Listening ideas for 31 March 2011

The Korea Society
Modern Korean Literature: Searching for Identity at Home and in the World
On February 17, 2011, The Korea Society’s Korea In-Depth Lecture Series hosted scholar Ann Choi Wan for a lecture entitled, “Modern Korean Literature: Searching for Identity at Home and in the World.” Wan contrasted the themes of romantic love and individualism in the first “modern” Korean novels with earlier genres, which were heavily influenced by Confucian values of social harmony. The 2011 Korea In-Depth Lecture Series by noted scholars of the history, politics, literature, art, and architecture of Korea is supported by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities.
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In Our Time
The Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse section of the Sanskrit epic the Mahabharata, is one of the most revered texts of Hinduism. Written in around 200 BC, it narrates a conversation between Krishna, an incarnation of the deity, and the Pandava prince Arjuna. It has been described as a concise summary of Hindu theology, a short work which offers advice on how to live one's life. The Gita is also a philosophical work of great richness and influence. First translated into English in the 18th century, it was quickly taken up in the West. With: Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University, Julius Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Fellow of Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge, and Jessica Frazier, Research Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Lecturer in Religious Studies at Regent's College, London Producer: Thomas Morris.
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China History Podcast
The Qing Dynasty Part 3
In this episode we look at the bittersweet reign of the Qianlong emperor. The longest reigning emperor in Chinese imperial history, the Qianlong era saw the most splendid three decades for the Manchu's of the Qing Dynasty. China reached its greatest territorial extent and was still the marvel of the world. But during the second half of the Qianlong era, Westerners became more aggressive in their ongoing attempts to increase China trade. In addition to Westerners and their demands for China to open up, domestic problems increasingly plagued the Qing emperor. The stage was being set for the turbulent 19th century. The remaining six Qing emperors were powerless to control the cataclysmic series of events that would change China forever.
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Witness
Poll tax riots
On March 31, 1990, a demonstration against a new tax, degenerated into some of the worst riots London has ever seen. Two protestors remember that day very differently.
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