<p> Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) disproportionately affects Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. They account for more than half of infected individuals with HBV. Untreated HBV may ultimately lead to liver failure. Asian Americans have the lowest HBV screening rates; yet, they have the highest incidence of liver disease. A better understanding of HBV among Asian Americans is needed. This study explored factors associated with knowledge of HBV and perceived risks of HBV. A convenience sample was recruited at a faith-based organization and through the Asian Pacific Islander Network in Long Beach, California. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire. Bivariate correlation coefficients were computed. Results indicated that knowledge of HBV was moderately low, even amongst the sample with a high level of education. Programs are needed to increase HBV screening for Asian Americans from all levels of education. Public health social workers can lead the charge. </p>

<p> Of the thousands of Buddhist manuscripts discovered at Dunhuang, there are many examples of non-official <i>s&umacr;tras</i> and <i> dh&amacr;ran&dotbelow;&imacr;</i> collections more difficult to identify than those with titles identical to canonical <i>s&umacr;tras</i>. Manuscript collection catalogs are the first sources consulted when one undertakes research involving manuscripts and in order to be a truely valuable resource, they need to reflect current scholarship. This thesis studies the Dunhuang manuscript, Pelliot <i>chinois</i> 3538, from different perspectives, examining its ritual, iconography, and textual variances. It compares its iconographical program to manuscript <i>s&umacr;tras</i> and canonical scriptures, uncovering new information regarding the content of multiple manuscripts. From this research it is apparent that P.3538 is an Avalokite&sacute;vara <i> dh&amacr;ran&dotbelow;&imacr;</i> ritual that is iconographically informed from a variety of canonical texts: <i>s&umacr;tras</i> in the <i> N&imacr;lakan&dotbelow;t&dotbelow;ha</i>/Qianshou cluster, the <i> Mah&amacr;pratisar&amacr; dh&amacr;ran&dotbelow;&imacr;s&umacr;tra</i> and its corresponding amulet culture, and <i>s&umacr;tras</i> connected with the bodhisattva&rsquo;s narrative history. In examining other manuscripts from Cave 17, we have found that it is a member of a Dunhuang manuscript cluster and is visually represented in an ink on paper altar diagram, Stein no. Ch.00189, from the British Museum. Integrating these findings would enrich descriptive catalogs for future research.</p>

<p>This dissertation examines the place of traditional songs in the Tibetan Buddhist culture of the former Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh. I look at how Buddhism and pre-Buddhist religion informed the texts and performance contexts of traditional songs, and how Ladakhi songs represent cultural self-images through associated musical, textual, and visual tropes. Many songs of the past, both from the old royal house and the rural Buddhist populations, reflect the socio-political structure of Ladakhi society. Some songs reflect a pan-Tibetan identity, connecting the former Namgyal dynasty to both the legendary King Gesar and Nyatri Tsangpo, the historical founder of the Tibetan Yarlung dynasty. Nevertheless, a distinct Ladakhi identity is consistently asserted. A number of songs contain texts that evoke a mandala or symbolic representation of the world according to Vajrayana Buddhist iconography, ritual and meditative visualization practices. These mandala descriptions depict the social order of the kingdom, descending from the heavens, to the Buddhist clergy, to the king and nobles, to the common folk. </p><p> As the region has become more integrated into modern India, Ladakhi music has moved into modern media space, being variously portrayed through scholarly works, concerts, mass media, and the internet. An examination of contemporary representations of &ldquo;tradition&rdquo; and ethnic identity in traditional music shows how Ladakhis from various walks of life view the music and song texts, both as producers and consumers. </p><p> Situated as it was on the caravan routes between India, Tibet, China, and Central Asia, Ladakhi culture developed distinctive hybrid characteristics, including in its musical styles. Analysis of the performance practices, musical structures, form, and textual content of songs clearly indicates a fusion of characteristics of Middle Eastern, Balti, Central Asian, and Tibetan origin. Looking at songs associated with the Namgyal dynasty court, I have found them to be part of a continuum of Tibetan high literary culture, combined with complex instrumental music practices. As such, I make the argument that these genres should be considered to be art music. </p>

<p> The <i>Wanling lu</i> is an important text in the history of Chan and Zen Buddhism. The text contains the teachings of a Chan Master in the lineage that would become the orthodox in China during the Song dynasty, and later spread to Japan and Korea. According to traditional accounts, the text originated from the notes taken by the government official, Pei Xiu, during a visit with Chan Master Huangbo in 849 C.E. Recent scholarship has called the traditional accounts of the origins of this text into question, though the text can still be reliably dated to the Tang dynasty. The <i> Wanling lu</i> was first translated into English in 1958. In this thesis, I summarize the history of the text and include biographical material concerning the text's central figure, Huangbo. I also provide my own translation of the Wanling lu with annotation, replacing the outdated 1958 edition.</p>

<p> Bruce Lee is a martial arts action star whose enduring screen image has lasted many decades beyond his death, and this is partially due to the numerous clones that came out after the star's premature death in 1973. These clones and various spin-offs of Lee's life's works resulted in the phenomenon dubbed "Bruceploitation." As time passed, the Bruceploitation phenomenon slowed down, but more recently there has been an interest in Bruce Lee's life with various films and television series that attempt to tell the life story of the actor, especially with his family's involvement. While earlier forms of Bruceploitation films strove to exploit Lee's image for financial profits, these more recent works do not seem to exploit Lee in the same way. In particular, Bruceploitation in more recent works aims to exploit the martial arts star's narrative to associate his persona with specific ideologies. I argue, however, that the more recent television series by China Central Television, <i>The Legend of Bruce Lee,</i> is in fact following in the legacy of Bruceploitation in that this category of texts is not only about making money without the consent of the star, but it is rooted in the act of exploitation, which redefined the image of Bruce Lee in a national Chinese context. Although the CCTV series may not look for financial profits as its main goal through the perpetuation of Lee's narrative, it is exploiting his image for ideological purposes. In particular, the series exploits Lee's image to assert national Chinese power in a global context, which can be seen through the production practices, circulation of the series, and the construction of specific scenes throughout the series. </p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2004. / Advisers: Modhumita Roy; Christina Sharpe. Submitted to the Dept. of English. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 254-274). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 254-266).

Sexual health is an integral part of the overall well-being of women of color. Information about the sexual health of Asian Indian women who are brought up within the U.S. and the contextual factors which play a role in their views on sexual health is lacking. Even less is known about the experience and impact of navigating two sets of cultural beliefs (i.e., that of their heritage culture and that of the dominant U.S. society) on sexual health development for Asian Indian women raised in the U.S. The proposed study is designed to understand the sexual health perspectives of Asian Indian women raised in the U.S. This study was a qualitative investigation conducted in order to identify how sexual health is conceptualized by Asian Indian women who are exposed to the sexual health values and norms of the mainstream U.S. society and that of their heritage culture. Eleven heterosexual Asian Indian women, of 1.5 and second generation, were interviewed in person and over the phone. During the interview process participants defined their perspectives on sexual health and identified sociocultural factors which played a role in how they conceptualized sexual health. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data. The core phenomenon of this study, referred to as a storyline, revolved around participants struggle to navigate two opposing cultures, their views on sexual health, and the process by which they formulated their perspectives. Consistent with past research on 1.5 and second generation South Asian women, experiences related to sexual health for this sample were impacted by traditional cultural values, the norms of mainstream society, and participants' individual momentum.

<p> With its roots in 1920&rsquo;s and 30&rsquo;s Japan, the term eroguro nansensu (erotic grotesque nonsense) refers to an artistic movement with an aesthetic that focuses on grotesque visuals and bizarre humor. My project is to examine the contemporary form of eroguro nansensu as an avenue for considering how mass culture changes and develops over time. Focusing on how mass culture changes is important because it could potentially illuminate breaks/openings where something can escape the hegemony of the culture industry. The method of change, and potential mode of escape from the culture industry that I identify here is <i>escalation</i>. Escalation both contains and explains mass culture&rsquo;s propensity towards repetition but also allows for a certain amount of change. Eroguro nansensu may also have a unique place to reflect on and potentially critique the manga (comic) industry and what this says about Japanese culture more generally. While eroguro nansensu may be rejected by many due to the intensity of the erotic and grotesque imagery, or ignored as simply meaningless nonsense, there are enough artists and fans interested in this aesthetic that there is hidden potential here that I aim to bring into the light. Nonetheless, no extended scholarly work has yet been done on the contemporary revival of eroguro nansensu as a genre of manga in the last few decades of the 20^th century. I am attempting to fill in some of that gap with my own analysis as well as by presenting information on contemporary eroguro nansensu as a mass culture movement, about which little has been written in English or Japanese to date. In my dissertation I begin with the historical background of eroguro nansensu, and proceed through analysis of its use of humor and aesthetics, all as a means of considering mass culture and its critique.</p><p>

<p> The Great East Japan Earthquake of March 2011, known colloquially by the shorthand "3.11," claimed at least 16,000 lives and caused extreme damage to landscape and property, also triggering one of the most serious nuclear crises in history. These events were of great social, economic, cultural, and political consequence and are therefore in need of study from multiple perspectives. Sociologist Jeffrey C. Alexander, as a leading theorist of the model of cultural trauma, sees the work of "trauma drama" as crucial to the collective creation and negotiation of claims toward large-scale trauma. My dissertation seeks to investigate Alexander's insight more thoroughly. This dissertation seeks not only to broaden the field of view of collective trauma studies with a new case study, but to deepen the understanding of how performance functions as a part of the collective trauma creation process. To that end, this dissertation has a topical organization that analyzes space, time, and the body as nodes of intersection between post-3.11 anxiety sites and aspects of stage and film performance. Closely reading film and stage plays while examining the specific formal mechanisms by which they manipulate space, time, and the body in the aftermath of disaster, I argue that stage and film performances are especially powerful means through which to stake and (re)negotiate claims regarding trauma, particularly in response to the specifics of the 3.11 disaster. Inspired by the socially contextualized approach to performance studies pioneered by Richard Schechner and Victor Turner, this dissertation accesses a wide array of cultural and theoretical sources, including the spatial theory of Henri Lefebvre, the temporal Deleuzian scholarship of D.N. Rodowick, and Erin Manning's theory on the political impact of touch, alongside trauma theory and a multiplicity of readings on the significance of 3.11.</p><p>