Furman University Professor Receives Fulbright Scholar Grant to Study in China

GREENVILLE, SC – Tami Blumenfield, an assistant professor of Asian Studies at Furman University, has been selected for a Fulbright Scholar Grant to conduct research in China during the 2015-16 academic year.

Blumenfield will work with the Na communities of the Yunnan Province, where she’ll create a multi-media exhibit and digital archive to help preserve the cultural heritage of the Na people.  She will also collaborate with the Yunnan University Institute for Ethnic Studies.

“This project will emphasize sharing perspectives, involving both creation and commentary by different groups of people from Na communities around Yunnan Province,” Blumenfield said.  “The archive will be designed to serve as a resource to the Na people, with materials in their Naru language as well as in Chinese.”

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Blumenfield is the James B. Duke Assistant Professor of Asian Studies at Furman, where she teaches courses on the Anthropology of China, Cultural Anthropology, Gender, and Media. She is also affiliated with the Anthropology Program, the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Interdisciplinary Minor, the Film Studies Interdisciplinary Minor, and the Shi Center for Sustainability.

Blumenfield is a founding board member and vice-president of the Cool Mountain Education Fund, a community sustainability initiative in China.  She is a graduate of Oberlin College, and holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Washington.

For more information, visit the Fulbright Program website or call Furman’s News and Media Relations Office at864-294-3107.