Yao Guigui, Director for the Center of American Culture Studies at Jianghan University, Wuhan, China, was USCET’s first American Studies Fellowship recipient under the programming for American Society and Culture. She conducted research on gender and religion as a visiting scholar at Yale University during the fall 2012 semester under the mentorship of American Studies Professor Laura Wexler.
While at Yale, Yao interviewed religious leaders, watched media coverage of the 2012 Presidential Election, and attended lectures related to her research. She also used this time to gather scholarly articles and other published works focused on American religion, politics and foreign policy perspectives.
Her fellowship culminated into a research paper titled, “Marginal Religions and the Women’s Rights Movement in America” (forthcoming, Cambridge Press). Yao will continue to conduct research and produce reports on religion as it affects society and culture in America.
Upon her return to China, Yao was promoted to Vice Chair of the English Department. She enjoys passing on her experiences in the US to her students to give them a firsthand account of her transformational trip.
Q & A with USCET Fellow Yao Guigui:
Q: What is the most important thing you learned about yourself during your time in the US?
Yao Guigui: I learned that I have the potential and the responsibility to do more in promoting mutual understanding between American and Chinese people. There exists a terrible misunderstanding between the two most important countries in today’s world. Although more and more youngsters in contemporary China have a bilingual background, I believe it is our educators’ responsibility to do more, either through classroom teaching, lecturing, or mentoring.
Q: How did this experience benefit your research the most? How has it benefited your university and your students?
Yao Guigui: I attended the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Chicago, and got to know many professors who are doing religious studies. Also, I have interviewed religious people around Yale and conservative religious organizations located in Washington D.C., such as the Family Research Council. I compare their views with those of liberal organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, and learned that there are fundamental differences in their views concerning abortion, same-sex marriage and human embryonic stem cell research. Before this visit, I got to know these differences only from reading materials, but now I have seen and talked with those people.
Q: Was there one event or one moment in particular that you will always remember?
Yao Guigui: I was invited to the Women Faculty Forum at Yale. I was so much impressed by Vice President Linda’s speech and this very event. This kind of event, I believe, has not taken place in China. To achieve real gender equality, we still have a long way to go in China.
中国武汉江汉大学美国文化研究中心主任姚桂桂是中美教育基金美国社会与文化项目下第一位美国研究奖学金获得者。2012年秋季学期，她作为访问学者在美国研究教授劳拉·韦克斯勒（Laura Wexler）的指导下在耶鲁大学进行性别与宗教的研究。
在耶鲁期间，姚桂桂采访了宗教领袖，观看了2012年总统大选的媒体报道，还参加了她研究相关领域内的各类讲座。她还利用这段时间收集了关于美国宗教、政治、和外交政策相关的学术论文和其他出版物。
她的奖学金成果汇集成了一篇题为“边缘宗教和美国女权运动”的学术论文。由于宗教对于美国社会和文化产生的影响，姚桂桂将继续对宗教进行研究报告。
在她回到中国后，她被升任为英语系副主任。她非常喜欢将她在美国的经验传授给她的学生们并给他们关于她美国之行的第一手资料。
与中美教育基金成员姚桂桂问答：
问：你在美国期间学到的关于你自己的最重要的事情是什么？
姚：我学到了我对提升中美两国人民的互相理解有潜力和责任去做出更多。在现今世界两大最重要的国家之间存在着可怕的误解。虽然现在中国有越来越多的年轻人有着中英双语的背景，我相信我们教育者有责任在无论是在课堂教学、讲座、还是辅导上做出更多。
问：这段经历如何最大地帮助你的研究？它如何帮助了你所在的大学和你的学生们？
姚：我参加了位于芝加哥的美国宗教学会年度会议并结识了许多宗教研究领域的教授。同时，我还采访了耶鲁周边的宗教人士和华盛顿特区的保守宗教组织，例如Family Research Council。我比较了他们的观点与自由组织（例如Planned Parenthood）的观点， 并意识到他们对于堕胎，同行婚姻，和人类胚胎干细胞研究等问题有着截然不同的看法。来此之前，我对于这些问题不同观点的了解仅限于阅读材料，但如今我更通过与这些人见面和对话。
问：有没有一个特别的活动或者特别的时刻你将永远记得？
姚：我应邀参加耶鲁女性教工论坛。我对于这项特别的活动和副校长琳达的演讲印象非常深刻。我想这一类的活动在中国还没有出现。要达到真正的性别平等，在中国我们还有很长的一条路要走。