# Event Details - **Event Name**: Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 15 Sep, 2026 at 12:25 pm – Tue, 15 Sep, 2026 at 01:45 pm (-04:00) - **Event Description**: This talk with Professor Xiaofei Kang examines the politics of laughter in Maoist campaigns against "feudal superstition."About this EventAbout the TalkCrossing the political divide of 1949, this talk examines the political uses of laughter and ridicule in Maoist campaigns against “feudal superstition.” Specifically, it analyzes how the Maoist revolution selectively appropriated gendered tropes and rhetorical strategies from China’s imperial past and repurposed them for new political ends. In propelling the Party from its rural base to national victory, Maoist propaganda not only mobilized class hatred through arts and literature steeped in “blood and tears.” It also transformed laughter into a critical medium for engaging rural audiences and promoting Communist ideals of modernity. The persistence and transformation of traditional tropes and rhetorical strategies thus reveal a complex relationship between revolutionary rupture and cultural continuity. They invite us to reconsider the relationship between tradition and modernity across established historical frameworks.Free lunch will be offered at this talk. Doors will open no sooner than 15 minutes before the start time.The Elliott School can coordinate with the university to reasonably accommodate most disabilities. If you need specific accommodations, please contact the Sigur Center at gsigur@gwu.edu. Requests should be made as soon as possible, but at least three days prior to the program to ensure accommodation.About the SpeakerXiaofei Kang holds a Ph.D. in Chinese history from Columbia University (2000). She teaches courses on religions in East Asia, and her research focuses on gender, ethnicity, and Chinese religions in traditional and modern China. She is the author of The Cult of the Fox: Power, Gender, and Popular Religion in Late Imperial and Modern China (Columbia University Press, 2006). She co-authored (with Donald S. Sutton) Contesting the Yellow Dragon: Ethnicity, Religion and the State in the Sino-Tibetan Borderland (Brill, 2016), and co-edited (with Jia Jinhua and Ping Yao) Gendering Chinese Religion: Subject, Identity and Body (SUNY Press, 2014). Her recent book, Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda (Oxford, 2023) examines the intertwined discourses of religion, gender and the Chinese Communist revolution. - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/washington/religion-in-asia-the-politics-of-laughter/100001997612756529 - **Event Categories**: art, literary-art, workshops, parties, entertainment - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 - **Event Highlights**: - Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes - Location: 1957 E St NW - Languages: English ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Washington - **state**: DC - **country**: United States - **location**: 1957 E St NW - **lat**: 38.8962019 - **long**: -77.0443031 - **full address**: 1957 E St NW, 1957 E Street Northwest, Washington, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/fd9b6aebd169ddb0ba7a2baf3584be1b301717926a799d26d370327202b9354e-rimg-w1200-h600-dc083858-gmir.jpg?v=1786738025 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter being held? - **A:** Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter takes place on Tue, 15 Sep, 2026 at 12:25 pm to Tue, 15 Sep, 2026 at 01:45 pm at 1957 E St NW, 1957 E Street Northwest, Washington, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter? - **A:** Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter is organized by Sigur Center for Asian Studies at GW. - **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me? - **A:** Religion in Asia: The Politics of Laughter is ideal for art lovers, collectors, creatives, and anyone inspired by visual arts, installations, and exhibitions. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Washington, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. 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Its mission is to increase the quality and broaden the scope of scholarly research and publication on Asia, promote US-Asian scholarly interaction and educate a new generation of students, scholars, analysts, and policymakers.\r\nThe Sigur Center promotes research and policy analysis on East Asia, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia through an active program of publishing, teaching, public events and policy engagement. The Center offers students the largest Asian Studies program in the Washington, DC metropolitan region, with around 83 faculty members working on Asia. The Center was founded in 1991 out of the Sino-Soviet Institute. It was named for Gaston Sigur (1924-1995), a Japan specialist with a long career at The George Washington University, the National Security Council, and the US Department of State. It has enjoyed status as a signature program of the university since 2003." } ] } ] ```