The Art of the Empty Shirt

Many people know that I have been studying the martial arts for about twenty years. Recently I have taken up tai chi, or what is often known as the "internal arts." People who don't know any better think this is the same thing as yoga, that it is all about slow movements and kind of like dance. In the past 4 years I have learned more about the "martial" (fighting) aspect than I ever learned during my 15 plus years of what I thought was fighting training!

The other name for tai chi is the "supreme ultimate" which sounds kind of snotty but what it is saying is that if you understand and practice the principles of tai chi, you can take your art to the highest physical, mental, emotional ,and spiritual levels. We learn about keeping our body alignment so as to maximize relaxation and power at the same time--that's a deep concept. Power does not come from a tense or hard place. It comes from complete softness and openness! I've actually experienced this: by relaxing completely and being perfectly aligned, I have delivered some extremely powerful blows, possibly much harded than I ever did when I had 10 more pounds of muscle on me.

We also learn that the mind must direct the body, and part of fighting means having a clear and empty mind. A mind that is busy chattering like a monkey is no good to anyone. So instead of punching and kicking to clear my mind, now I clear my mind first (or try to) and then move my body. It's kind of like a snake chasing its tail, but eventually practice does make a difference.

Finally, something I learned from my training teacher George, remains true: Fighting is wrong. Once, after we spent a morning exchanging full contact inside sparring techniques, George told me, you know once you enter a fight, you have lost, right? Because fighting is wrong.

And that's where ironically the fighting arts are where I learn about peace and compassion. Fighting is a way for me to work with anger and frustration, and to learn to control my body according to centuries-old ideas that are modified to our contemporary expectations of urban living. But fighting as a way to interact with others is a poor person's way. Especially if you think of "winning" as control.

In tai chi, they say the best way to topple your adversary is not to be there at all. The idea of an "empty shirt" is great: if you heard someone was coming to attack you on Tuesday afternoon, then the best thing you could do when that time came is to go somewhere else! No way to get you then!

Be strong by being peaceful, but not stupid.

Photographic Ways of Seeing

I always liked taking pictures, but lately I've been using my camera in new ways to look at and understand the world around me. I've been fortunate to receive some mentoring from Wing Young Huie, a professional photographer from the Twin Cities. His latest project called 9 Months in America: An Ethnocentric Tour is represented in a new book, Looking at Asian America.

With his guidance, I've been looking through the lens differently. I'm much more interested in what is going on at the edges of the frame--that's really what makes a photograph interesting. And it's fascinating that the moment of pushing the shutter can be a moment of inspiration if I am truly open. Thinking really hard about a photograph is an instant way to kill it! But letting my eye see, and letting my finger push--that's when I have taken the most interesting pictures.

What do you see when you look through a lens?

Race Place and Space

We are easily convinced of the realities of race--after some study and dialogue--but the tangibility of place and space are still difficult for us to grasp. This course offers some theoretical frames for place and space and several ways to approach the spatial dimensions of race, racial difference, and racial inequality.

Race Theories and Concepts

This is a new 200-level course, eventually to be required for the American Studies major. We live in a society that claims to be "color-blind" yet the effects and realities of racial inequality are everywhere around us. We will study the theories and concepts that help to explain the creation and preservation of racial categories in the U.S. context, focusing particularly on 4 themes: sexuality/empire, working class politics, globalization and neoliberalism, & ethnicity and assimilation.

US Racial Formations and the Global Economy

This course explores the intersections of "race" as we understand it in the US and the expansion of corporate capitalism.

Courses I Teach

Starting this Fall 2007, I'm happy to be back from my tenure sabbatical and teaching full time at Macalester College. I'm offering two brand new courses, inspired by my travels and research, as well as one tried-and-true course that is still quite relevant to my own work. For more details, look for the "posts" on each course or visit the American Studies Department.

US RACIAL FORMATIONS AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

RACE THEORIES AND CONCEPTS

RACE PLACE AND SPACE