Dedicated to the languages, literatures, linguistics, and cultures of East Asia
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures prepares students for B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and trans-Asian studies.
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In the Spotlight
Professor Ariel Stilerman Publishes New Book, "Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan"
Once the exclusive domain of the aristocracy, classical Japanese poetry (waka) underwent a remarkable transformation in the medieval period, becoming a dynamic tool for cultural education embraced by warriors, monks, merchants, and commoners alike. Ariel Stilerman investigates this evolution in Court Poetry and the Culture of Learning in Japan by examining not only poetic treatises but also overlooked genres—encyclopedias, professional manuals, Buddhist essays, literary primers, didactic fiction, and popular tales.
As new audiences turned to waka and its playful counterpart, kyōka, in pursuit of salvation, career advancement, love, or adventure, poetry became a bridge between emerging social identities and the elite traditions of the aristocracy. Stilerman concludes that even as waka declined at the turn of the twentieth century, the tea ceremony rose to take its place—preserving and reinterpreting its role as the embodiment of Japanese tradition.
Offering a fresh and far-reaching perspective, this book illuminates poetry’s enduring influence—not just as an art form, but as a vital thread woven through the fabric of Japan’s cultural history.
Published by Harvard University Asia Center
Leta Hong Flincher / Photo by Francesca Leonardi
The Center for East Asian Studies and the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures are excited to announce that CEAS alum, journalist, and scholar Leta Hong Fincher will be the keynote speaker at our joint Departmental Commencement Ceremony on June 14, 2026!
Leta received her master's degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University in 1992 after graduating from Harvard University magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. She is the first American to receive a Ph.D. from Tsinghua University's Department of Sociology in Beijing. She is currently a Research Associate at the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
Leta has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, Dissent Magazine, Ms. Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and others. As a long-time TV and radio journalist based in China, she won the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, the Cowan Award for Humanitarian Reporting and other journalism honors. The newly released, 10th anniversary edition of Leta's book, Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China, was named one of the five best books to understand modern China by The Guardian in 2024 and one of the best books of 2023 by China Books Review. Leta’s other book, Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, was named one of the best books of 2018 by Vanity Fair, Newsweek, Foreign Policy Interrupted, Bitch Media and Autostraddle; it was also a New York Times “New and Noteworthy” pick.
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Leta Hong Flincher / Photo by Francesca Leonardi
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