Florida International University Fall December 12, 2012 Commencement Ceremony Session 7

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony December 12,2012 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 7) Colleges graduated: College of Business School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

Florida International University Fall December 12, 2012 Commencement Ceremony Session 6

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony December 12,2012 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 6) Colleges graduated: College of Business

Florida International University Fall December 11,2012 Commencement Ceremony Session 5

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony December 11,2012 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 5) Colleges graduated: College of Engineering and Computing

Florida International University Fall December 11,2012 Commencement Ceremony Session 4

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony December 11,2012 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 4) Colleges graduated: College of Education Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Florida International University Summer August 6, 2013 Commencement Ceremony Session 6

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony August 6,2013 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 6) Colleges graduated: College of Buiness

Florida International University Summer August 6, 2013 Commencement Ceremony Session 5

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony August 6,2013 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 5) Colleges graduated: College of Buiness

Florida International University Summer August 5,2013 Commencement Ceremony Session 3

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony August 5,,2013 at US Century Bank Arena ( Session 3) Colleges graduated: College of Journalism and Mass Communication College of Arts and Sciences School of Hospitality Management and Tourism

Florida International University Fall December 13,2011 Commencement Ceremony Session 6

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony December 13,2011 at US Century Bank Arena (Session 6) Colleges graduated: College of Architecture + The Arts School of Journalism & Mass Communication College of Business Administration – Chapman Graduate School of Business

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony Summer August 14,2012 Session 2

Florida International University Commencement Ceremony August 14th,2012 US Century Bank Arena, Session 2

Ribbon-cutting ceremony

Inscription: Verso: Ribbon-cutting at dedication ceremony of Women's Rights National Historical Park.

Reaccreditation ceremony of the career of Library and Documentation of the National University

This section presents information on the delivery ceremony of the official certificate of reaccreditation, by the SINAES, to the career of Diploma, Bachelor (with the following two emphases: Information Management, Information Technology and Communication) and Bachelor of Library and Documentation, held last March 3, 2011. It includes some of the speeches delivered that night, and several photographs illustrating such an important event for both the School of Library and to the university community.

Franchise nations : the future of nations?

In this paper, I extend the notion of franchise nations, borrowed from Neal Stephenson’s cyberpunk novel Snow Crash (1993), in order to employ it as a device for thinking about the future of the nation. I argue the concept to be particularly well suited for such contemplation because of its sound grounding in the historical intermesh of economic, political and cultural motivations intrinsic to the concept as well as lived experience of the nation. I illustrate this very briefly by casting (mainland) China as the master franchisor and the overseas Chinese as franchisees. Specifically, I discuss the media events concerning China that took place during 2008, such as the protests and counter-protests that occurred at various legs of the Olympic Torch Relay, the Sichuan earthquake of 12 May and the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on 8 August, and reactions to these happenings from overseas Chinese located variously in Australia, Canada and the United States. I argue that employing the notion of franchise nations lays bare the commercial and political instrumentalism behind the promotion and courtship of diasporas by home nations but, crucially, also aids in the understanding of the reciprocal processes by which franchisees are fashioned out of these communities. Finally, I suggest that, aside from China, franchise nations may also be a useful approach for thinking about how nations like India and Singapore are expanded, exported and explained into the future.