New faculty books from the 天美影视传媒 include those from Asian languages and literature, applied mathematics and the Jackson School of International Studies.

Charting a new genealogy of yoga

and , both professors in the Jackson School of International Studies, collaborated to publish 鈥�.鈥�

Yoga has an enormous range of meanings, though it most often refers to philosophy or methods to control the mind or body. Kale and Novetzke argue for a wider understanding, writing that yoga has long expressed political thought and practice.

“This is a book about yoga, but it is not about that聽yoga. Our book does not center the yoga you鈥檒l find in a modern yoga studio,鈥� they write in the opening. 鈥淚nstead, the yoga of this book is the yoga of poets and kings, warriors and heroes, princes and revolutionaries. It is the yoga of leaders finding ways to govern and of insurgents rising from under the weight of colonialism.鈥�

The authors chart a new genealogy of yoga, beginning with uses of the term in some of India鈥檚 ancient texts like the Rig Veda, the Mah膩bh膩rata, the Bhagavad G墨t膩 and the Artha艣膩stra. In the world of these texts, yoga names everything from war and battle strategy to good governance, espionage, taxation and welfare.

This path leads to the modern period, where Kale and Novetzke examine the writings and speeches of nationalist-era political figures like Gandhi, Aurobindo, Ambedkar and the Raja of Aundh. Their interpretation of yoga embraces its long-standing political conceptualization and sheds light on South Asian political thought and history.

They write: 鈥淭he yoga that we study here echoes from the ancient past in a way that resonates forcefully in the political present. This is a book about the yoga that names what people do to hold sway over other people, things, concepts and political structures. This is a book about the yoga of power.鈥�

For more information, contact Kale at kale@uw.edu and Novetzke at novetzke@uw.edu.

History and development of the Chinese script

, professor of Asian languages and literature, recently published 鈥�.鈥�

The book explores the history of the Chinese script, particularly how it鈥檚 been changed and adapted over 2,000 years for use in non-Chinese languages. In tracing these developments, Handel explores misconceptions and myths about Chinese writing, notions that Chinese could be a universal script and the future of Chinese characters.

鈥淭his book presents the fascinating story of the millennia-long history of Chinese writing,鈥� Handel said. 鈥淭hrough lively anecdotes, examples and images, it demystifies Chinese writing and invites the reader to gain new insights and perspectives on the relationship between written and spoken language.鈥�

The book is written in a non-technical style meant to be accessible to readers who don鈥檛 have any background knowledge of Chinese.

鈥淚 am proud and excited to be able to present material that has engaged me throughout my scholarly career in a style that invites everyone to share my fascination,鈥� Handel said.

For more information, contact Handel at zhandel@uw.edu.

Latest edition of 鈥淜orean for Dummies鈥�

, UW teaching professor of Asian languages and literature, served as the primary co-author for the second edition of 鈥�.鈥�

The newly released edition features 20 thematically organized chapters that explore a wide range of everyday topics, including Hangeul, Korean grammar, travel, shopping, work and dining out.

Each chapter is designed to introduce practical expressions, essential vocabulary, cultural insights and helpful language tips, equipping learners with the tools to communicate effectively and confidently in various real-life situations. The book offers language support that is relevant and accessible.

鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a traditional language textbook filled with dense grammar explanations,鈥� Won said. 鈥淚nstead, it serves as a practical reference guide for learners who want to start conversing in Korean with ease.鈥�

The book focuses on real-life scenarios, such as ordering food, shopping at local markets or making travel arrangements, while offering cultural notes that enhance understanding of Korean norms and etiquette.

Ideal for beginners, the book supports pronunciation practice, conversation strategies and the use of polite language in context. It also serves as a valuable resource for anyone seeking to deepen their appreciation of Korean culture through language.

鈥淭his book is brimming with cultural gems and practical tips that help learners grasp the essentials of Korean,鈥� Won said.

The project is a collaborative effort between Won and Jeongyi Lee of Kennesaw State University.

For more information, contact Won at woney@uw.edu.

A stochastic control approach to dynamic futures trading

鈥溾�� is a recent book by , professor of applied mathematics.

Futures play an integral role in financial markets; millions of contracts are traded on futures exchanges around the globe every day. In recent years, futures have been incorporated into a wide array of financial securities and have become the driving force behind their price dynamics.

Multiple stochastic models are designed to capture the salient features of various market regimes and dynamics. They are useful for pricing futures contracts and building futures portfolios.

In this book, Leung and his co-author , who graduated from UW with a doctoral degree in applied mathematics, analyze the mathematical problems associated with futures trading problems in different market environments. The book presents a series of numerical examples to illustrate the optimal trading strategies.

鈥淭his book was motivated by a series of research projects on futures pricing and trading,鈥� said Leung, who is the Boeing Endowed Professor of Applied Mathematics and the computational finance and risk management, or CFRM,聽program.

鈥淯W graduate students in applied mathematics and in the CFRM program participated in our lectures on dynamic futures portfolio optimization, while others took part in the early reading of the drafts of various chapters,鈥� Leung said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful for this vibrant research environment.鈥�

For more information, contact Leung at timleung@uw.edu.

Highlighting concept-based language instruction

鈥溾�� showcases how concept-based language instruction can be effectively integrated into foreign language instruction.

Published in January, the book was co-authored by , UW professor of Asian languages and literature, , UW lecturer of Japanese, and Kyoko Masuda of Georgia Tech.

Concept-based language instruction is grounded in the relationship between theory, research and practice. The method uses visual aids called SCOBAs 鈥� or schemas for a complete orientating basis of action 鈥� to teach accurate scientific concepts.

鈥淭his is one of the first books in an emerging research area, and the first related to Japanese,鈥� Ohta said. 鈥淲e are excited to see it in print, and hope that it provides inspiration for researchers and foreign language teachers.鈥�

For more information, contact Ohta at aohta@uw.edu.

But what of the day-to-day experiences, the families, the hopes and goals of these millions of laborers?

A workshop Dec. 1 and 2 at the 天美影视传媒 Communications Building will explore the lives of the people who toil in these often overlooked yet ubiquitous trades. is co-sponsored by the Simpson Center, the UW Department of Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and the South Asia Center of the Jackson School of International Studies.

The symposium runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the Simpson Center seminar room.

Among the speakers are UW faculty members , professor of gender, women and sexuality studies and organizer of the symposium; , chair of the South Asia Studies program in the Jackson School, and others from the departments of anthropology; gender, women and sexuality studies; geography; and urban design and planning.

“There are many people in precarious kinds of employment across the world 鈥� the informal economy,” said Ramamurthy, whose research has focused on several South Indian villages over decades. “They have jobs that are insecure, they move through many occupations trying to make a living, and many are migrate from rural to urban areas, or from city to city.”

“Informal economy” jobs, Ramamurthy added, often aren’t regulated, and therefore lack the benefits, support systems or ability to organize that might come from working in, say, a factory or for the government.

The workshop is designed to highlight a more humanistic approach to research 鈥� “to recognize how meaningful and poetic their lives are,” Ramamurthy said. Alongside the poverty and violence that often permeate their lives, she explained, people also exhibit pride in the skills they’ve acquired, community spirit, generosity and joy.

At the symposium, scholars from India and from other U.S. universities will speak on four themes, which the workshop program identifies as interiority of selfhood; habitations of time and space; entanglements of production and reproduction; and mutual imprint of the country and the city. Speakers will provide case studies of workers in China, India, South Korea and the United States, and will discuss ways to improve the lives of people in the informal economy.

Such efforts are already underway in Hyderabad, India, Ramamurthy said, where a local organization focuses on creating community spaces 鈥� places where people can come together away from work.

“What we hope to get out of it is to brainstorm the political openings for people,” she said. “How can we improve people’s lives? How do we get them the better quality of life that they deserve?”

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For more information or to sign up to attend, visit .

This 10-part series examines the ongoing impact of the 2016 election on countries and regions worldwide.聽Each week, Jackson School faculty experts聽will explore perspectives from Europe, Asia, Mexico, Russia and the Middle East as well as questions of climate change and historical context in the U.S. presidency.

“” lectures will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday afternoons in room 110 of Kane Hall, and all are open to the public. Jackson School Director will be moderator for these events.

The schedule is as follows:

Oct. 2: Trump and the World 鈥� a Historical Perspective, with , assistant professor of international studies
Oct. 9: The Middle East and Israel, with , professor of international studies
Oct. 16: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Gulf, with , affiliate professor of international studies
Oct. 23: The US-Mexican Border, with , associate professor and chair of the
Oct. 30: India, with , associate professor, director of the
Nov. 6: China, with , professor of international studies
Nov. 13: The Korean Peninsula, with , professor of international studies
Nov. 20: The International Climate Regime, with , professor of international studies and director of the
Nov. 27: Russia, with , professor of history and international studies.
Dec. 4: Final panel discussion and round table.

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For more information about the series, contact the Jackson School at 206-543-6001 or jsisadv@uw.edu. Interested press may contact Monique Thormann, Jackson School director of communications, at 206-685-0578 or thormm@uw.edu.