really wanted to give back to the city that made me, and I hoped the Durham students I would be working with enjoyed and appreciated what I had to offer.  As for the NCMSC itself, I went in expecting to be of assistance whenever I was needed to help the organization move forward.  I think the NCMSC is doing big things and I love what they're doing. I was very excited to be a part of it.
 
4.  How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience now back at Duke? 

In general, I think I have a better understanding of how to serve a community what they need in a way that is effective. I want to give to others, but in a way that helps them and allows them to take full advantage of my services. What I learned this summer will be very helpful with my work on Quad Council and the Duke Marketing Committee this academic year.
 

Academic journey leads Ying-Ying Lu back to China

Posted by Eric Van Danen on 2009-09-09

photo by Eric Van Danen

Senior Duke student Ying-Ying Lu pursued an independent project in Beijing which drew upon her academic interests and background.  Below, she explains what inspired her to pursue this particular project and how she will be channeling her experience back into her life at Duke.

 

1.  What drew you to this particular project?

The summer after my freshman year, when I volunteered with Dream Corps International in Beijing, was the first time I stepped foot in a migrant worker community in China. That experience opened up a whole new world to me, and I returned to the same community during the summer of 2008 to complete an oral history research project with local children and their parents. The families' stories fascinated me. This year, I knew I wanted to pursue a project that would benefit an organization that supports migrant workers in China, an issue that I have come to care deeply about.

2.  What excited you about working with your community partner?

They are doing some incredible work in Beijing. In partnering with the Cultural Development Center, I worked specifically with the Migrant Women's Club, a branch of the organization that supports women close to my own age who have left their rural hometowns to travel to Beijing in search of work. Oftentimes, these women find themselves caught in cycle of low-paying jobs and a harsh reality that is far divorced from their idealized images of the city. They lack the technical skills, resources, and legal protections to address these challenges. The Migrant Women's Club offers legal aid, a domestic workers support network, a writing workshop, and psychological consultations. The group's programming is run entirely by migrant women themselves! I think this final characteristic bodes well for the organization's potential for sustained, deep impact.

3.  What benefit ultimately do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?

The Center has hosted only a few foreign volunteers in the past.  Going in, I hoped that my language and documentary skills would prove beneficial where needed, and that I would be able to use my outsider's perspective to find creative ways to revise or expand programming. On a personal level, I hoped to forge deep, genuine, and lasting connections with at least a few of the women who are being served by my organization, and to influence them in a positive direction.

4.  How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience now back again at Duke? 

I co-teach a house course at Duke entitled "Understanding China," through which I can share my experiences and reflections with a group of peers in an academic setting. Additionally, I plan to continue taking classes related to China and to further explore the topic of migrant labor through independent research with faculty. After graduation, I hope to either attend graduate school in China or spend some time working with an organization in China that deals with migrant issues.
 

DukeEngage is featuring students this year who have participated in both group programs and independent projects.  Check back regularly to view the latest student profile.  

Castillo among DukeEngage students in Uganda addressing antenetal care, other health concerns

Posted by Eric Van Danen on 2009-08-28

photo by Eric Van Danen

Pre-med student Catherine Castillo joined 9 other students in a new summer program in Southern Uganda in partnership with Mayanja Memorial Hospital (MMH) and Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation (MMHF) (www.mmhfoundation.org), as well as Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST).  Below, she explains what inspired her to take part in the program and what she's eager to bring back with her to Duke.

1.  What drew you to this particular program?

As a pre-med student with a strong interest in global health, I was hoping to find a program for the summer where I could work with a new community and expand my international experience while simultaneously gaining more exposure to the variety of roles and careers in the medical field overseas. The DukeEngage program in Uganda, which is aligned with one of Duke's student organizations, the Progressive Health Partnership, is composed of both of these elements as the project centers on contributing to the prevention of malaria and emphasizing the importance of antenatal care in the community of Mbarara.

2.  What excited you about working with your community partner?

The city of Mbarara is blessed with two relatively young and enthusiastic institutions working towards improving their community, the Mayanja Memorial Hospital and the Mbarara University of Science and Technology. The hospital is associated with a network of satellite clinics that serve villages around the city. I was excited to work with individuals in these institutions because I admire their growth, efforts, and dedication. I also felt I would benefit greatly from becoming enveloped in the culture of their country and experiencing their values and way of life.

3.  What benefit do you hope your service will have for your community partner and your host community?

As the first group to go to Uganda from the Duke Progressive Health Partnership, we hope to establish a long-lasting relationship of collaboration with the community and our community partner that will help to allocate efforts, manpower, and funds to the specific needs of the community, which we will be assessing during our service this year. In the most practical sense, our group hoped to provide some useful equipment we have gathered and purchased through fundraising efforts, and our hope is that they will continue to contribute to the health of individuals in Mbarara.
 
4.  How do you hope to put into action what you learned through your DukeEngage experience once back at Duke? 

I plan to continue my involvement in the Progressive Health Partnership, increase my exploration in the field of global health, and fine-tune my course selection with the intent to learn what I can in order to continue my career into the global health field.  I hope to participate in developing programming that will assist Duke students of any major to become involved in civic engagement, including but not limited to DukeEngage, so that they may see how their variety of intellectual and career interests can all be used in contributing to the improvement of the quality of life around the world.

DukeEngage is featuring 18 students over the course of the summer participating in both group programs and independent projects.  Check back weekly to view the latest student profile.   

DukeEngage program leader earns teaching award

Posted by Eric Van Danen on 2009-08-25

photo by Megan Morr

Mbaye Lo, program leader for DukeEngage in Cairo, recently won the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.  Professor Lo is featured in the July-August iissue of Duke Magazine.

Read the article here.

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