AAS Guest Blog Post: Neal McKenna

Neal McKenna
LRCCS MA Candidate
 

It is a beautiful sunny day here in Seattle on Day 3 of the Association for Asian Studies annual conference 2016. The atmosphere is friendly and full of excited potential as old friends reunite and scholars of all backgrounds seek each other out to exchange ideas and discuss future collaborations. I have witnessed some great panel discussions and one slightly disappointing panel. I sometimes feel these conference panel titles could use a good strict Rectification of Names. It has been great to put a face to many of the names I have been reading for my research. It has also been a validating experience to see how my research aligns with the research of many established scholars. The University of Michigan is represented very well by the current students, faculty and staff attending and the many alumni scholars who are presenting on various panels. It's been great, for me both a productive and fun experience.