Winfield’s paper, entitled “From the Misai-e to the Mishuhō: ‘Making Sense’ of Ritual Structures in Heian, Japan,” examined the evolution of imperial state-protecting New Year’s rites beginning in the early ninth century. The pre-existing Misai-e ceremony took place in the imperial palace’s large public Daigokuden Hall and focused solely on sutra recitation and analysis, but after 835, a concurrent Mishuhō ritual was inaugurated in a new private Shingon’in chapel near the emperor’s residence that involved all the senses.

This latter secretive Buddhist rite required vibrantly colored images of mandalas and protector deities (sight), chanted mantras and Sanskrit prayers (sound), incense offerings and smoky fire ceremonies (smell) and altar objects and ritual implements (touch). Moreover, the esoteric Buddhist patriarch Kūkai (784-835) metaphorically likened these sensational elements to the flavor of medicinal ghee (taste), which, he claimed, would protect and preserve the emperor’s body, and by extension, the larger body politic.

By recovering the embodied, lived experiences of pre-modern Buddhist and Shintō practitioners, the English- and Japanese-language papers of this conference contributed to the current trend in Religious Studies that investigates the role of sensory perception in religious experience.

The article examines the controversy surrounding state government authority over pilgrimage practices in Garhwal, a linguistic-cultural region in the Indian Himalayas.

In November 2021, the state government of Uttarakhand, India withdrew the Cār Dhām Devasthānam Management Act, a law enacted only two years prior to establish state government authority over pilgrimage practice at fifty-three temples in Garhwal. Supporters of this bill had sought to ensure transparency in the management of these major pilgrimage temples. Hereditary ritual specialists at the temples and others vehemently contested the law’s efforts to regulate practice at the temples associated with the Cār Dhām Yātrā pilgrimage, where ritual and administrative practice was long governed by diverse local traditions.

As Pennington argues, the debates over this law mirror closely the century-long struggle during British rule to protect pilgrims, maintain pilgrimage infrastructure and combat corruption while avoiding the entanglement in Hindu religious affairs that was prohibited by British law. Just as British officials were caught between the imperative to avoid involvement in the religious affairs of their Hindu subjects and the moral demands to protect pilgrims from exploitation, partisans in the 2019–21 debate differed on whether to accede to the “traditional” ritual rights of those attached to the temples or to reform temple practice according to modern organizational principles. The article argues that the debates over the 2021 Cār Dhām Devasthānam Management Act rehearse the tortured history of Indian secularism and reveal again its intractable contradictions.

Held in McKinnion Hall, the event honored Asian and Pacific Islander (API) students, celebrating their achievements, resilience and community. Formerly known as the API End-of-Year celebration, the newly named “Light the Way” was selected by the Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month planning committee to align with the committee’s goals for the heritage month festivities and holds cultural significance.

“In many Asian cultures, the significance of lanterns often symbolizes a [transitional] period and a wish for good fortune in the future,” George Dou, assistant director of the Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education (CREDE), said during the event’s welcome. “Likewise, the purpose of ‘Light the Way’ is our way of sending off the year in a way that honors, uplifts and affirms the diverse identities and cultural heritages within Asian and Pacific Islander communities.”

During the celebration, students were presented with various awards and student superlatives. Awards included the Beacon Award, Asian Studies Awards, Academic Excellence Awards, Illumination Award, Radiance Award and Outstanding Senior Award. Superlatives illustrated the camaraderie of the community with titles such as “Most Likely To Be In The API Room,” “Most Likely To Brighten Your Day,” “Most Likely To Be On A Reality TV Show” and “Busiest Bee.”

Following the award presentation, the event transitioned into a stole ceremony honoring graduating seniors. CREDE staff members presented stoles to 10 students to be worn during commencement as a symbol of each student’s connection between their heritage and identity.

Co-designed by Tiffany Huang ‘23 and Alana Evora ‘24, the stole incorporated flowers that tie into the overarching theme of ������Ƶ’s 2025 Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month celebration: bouquets. This theme was inspired by two key principles:

1. No single symbol or idea could fully represent the diverse API community.
2. Unity and togetherness strengthen the community.

The stole’s floral motifs were designed to empower soon-to-be graduates to continue to “bloom” beyond their time at the university. Reflecting on the “bouquet” theme, each table was decorated with various flowers significant to the API culture, reinforcing the richness of the community’s shared heritage.

“The flowers represented individuality and the uniqueness of each community,” Dou said. “The act of you all, sitting here with us today, is the bouquet–communities coming together to support each other.”

Along with their stoles, seniors received a small booklet containing cards from individuals who have “lit” their path throughout their collegiate experience.

As the celebration neared the conclusion, Nguyen delivered an inspiring charge to students, addressing both graduating seniors and students continuing their ������Ƶ journey.

“To my fellow graduating seniors, you are our trailblazers,” Nguyen said. “You’ve helped build something lasting, and you’ve shown us what leadership looks like: intentional, kind, and sometimes running purely on iced coffee and vibes. We’re going to miss you, but we know your light is going to shine far beyond this campus.”

To returning students, he reminded them that the “torch” was now being passed to them. Acknowledging that this responsibility may be intimidating, he encouraged them to keep lighting the path for those who would follow after them, inspiring them to be bold, compassionate and to make space for new voices and ideas.

“Never underestimate the power of one small individual flame that’s in each of you, because a spark can start a fire, and a fire can fuel a movement,”

-Ivan Nguyen ‘25

Nguyen concluded his address by thanking individuals who have supported him throughout his time at the university. He also encouraged students to continue shining no matter where the path may lead them.

“As we celebrate tonight, let’s carry that light with us, into our homes, our classrooms, our futures, our new journeys,” said Nguyen. “Because when we shine together, there’s no limit to how far we can go.”

The evening closed with a performance by Sitare Sadeghi ‘25, Tara Venkataraman ‘25 and Sabetha Hersini ‘27.

2025 Award Recipients

Beacon Awards
Adam Kim, assistant professor of psychology, and George Dou

The Beacon Awards are given to two faculty or staff members who have gone above and beyond to be a beacon of support to the API community at ������Ƶ.

Asian Studies Awards
Language Track: Ivan Nguyen and Nicholas Rugbart ‘25
Non-Language Track: Bo Dalrmyple ‘25

The Asian Studies Award recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in research and service related to Asia.

Academic Excellence Awards

The Academic Excellence awards recognize students who have attained the highest GPA in their respective class years:

• Class of 2028: Jaya Iyer and Sophia Sta Rosa
• Class of 2027: Julia Chan
• Class of 2026: Hashini Amarasinghe
• Class of 2025: Sol Addison

Illumination Award
Tara Venkataraman ‘25

The Illumination Award recognizes a student whose scholarship has shed light on the understanding of API identities, cultures, history or heritage.

Radiance Award
Emma Hash ‘26

The Radiance Award recognizes a sophomore or junior who has shown great dedication, passion or awareness around API identities or topics at ������Ƶ.

Outstanding Senior Award 
Ivan Nguyen

The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes the leadership, involvement, and mentorship exhibited by a senior throughout their four years at ������Ƶ.

As part of her semester-long appointment, she is teaching a graduate level seminar on Zen and visual/material culture and pursuing research for her next book. On Friday, Oct. 25, Winfield also delivered the keynote address for the annual Premodern Japanese Religions Conference at McGill University.

Her talk, “Materiality as Method: How to Do Things with Zen” launched the conference, where scholars from Harvard, McGill, University of Edinburgh, SUNY Albany and High Point University shared their latest research at the intersection of Buddhist studies and visual/material culture.

“When I’m writing, I don’t think about genre or what side of the bookstore it’s going to end up in. You have to finish the thing first,” Karunatilaka said. “Once the book is humming, when it’s talking to you and the characters are talking to you, you don’t feel the need to contrive anything.”

Karunatilaka’s “The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia,” won the 2022 Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the English language. The novel is an absurdist comedy, murder mystery and political satire set during Sri Lanka’s civil war in the 1980s and told from the perspective of a slain journalist.

The author spoke for more than an hour Monday, Oct. 7, in Turner Theatre during a wide-ranging conversation moderated by Assistant Professor of English Dinidu Karunanayake and taking questions from the audience of about 100 people.

Repeatedly calling himself a cynic, he recounted his middle-class Sri Lankan upbringing during an era of political turmoil and violence that informs his writing and worldview.

“People live in these dystopias. How do we make sense of life?” Karunatilaka said. “The trope is that the hero flies away in a helicopter and writes a Pulitzer-winning article. But what about the guy who’s waving at the helicopter? His story is interesting. Someone should write that.”

Rather than feature police detectives, he has preferred to tell stories through the eyes of journalists and use satire to criticize politics and society. He prizes absurdism, “the throughline in my work,” and often “plays with reality” using the perspective of unsung heroes who are also unreliable narrators.

“You can still make jokes when you’re staring into the abyss,” he said. “Maybe it’s my warped sensibility. Maybe absurdism is the only plausible explanation I’ve caught onto as an accurate way to write about Sri Lanka.”

Karunatilaka described the difficult and sometimes “patronizing” process of rewriting “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” for Western audiences — that included the publisher changing the title from its original “A Chat with the Dead” to make it easier to market — but said working with a “brilliant editor” created the book’s definitive version.

Karunanayake, who is also Sri Lankan, was particularly interested in why the author used the second person point of view to tell “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.”

“What survives the death of your body? I thought it would be the voice in your head. For me, that’s in second person, telling me what I did wrong or what I should be doing,” Karunatilaka said. “Maybe I thought I could get away with more and include more between the lines, but honestly, it just felt right.”

Karunatilaka is the author of two novels, including “Chinaman,” the short story collection “The Birth Lottery and Other Surprises,” and several children’s books. As for his much-anticipated third novel?

“When you get down to writing, you have to shut out the noise. It’s you and the page and the words,” Karunatilaka said. “It won’t be easier to write, but I’ll find a story and attack it from every side.”

Shehan Karunatilaka won — one of the most prestigious awards given for works in the English language — in 2022 for his novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.” The book is an absurdist comedy, murder mystery and political satire set during Sri Lanka’s civil war in the 1980s. Karunatilaka will discuss his work, its impact on his country, Sri Lanka and the process of bringing his fiction to Western audiences with Assistant Professor of English Dinidu Karunanayake at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Schar Hall’s Turner Theatre.

“When Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize, it was a victory for all Sri Lankans,” said Karunanayake, who also is from Sri Lanka. “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” was published at the end of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s regime which was brought about by mass, nonviolent protests.

“The novel arrived when Sri Lanka was at a crossroads,” Karunanayake said. “At a time of despair and new dreams, Karunatilaka’s victory was like a fresh rain on parched land. It put Sri Lankan resilience and creativity on the world map.”

Karunanayake incorporates the author’s works into his classes, and this fall he included “The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida” in his ENG 3800 Advanced World Literature course. Students have responded enthusiastically to Karunatilaka’s humor and genre-bending, as well as his experiments with history, memory and the use of magic realism in his narratives, he said.

He hopes the audience will leave the discussion with new perspectives on the power of literature to make ethical interventions and a deeper understanding of Sri Lanka’s culture and history.

“Reading a book is one thing, but being in the same space to chat with its creator is a unique experience,” Karunanayake said. “I hope everyone interested in global politics, literature and humor will show up to share the evening with Karunatilaka.”

Karunatilaka’s visit is coordinated by the Department of English with additional sponsorships from the Dean’s Office of ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the Periclean Scholars Program; the Center for the Study of Religion, Culture and Society; the Provost’s Office; the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center; the ������Ƶ Core Curriculum; the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning; the Global Neighborhood; the Peace Corps Prep Program; the Department of Religious Studies; and the Asian Studies, American Studies, Interreligious Studies, and Peace and Conflict Studies Programs.

Allocco’s nine-month ethnographic study focused on one hereditary family of Tamil Hindu ritual drummers called pampaikkārar. Allocco accompanied the ritual drummers to dozens of engagements — from temple festivals to government-sponsored heritage events to domestic family rituals to post-death story recitations — to document their song story, and ritual repertoires.

During her sabbatical, Allocco also presented her research at two invited lectures in India and at four international conferences. At the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras in Chennai, the capital city of Tamil Nadu, whose Department of Humanities and Social Sciences offered Allocco an affiliation during her Fulbright, she presented, “Ritual Arts, Access, and Aesthetics: Sensory Dimensions of Tamil Hinduism.” Her talk adopted approaches from disability studies to consider the varied modes of engagement with the divine available in Hindu ritual contexts.

At Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar (SSN) College in Chennai, she presented, “Drumming, Decoration, Divination, and Dialogue: Vernacular Tamil Hindu Modalities.” In this talk, she proposed that the musician-priests’ performances prompt us to consider the fundamental roles of decoration, flame, water and dialogue in Hindu ritual contexts in contrast to scholarly models that have long privileged sight (darshan).

Two of the four conference papers that Allocco delivered in connection with her current research project were delivered in person, while two were presented online at hybrid conferences. Her in-person presentations were “Technologies of Insistence and Resistance in Rituals to Call the Dead in Hindu South India” at the European Association for the Study of Religions/International Association for the History of Religions in Vilnius, Lithuania and “Traces of the Deified Dead in Hindu South India” at the International Society for Academic Research on Shamanism (ISARS) at Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Allocco presented “Ritual Relationships with the Dead in Hindu South India” virtually at The First International Conference on Critical South Asian Death Studies at the University of Münster and “Kinship, Gender, Power, and Place in Tamil Rituals to Domesticate the Dead” online as part of a full-day symposium dedicated to Tamil religion at The Annual Conference on South Asia at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

In addition to these four presentations on her scholarship, Allocco was an invited speaker in a plenary session at the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR) Special Conference hosted by the University of Tokyo in Japan. Her paper, “‘Engaged,’ ‘Political,’ and ‘Scientific’ Study of Religion: Perspectives from the American Academy,” situated how the study of religion is framed in the United States vis-à-vis the ways it is approached in global contexts. It will be published in the peer-reviewed journal, Religious Studies in Japan.

During her fellowship research in India, Allocco applied for and was awarded a Fulbright Scholar South and Central Asia Regional Travel Grant to present workshops in Sri Lanka. Over the course of eight days, Allocco shared her expertise with various organizations serving war-affected and marginalized populations in the Tamil-speaking north and east regions of Sri Lanka. She employed the UNESCO Story Circle methodology to facilitate interreligious understanding and interethnic engagement with the 35 women participants from the Mahasakthy Women’s Federation who participated in her full-day “Storytelling for Personal Healing and Intercultural Learning” workshop.

In addition to offering a half-day workshop titled “Engagement Across Difference with UNESCO Story Circles” for students at St. John’s Vocational Training Centre in Batticaloa, she presented a session focused on research and writing skills with the same NGO. Allocco also led a mentoring session with graduate students affiliated with the University of Jaffna, conducted field visits with a women’s development officer and consulted with the leadership team of a grassroots feminist organization.

Allocco was pleased to be able to serve the US India Education Foundation (USIEF), which administers the Fulbright program in India, by sharing her expertise in three interactive sessions. She presented a workshop called “Writing an Effective Research Proposal” during International Education Week as part of a program for Ph.D. students and early career faculty at the United States consulate in Chennai. Her second and third presentations, “Conducting Research in India” and “Living in India,” were offered at the Fulbright Student Researchers’ Orientation in New Delhi and the Fulbright English Teaching Assistants Orientation in Chennai.

Finally, Allocco made substantial progress on her scholarship while conducting fieldwork in India during her sabbatical. She wrote and submitted one journal article, one book chapter and a co-edited volume, each of which are now under review. Allocco also wrapped up her work during a final grant meeting with Xenia Zeiler, professor of South Asian studies at the University of Helsinki, related to their joint project, “Sweetening and Intensification: Currents Shaping Hindu Practices.” Their collaboration is funded by a Collaborative International Research Grant awarded by the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and will culminate in the publication of a co-edited volume (under contract with State University of New York Press) with the same name. The volume includes Zeiler and Allocco’s co-written critical introduction, a chapter authored by Allocco, and 12 other chapters contributed by a diverse cohort of international scholars.

“������Ƶ has long been a place where individuals have made a difference, by going above and beyond,” said Gozik. “The GEC and ������Ƶ could not continue to do such important work without the passion and care offered by faculty, staff and students as exhibited by this year’s award winners.”

Recipients of the 2024 awards include:

Elizabeth (Libby) McKivigan ‘24 was recognized as the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in the category of “Study Away Student”. As an international business dual degree (IBDD) student, who completed her last two years at NEOMA Business School in Reims, France, she was recognized for her many contributions to the IBDD program.

“In my years of having peer-educators, no one has fostered community across cultures more effectively than Libby,” said Mark Kurt, assistant dean of global education and professor of economics.

While in France, McKivigan assumed a leadership position among dual degree students, while also working to develop her language fluency in French. She immersed herself in local culture through clubs and organizations at her host institution as well.

“Studying abroad with the dual degree program has completely changed my life,” said McKivigan. “I am from a very small town in Pennsylvania and always wanted to see the world and engage with new people, cultures and languages and the dual degree program has given me that amazing opportunity.”

Hao (Howard) Chi ‘22 G‘24 was awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence in the category of “International Student”. Chi’s award acknowledged his many contributions to ������Ƶ as an undergraduate student in psychology and international & global studies, where he completed a capstone project entitled, “A Framework for Study Abroad Experience: The Transition to Adulthood”. During his time as an undergraduate student, Chi served as an International Student Ambassador. This award also recognized his time as a student in the master of arts in higher education program, where he completed a graduate apprenticeship with Undergraduate ������Ƶ and internships at both Duke University and ������Ƶ, including within the GEC.

Chi’s recommender explained that: “Howard represents the very best that international students have to offer to ������Ƶ. He is passionate about international education and high-impact practices and has contributed to both of those areas throughout his time as a student at ������Ƶ.”

Kathy Ziga, director of academic advising, was awarded the Dean’s Award for Staff Excellence for her dedication to integrating global perspective and understanding the work of the Academic Advising team. It was noted that Ziga and her team have collaborated consistently and creatively with the GEC to provide student information sessions, cross-train staff in both offices, share professional development opportunities around inclusive advising practices and support international exchange partners.

“Kathy has revolutionized how the international community (degree seeking, exchange, etc.) is served academically at ������Ƶ,” said Kristen Aquilino, director of international student services. “Knowledge of serving the international community is integrated throughout her team’s work and values. Kathy’s leadership has committed her unit to fully owning the inclusive efforts and unique support required to serve this awesome community.”

Martin Kamela, associate professor of physics and chair of the department of physics, was awarded the Dean’s Award for Faculty Excellence. Born in Poland and raised in Canada, Kamela has taught at the university level in both Canada and the United States. Kamela was recognized for his work in developing three short-term, faculty-led programs in Brazil and India, serving as a faculty in residence for the ������Ƶ in London semester program; serving on numerous committees including the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center Advisory Committee (GECAC), and his involvement in the Asian Studies and Periclean Studies programs.

“Many of us across the GEC are fully aware of how immense Martin’s impact has been across international education at ������Ƶ when it comes to the GECAC, faculty, staff and student involvement in global engagement, support of the international faculty/staff and student community and more,” said Aquilino.

To bring awareness about this diverse culture, Periclean Scholars Class of 2023 organized two days event at ������Ƶ. A food truck was set up with typical Sri Lankan food items on April 12 and 13, with a cultural show also taking place on April 13.

The celebration started with food and games and went into typical Sinhalese Traditional dances by ������Ƶ Students Sitare Sadedhi and Tara Venkataraman (video below). finally, Tamil traditional Parai Music, and Tamil traditional martial arts techniques called Silambam and Kalari Adimurai were displayed by teams from Carolina Tamil Kalaikoodam and Academy of Kalari Adimurai (video below).

This program was well attended by students and staff who showed interest in learning about Sri Lankan culture and tasting Sri Lankan traditional food.

A Business Fellow while at ������Ƶ, Corna studied abroad at Kansai Gaidai University near Osaka, Japan, and then graduated with degrees in international business and Asian studies along with a minor in Japanese. She bought a one-way ticket to Singapore after graduation to pursue her dream of launching a post-college career in Asia. Her fluency in Japanese landed her a job with Toyota as a senior executive officer, and she spent three years as a kaizen leader working with dealerships primarily in the Philippines and India to improve operations and share practices.

Those experiences paved the way for her first book, “,” a narrative nonfiction account of her time abroad that was published in September 2011 and is currently being adapted into a screenplay. Following the positive reception of her book, Corna embarked on a nationwide book tour sponsored by Toyota Motor USA. She was presented with ������Ƶ’s Top 10 Under 10 Alumni Award in 2013.

Corna has become a sought-after organizational consultant and keynote speaker, with a focus on how to make businesses and leaders more human-centric. Her talks have focused on leading through change and uncertainty, sparking innovation, and maintaining positivity, balance and mental health, among other topics. She’s appeared in media including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Forbes, NBC, Fortune, Mashable and Muse, and her clients include General Motors, the United Nations, State Farm and Toyota, among others.

Corna’s second book, “UNProfessional: A Manifesto,” will be published this year and takes its name from , which recently celebrated its first anniversary. In the book, Corna details a new way to do business — The Human Way — and focuses on helping businesses evaluate how human they are in four critical areas: brand, customer experience, culture and employee experience.

The 132nd Commencement Exercises will include two ceremonies for the Class of 2022 in Schar Center. The 9 a.m. diploma ceremony will be for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business and the School of Communications. The 2 p.m. diploma ceremony will be for the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education and ������Ƶ College, the College of Arts and Sciences.

Further details about 2022 Commencement will be shared here.