When Two Worlds Meet

East Asian and Asian-American students have been the most rapidly growing minority groups at Dartmouth College since the mid-20th century. However, archival records on the communities' experiences are scarce; it was only around the 1970s that these students began to organize collectively around their shared ethnic and cultural identities. 

At Rauner, we are currently displaying an exhibit, "When Two Worlds Meet," which provides perspective on East asian and Asian-American student experiences on campus by looking at the archival records of some of the very first students of Asian descent at Dartmouth. To contextualize these students' experiences at Dartmouth, the exhibit also presents glimpses of larger historical conversations between East Asia and the West. These conversations include attempts by East Asians to document and communicate their cultural heritage and life experiences to Western audiences. The other side of the conversation consists of Western perceptions and interpretations of East Asian civilizations, whether accurate or not.

Several of the books published by Homer B. Hulbert, who was
featured in our last blog post, are included in this exhibit. An illustrated travel log of China written by a Dutch traveler, various pamphlets and publications from the Japanese internment camps during the World War II, and wartime propaganda graphic novels from China are also featured in the exhibit. The exhibit will be installed from now through March 17th in Rauner Library's Class of 1965 Galleries on the mezzanine floor of Webster Hall.

To read more about this exhibit online, visit the Exhibitions at Rauner webpage.