Events at: Room 120, C.K. Choi Building

South China Sea: Impact on ASEAN

When China expanded dramatically into the South China Sea in 2015, there was little reaction. Now, approaching one year later, scholars and nations are beginning to react and understand how historic this move was. The geographical heart of ASEAN has been cut out. China’s “dual strategy” offers attractive infrastructure projects and increased trade, but forbids […]

“Persian Writings on Ayurvedic Medicine: The Construction of a Genre” by Dr. Fabrizio Speziale

This lecture examines the translation of foreign materials into post-Abbasid Muslim medical culture by looking at the production of Persian works dealing with Indian medicine. From the 14th century onwards, the composition of Persian texts on Ayurveda emerged in South Asia as a new genre of writing, which was actually a composite genre including various […]

“Literary Interaction in South Asia: Indo-Persian Narratives” by Dr. Pegah Shahbaz

This Presentation will bring up the study of Persian narratives of Indian origin, translated directly from Sanskrit or other South Asian vernaculars from the 14th century onwards; the stories which, retold and modified according to the recipient culture, helped to form a forthcoming exchange of knowledge between Muslims and Hindus, during the realm of Sultanates […]

Workshop: “Colonial Readers and Authors of Indo-Persian Texts” by Dr. Shahbaz and Dr. Speziale

Dr. Speziale is an Associate Professor (maître de conférences)  in Persian Studies at the Department of Arabic, Hebrew, Indian and Iranian Studies in University Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3. He is also the principal investigator of the Perso-Indica project, whose aim is to produce a comprehensive survey of Persian works on Indian cultures, written between the 13th and the 19th centuries […]

Thailand’s Military, the USA and China: Understanding how the Thai Military Perceives the Great Powers and Implications for the US Rebalance

Thailand’s ties as an intimate US ally have declined in recent years and the US-Thai relationship is under pressure as China’s regional influence grows. How and why has this happened? Does it matter for the US rebalance in Asia? As the only US treaty ally in mainland Southeast Asia, Thailand has been the recipient of […]

Nationalism, Dogmatism and what more: The Crisis of Vision in Nepali Society

Nepal’s resources, natural as well as human, have good creative potential, but why is this potential not unleashed? In spite of some positive developments in political awareness, why is the leadership everybody wished for lacking? New ideas have been floated and some changes are brought, but instead of a breakthrough these have dismantled policy structures […]

The Geo-strategic Game in the Greater Central Asia: Who is Involved and Why Now?

Seminar abstract: The Greater Central Asia region refers to Xinjing (China), Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. This region is important for energy security, trade, and the combating of terrorism and fundamentalism, which involve key countries such as USA, China, India, and Russia. This seminar seeks to analyze the geo-strategic game in the region, […]

Colin BradfordLeadership in the Post Brexit Era: Global Governance, the G20 and the Politics of Answering Public Angst

UBC students, join us to explore the G20 as a global governance mechanism and the relationship of domestic politics to international leadership.  Ultimately, global leadership is political.  When domestic politics turn inward and when people feel left out of the benefits of the economic system, global leadership becomes all the more necessary, but all the […]

Achieving Transformative Change: The Analytics and Social Processes for Implementing the SDGS to Achieve Systemic Sustainability

This discussion will explore how to move forward agendas for “transformative change” based on empirical work and social processes of engagement to assure a solid basis for change based in part on the work of Colin Bradford and MPPGA student Chad Rickaby. Bio: Colin Bradford is an international economist at the Brookings Institution who is […]

Thailand in Transition: Challenges and Prospects

A Conversation with Dr. Philip Calvert, Former Canadian Ambassador to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. Dr. Philip Calvert Philip Calvert (BA Honours, the University of British Columbia, 1980; MA, York University, 1982; PHD, University of Washington, 1991) joined the Department of External Affairs in 1982 (now the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada). His […]

Chinese Politics in the XI JINPING Era – Reassessing collective leadership

At the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party in the fall of 2017, China will likely experience its largest leadership turnover since the height of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. Xi Jinping is one of the most intriguing and complex world leaders of our time, and China’s political trajectory is crucial to […]

Foreignness, Cultural Identity, and the Emergence of the Barbarian hero as a Literary Archetype: Using Zhang Fei as a Case Study

In this talk, I will consider the emergence of the barbarian-hero persona in Ming-Qing vernacular novels in connection to the development of Chinese cultural identity. As an emerging and popular character archetype found across a number of vernacular novels during the late Imperial period, the barbarian-hero is defined by two qualities: his barbarian-like physical (and […]

Experimentation and Ethnocentrism in Post-Colonial Indian Drama by Dr. Vijaya Jammi

This presentation deals with the essence of nationhood in the post-colonial Indian drama following an interdisciplinary approach. The presentation analyses the regional Indian theatre of this period from the ‘ethno-symbolic’ perspective, and underlines the element of tradition and experimentation in this genre. VIEW POSTER 

Rehearsing Cosmopolitan Asianness: Practicing Koreanness in Thai Queer K-Fandom

About the Seminar:  K-pop and K-drama have transformed contemporary beauty aesthetics among young Thai people. K-pop cover dance, or the reproduction of choreographed movements from Korean music videos, is a definitive social activity among Asian sissies (young feminine gay men). Thai sissies are among the most passionate and proficient practitioners of K-pop cover dance, and […]

Minorities and Terror Attack in Bangladesh: A Roundtable Discussion

The grim list of those who have fallen victim to attacks by Islamist militants in Bangladesh is growing ever diverse. Secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, and members of religious minorities including Shia, Sufi and Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus have all been killed, many of them hacked to death. That a university professor […]

The Rise of Authoritarian Corporate Intervention: Evidence from East Asia

Abstract: The global diffusion of liberalizing reforms is theorized to reduce the state’s involvement in the economy, yet across the world a remarkable surge of state intervention in the corporate sector has occurred. I propose that this disconnect between theory and empirics can be resolved, in part, by considering an overlooked political phenomenon – the […]

Vietnam’s Path to Inclusive Growth: Past Achievements and Future Challenges

In the early and mid Doi Moi years, with the country’s post-transition starting point favored labor intensive activities, Viet Nam performed well on economic growth. Economic expansion was inclusive, with benefits widely distributed and opportunities shared having brought significant social transformation, evident in the shrinking population shares of the poor and near poor, and rapid […]

Activism for Harmony? Immigrant Rights’ Activism and Xenophobic Activism in Japan

The type of activism that small immigrant rights’ (pro-foreigner) groups engage is what I have called “associative activism.” Associative activism arises when like-minded activists address specific problems and eventually seek to transform inflexible and relatively unresponsive political institutions through coordinated activities. These are aimed at resolving some particular problem that, while not directly in conflict […]

The Science of Healing: Tibetan Medicine as Local Practice, National Heritage, and Global Brand

Often translated as ‘the science of healing’ (sowa rigpa), Tibetan medicine is at once a diverse system of healing with ancient roots extending out from the Tibetan Plateau and a modern, globalizing ‘alternative’ therapeutics. The contemporary practice of Tibetan medicine is enmeshed within multiple, and sometimes conflicting, agendas: from the need to conserve medicinal plants […]

Japan’s ‘Quality Service’: Can Omotenashi be a source of Japan’s soft power?

Abstract:  Visitors to Japan often express their appreciation of Omotenashi (Japan’s quality service), and regularly comment on their pleasant experiences. Recently, Ometenashi has become a widely-used term by the Japanese government, mass-media and hospitality business who wish to attract more inbound tourists, one of the major strategies of Abenomics. It is also a term associated […]

Master the rules of Japanese SHUKATSU!

日本の企業に就職を希望する留学生が 知っておくべき「就活・ニッポンの常識」 Note: This event will be held in Japanese Many Japanese companies are looking into hiring students who graduated from a university outside of Japan. What is the most attractive thing about students who experienced international education? This talk will focus on company perspectives and will answer questions from students who wish to work […]

Understanding Caste and Class in Contemporary India

Dr. Anand Teltumbde, a leading civil rights activist, public intellectual, authour and professor of business analytics argues that caste and class is a duality which has killed a potential revolution in India, dragging India into a socio-political morass. While castes have been the lifeworld of people, as a system their attributes have undergone change due […]

The Trump Moment: What does it Mean for the Asia-Pacific (and Canada)?

A roundtable/town house discussion with IAR faculty, associates, and students. Featuring: Dr. Brian Job (Associate Director, Institute of Asian Research; Graduate Director, Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs) Dr. Gisele Yasmeen (Senior Fellow, Institute of Asian Research) Dr. Paul Evans (Professor, Institute of Asian Research and Liu Institute for Global Issues) Dr. Christina Laffin […]

China’s Rise: Consequences for China and for the World

About the Speakers Professor Qin Hui 秦晖 is Professor of History at Tsinghua University, Beijing. His research has covered several fields in economic history, social history and the history of ideas. He has published more than twenty books including Fields and Garden Poetry and Rhapsodies (田园诗与狂想曲), Ten Treatises on Tradition (传统十论), Out of the Imperial […]

Discussing Problems and Solutions for Peace and the Role of Space Energy on Development

**THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE** Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on peace and development with Waheed Waheedulla, Peacebuilding & Conflict Management Advisor to the United Nations. The world today is undergoing very troubled times. People, from the West to East and from North to South, are all engaged in an ineffective […]

Image credit: rbloodPipelines and Climate Policy – Where are We Now?

Friday, January 6th, 2017 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Room 120, C.K. Choi Building, 1855 West Mall V6T 1Z, UBC Please RSVP.  Everyone welcome. Pizza provided. Watch the video here. Over the past several months the Trudeau government has made some major choices about energy and environmental policy for Canada: it rejected one oil sands pipeline, approved […]

Welcome to Washington Heights: American Towns and Americanization in Occupied Japan

Abstract: From the 1950s, Japanese are said to have embraced the so-called “bright life”—that is, a middle class social ideal inspired by the bright lives led by their American occupiers. As the story’s been told up to now, the “bright life” was enshrined in the American magazines, movies, and TV programs that flooded Japan during […]

Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Roundtable Discussion: Himalayan Research at UBC​

This event is an interdisciplinary roundtable discussion featuring the research of several UBC graduate students. With participants from Humanities, Social Sciences, and Medicine, the roundtable will initiate conversations across disciplines and showcase exciting projects focusing on the Himalayan region from across the university. Stay tuned for further details! Discussion begins at 5pm. This event  is sponsored by the Himalaya Program and […]

Laughing in the Year of the Chicken: The Past and Future of Chinese Humor

Cock-a-doodle doo! Chinese comedians should have a lot to crow about during the Year of the Rooster. But should we expect Chinese humor in 2017 to be defined by wit, satire, parody, farce, or just cockiness? Come hear a practicing comedian swap perspectives with a cultural historian on the past, present, and future of Chinese […]

Film Screening & Discussion: “The Last Tear,” a Documentary About Comfort Women in Asia and Korea

This documentary feature film tells a story about sexual violence against women, yet most of its victims are silenced. One such sad episode is that of the “comfort women,” or more accurately, the estimated 200,000 women who were recruited to sexually serve the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. As part of this immense […]

At Home in the Green Mountains – Bhutanese Resettlement in Vermont

In a time of controversy, conflict, and urgency regarding forced migration and refugee populations worldwide, the resettlement of Bhutanese Lhotshampa over the past decade stands as a success story. A large proportion of the refugees in the camps in Nepal has relocated to new homes in North America, Europe and Oceania. While the arrival of the […]

How Much Difference is There Between Japan and China in Terms of Aesthetics?

Speaker: Professor Masahiro Hamashita (Kobe College) It is time that we should distinguish more fully the difference between Japanese culture and Chinese culture. There still exists a misunderstanding that Japanese culture should be regarded as a derivative of Chinese culture under the influence of Confucianism. However, those who are familiar with some characteristics of Japanese […]

Genealogy of three Principles of the Constitution of Japan: Sovereignty of the people, Fundamental Human Rights, and Pacifism

Speaker: Masahiro Nakano (Visiting Professor Aoyama Gakuin University) In Japan, as the consequences of the election of the House of Councilors (参議院) in 2016, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP: 自民党), Komeito (公明党) and some of their followers won two-thirds of the seats in both of the House of Representatives (衆議院) and the House of […]

When Did the Cultural Revolution Begin?

How do historians delineate the temporal boundaries of major historical events, and trace their origins, precedents, and preludes? How are periodization schemes constructed and defined? In this talk, Prof. Wu will reconsider the opening phase of China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and the critical events leading up to it, with the aim of developing an […]

Japan’s Vision for the East Asian Security Border

About the speaker:  Dr. Ryo Sahashi is an associate professor of International Politics and associate dean, Faculty of Law at Kanagawa University, Yokohama, and a research fellow at the Japan Center for International Exchange. He is a specialist in international politics of East Asia. He has several publications on US-China relations, Taiwan, East Asian security order, […]

International Institutions: 国際公務員就職ガイダンス

Note: This event will be held in Japanese. By: First Secretary Keisuke Fukuda (Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations) オープニング：　岡井総領事 第１部：福田書記官によるガイダンス *   国際機関に就職するためのキャリア・プランニング *   国際機関職員の処遇、ワーク・ライフ・バランス *   選考の実態 国連は47の職種・８万人超の職員が働く多様な職場です。 第２部：個別相談 「今から何ができて、今後何をすればよいか」を相談の機会を通じて具体的に考えていただきます。 RSVP | Event poster

The Flow and Ebb of Canadian Development Efforts in Nepal

In his talk, Ivan Somlai will note some complexities, frustrations, and epiphanies arising from work with donor and host governments as he experienced them in development initiatives in Nepal since 1976. Beginning with his current IDRC-supported “Forest & Wildfire Management Project”, he will also draw on examples –as time permits—from other projects, to illustrate trends, collaboration, competition […]

Globalization, the State, and Foreign Labor Policy: Japan in Comparative Perspective

To stay competitive in the global marketplace, states have been increasingly forced to supplement their domestic workforce with foreign labor. However, the question of labor importation remains highly contentious, producing puzzling cross-national variation in admission schemes for less-skilled workers. How can we explain this policy divergence among similar advanced economies? In this talk, Dr. Kalicki […]

Counter-intelligibility in Recent South Korean Film

Dr. Hanscom will explore the possibility of understanding contemporary South Korean cultural production outside of a nationalist or culturalist framework of interpretation.  A reading of two recent films provides an opportunity to consider how art can formally convey a content that reflects or stems from its situation and at the same time can exceed the […]

Japan’s new security Partnerships – the ‘special relationship’ with Australia

Australia and Japan have greatly enhanced their direct bilateral security ties to forge what they now describe as a “special strategic partnership.” This new form of security alignment is not intended to be a traditional alliance pact, but rather represents a novel and versatile mechanism for diplomatic, security, and economic cooperation. Both states seek to […]

The Politics of Invisibility: Fukushima, 6 Years After 3.11

Radiation is an invisible hazard, largely imperceptible to the human senses. Damage from the fall out from nuclear power plant accidents, such as at Fukushima in March 2011, is also largely imperceptible. Similarly, even in democratic countries the consequences of nuclear accidents are often made invisible by governments that limit public attention to radiation and […]

The Sudden Expansion and Contraction of China’s Microfinance for Women Program

China scholars have explored shirking by local officials and “effective implementation,” but fewer have examined polices that are implemented with great enthusiasm. The Microfinance for Women Program fits in this last category. Especially in Sichuan, targets for lending were set by the province, exceeded, raised, and then exceeded again. The immediate reason that loan-making took […]

Bo Xilai and the Cultural Revolution

Since the trial of Bo Xilai in 2013, there has been no official discussion in China on the possible differences in political strategy which might exist between Bo Xilai and Xi Jinping. This presentation will analyze Bo Xilai’s Cultural Revolution experience as well as the discussions on various Chinese blogs to test the hypothesis that […]

A Billion Voices: The Past and Future of Putonghua

Throughout the world, hundreds of millions of people, Chinese and foreign, are learning a version of Chinese called Putonghua.  Since the turn of the twentieth century a host of linguists and political leaders, from the radical intellectuals of the May Fourth Movement, to leaders such as Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong, all fought linguistic wars to […]

Study in Japan

Thinking of going to Japan as an exchange student, graduate or research student? Join us for a very good opportunity to learn about the possibility of studying in Japan. You will be able to meet students who actually went to Japan as an exchange student or as a graduate/research student and ask any questions about […]

Health Care for 1.3 Billion: Successes and Challenges in China’s Health System Reforms

China has made significant progress toward universal health coverage that meets the reasonable expectations of the population and addresses the perennial patient complaint of “kan bing nan, kan bing gui” (getting healthcare is difficult and expensive). Yet many challenges remain. The recently announced 13th 5-year-plan for deepening health system reform issued by the PRC State […]

Australia & Canada in the Trump Era

About the Speaker Mr. Paul Maddison is High Commissioner of Canada in Australia with concurrent accreditation as High Commissioner to Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. He also holds concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. He began his current assignment upon arrival in Canberra in August 2015. Mr. […]

Environmental Anarchism: Agriculture and Social Renewal in Modern Korea

Abstract: Dr. Park will traces the rise of environmental consciousness and movements in South Korea after 1945. In particular, it locates the origins of environmentalism in rural South Korea with agricultural farming communities and cooperatives, such as Hansalim, leading the way. Forms of environmentalism arose in these communities as they responded to a process of […]

Trade Between Tibet and the Tang Empire

Zhemian (Ochre face) was originally an “ethnic description” of the facial makeup practices of the Tibetans, or Tubo, in the Tang History and other Chinese-language historical sources. Across two centuries of Tang-Tibetan interaction, “zhemian” influenced culture in Chang’an and the Central Plains. After comprehensive analysis, these phenomena arouse our interest: The assertion in the Tang […]

JCN Alumnight 2017

Abstract: UBC Japan Career Network is proud to present Alumnight 2017! This is the place where you can listen to stories about job hunting (or internship hunting) in Japan, Canada, or at the Boston Career forum from successful 3rd and 4th year UBC students. This will be a valuable occasion to network with UBC graduates to […]

An Art for Everyone: The Rāmāyaṇa Scrolls of Bengal

This talk will be followed by a reception honouring Prof. Bose’s services to CISAR. Please RSVP. There will be food and drinks at the reception! For hundreds of years India’s villages have been sites of rich cultural production, especially paintings of varied forms, representing the imaginative, spiritual and historical experience of common people. A particularly […]

What Shapes Public Attitudes about Capital Controls: Evidence from China

About the speaker David A. Steinberg is an assistant professor of international political economy. His research focuses on the politics of international money and finance. His book, Demanding Devaluation: Exchange Rate Politics in the Developing World (Cornell University Press, 2015), was awarded the Peter Katzenstein Book Prize and received an Honorable Mention for the American Political Science […]

Into the Silicon Valley North: Film Screening and Panel Discussion

‘Into the Silicon Valley North’: Canada’s Opportunity in Global Creative Industries and How China Contributes to B.C.’s Growing Tech Sector Independent documentary ‘Into the Silicon Valley North’ digs into Vancouver’s burgeoning tech sector and explores how global talents are contributing to this fast-growing ecosystem. Four young Chinese millennials, from international students to tech entrepreneurs, their […]

[CANCELLED] The Visual Politics of Walls: Barriers, Flows, and the Sublime

**Please note that this event is cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you at the next event** Abstract: As Donald J. Trump’s electoral victory graphically shows, walls are a hot topic. While ‘globalization’, with its free flow of capital, goods, ideas and people characterized world politics after the end of the […]

Myanmar in Transition: An Update on Recent Developments

Gwen Robinson will provide an overview of recent developments in Myanmar under the Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy, with reference to the political and economic context, the peace process, the situation in Rakhine state, aid and trade, and diplomatic relations. Light refreshments will be served. About the speaker Gwen Robinson is […]

Another Tagore: A Campaigner of Emancipation of the Peasantry in Bengal

Presented by: Professor Atiur Rahman, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka (formerly Governor of Central Bank of Bangladesh) Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel Laureate in Literature, a versatile genius and a product of the European renaissance was indeed much larger than his own life. He was deeply touched by the deprivations of the peasantry […]

Hong Kong: 20 Years After – A Symposium

The past two decades have not been the best of times for Hong Kong. What have been the sources of tensions for this former British colony? As Hong Kong is set to enter the Carrie Lam era, what promises does Deng Xiaoping’s formulation of “One Country, Two Systems” still hold for this special administrative region […]

Making an International Currency: Renminbi Internationalization

The presentation will discuss the development of China’s currency, the Renminbi (RMB), as an international currency.  A rising Chinese state and associated market actors are the primary agents in internationalizing the RMB. Chinese state officials have created the government programs and legal/regulatory frameworks that have enabled corporates to use the RMB for cross-border trade settlement, […]

Radical Inequalities: China’s Welfare State in Comparative Perspective

Abstract: The Chinese communist welfare state was established with the goal of eradicating income inequality. Paradoxically, it widened the income gap between workers and peasants in the Mao era.  To explain this ironic outcome, this talk places the Chinese case in the context of the globalization of welfare policies in the 20th century.  The mismatch […]

Seeking Innovation with Central Authorization: Mapping Chinese Local Governments’ Innovations During the Xi Era

This talk will analyse the new progress of local government innovation in China since Xi takes over the power. The previous research has mostly focused on two models of local innovations: “exploration” by local governments；”pilots” by central government. In this talk, a new rebalancing model— “proposal-approved”, involving both local government and central government, is introduced. […]

从自主探索、设计试验到请示授权：十八大以来中国地方政府创新的新进展

摘要：地方政府创新是政府治理改革的重要内容，业已成为当代中国政府与政治研究中的重要议题。已有研究揭示了“自主探索”和“设计试验”两种最具代表性的创新机制。十八大以后，一些研究者基于“中国地方政府创新奖”申报数量的减少以及地方政府自主空间的减小，判定中国地方政府创新的动力显著减弱。十八大后的集权化改革，在一定程度上限制了“自主探索”的范围、幅度和可能性。但是，中国地方政府创新出现了不同于“自主探索”与“设计试验”的新形态：“请示授权”，而且这一新形态已获得湖南、山东、山西、浙江、内蒙古五省区的制度确认，可能成为中国地方政府创新的一种新趋势。“请示授权”将纵向政府间的非正式互动纳入正式的政府过程，是实现“顶层设计”与“基层探索”良性互动的一种可能路径，或将重新型构中国的纵向政府间关系。 特邀演讲嘉宾：郁建兴教授 (浙江大学公共管理学院院长) * 本场讲座将用中文进行 停车地址：请google “Fraser River Parkade” 请通过邮件或手机短信确认出席：xiaofei.ying@ubc.ca; 778-893-2095 Event poster Note: This event will also be conducted in English at 12pm.

A Roundtable on Environmental Issues in Nepal: Presentations by a Delegation from the Nepal Forestry Service

The UBC Himalaya Program invites you to join a roundtable with visiting dignitaries from the IDRC-supported Nepal Forest & Wildfire Management Project. These representatives are from the Nepal Department of Forests, Kathmandu Forestry College and the Nepal Forest Fire Management Chapter. The team includes Sundar Prasad Sharma, Mohan Raj Kafle, Dr. Ambika Prasad Gautam, and Gagan Sharma. They will be joined by […]

Research and Training in India: Funding Opportunities for Faculty & Students

Join us for an information session about new funding opportunities available to UBC students and faculty interested in working in India. Learn about grants and scholarships the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute offers for language training and research in India. Led by: Dr. Prachi Kaul, Director of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute RSVP | Event poster

Liu Xiaobo: A Commemoration

“The world has clearly lost a giant whose impact will live on in the hearts and minds of so many.” —Professor Santa J. Ono, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of British Columbia Please join associates and guests of the Centre for Chinese Research for a special gathering to commemorate the life of Liu Xiaobo (1955–2017), writer, scholar, […]

Workshop: Bhai Vir Singh (1872-1957): Rethinking Literary Modernity in Colonial Punjab

For many, the name Bhai Vir Singh is synonymous with Punjabi literary and religious reform. A poet, novelist, exegete, theologian, historian, journalist, and pamphleteer, Vir Singh is often said to have single-handedly ushered “modernity” into Punjabi language and literature, and was a major force in shaping the Sikh and Punjabi politics of the undivided Punjab.

Writing Beyond Tradition: Chivalric Stories by Chen Jinghan in Late Imperial China

A public talk by Dr. Iris Ma, University of Texas at Austin The last two decades of the Qing witnessed a surge of Western concepts and ideas introduced by Chinese intellectuals who searched for solutions to a failing state. Anarchism, which promised to quickly dismantle the old society and culture, became popular. The ideology’s overt condemnation […]

ASEAN Festival 2017

Join Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in celebrating ASEAN@50 with a festival of ASEAN culture and culinary arts. Find the finest products, taste the delicious food, and experience vibrant cultural performances.

The Ebb and Flow of Everyday Contacts: Forging Literary Communities in Early Modern Panjab by Dr. Purnima Dhavan

Texts in Punjabi have for much of its history been written in multiple scripts and engaged deeply with myriad textual, aural, and oral communities. The words and letters of literary agents in 17th century Punjab, this lecture argues, actively shaped communities and networks, pointing to the boundaries some wished to enforce, and the boundaries that others transgressed.

Nepal’s Prolonged Transition: End in Sight? with Deepak Thapa

Join us for the first Himalaya Program event of the 2017-18 academic year! Nepal has been undergoing a political transition since the end of the Maoist conflict in 2006. This talk will discuss whether this means if the transition is coming to an end, and what the contours of the Nepali state are likely to be in the future.

Two Conceptualizations of Moral Personhood: Citizenship and Minority Policies in Contemporary Asia

As more people move across borders in pursuit of a “Good Life,” Asia is becoming increasingly diverse or multicultural. I argue that political elites in non-socialist Northeast Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia refer to two conceptualizations of moral personhood derived mostly from Confucian and Theravada Buddhist ideas in dealing with an increasing ethnic plurality and […]

Hard Target: Sanctions, Inducements, and the Case of North Korea

Join Stephan Haggard, the Krause Distinguished Professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego, as he argues that both sanctions and engagement efforts have had little impact on the North Korean grand strategy, suggesting what would have to change for denuclearization and a broader settlement on the peninsula.

Orientalism, Magic, and Modernity at the Turn of the 20th Century

Educated in Cambridge, Keio (Tokyo), and Oxford Universities, host Chris Goto-Jones is Professor in Philosophy and Dean of Humanities at University of Victoria. He is also a Professorial Research Fellow at SOAS, University of London, and a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for International Studies at Oxford University. He was previously Professor of Comparative Philosophy & Political Thought and Professor of Modern Japan Studies at Leiden University (The Netherlands).

Two Conceptualizations of Moral Personhood: Citizenship and Minority Policies in Contemporary Asia

As more people move across borders in pursuit of a “Good Life,” Asia is becoming increasingly diverse or multicultural. I argue that political elites in non-socialist Northeast Asia and Mainland Southeast Asia refer to two conceptualizations of moral personhood derived mostly from Confucian and Theravada Buddhist ideas in dealing with an increasing ethnic plurality and […]

Decoding Babasaheb Dr. Ambedkar: Ideas and Praxis by Dr. Vivek Kumar

Join us for this annual lecture on Dr. Ambedkar by Dr. Vivek Kumar. Dr. Vivek Kumar is a Professor of Sociology & Professor Dr. Ambedkar Chair (I/C), Member Committee on Global Studies Programme in the Center for the Study of Social Systems, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru  University, New Delhi. This event is co-sponsored by Chetna […]

Health Impact Assessment and Special Economic Zones in the Greater Mekong Region

Summery Special economic zones represent new communities, approximately 100 million people and workers and are the economic engines of Southeast Asia. During this session, I will share professional experience in working across several special economic zones within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). I will also introduce new work initiated by the Asian Development Bank that […]

How Green Was My Night Soil: Thinking with Excrement about Nineteenth-Century Japan

Excrement was a hot commodity in the cities of nineteenth-century Japan. The widespread use of night soil as an organic fertilizer meant that residents of cities such as Tokyo and Osaka could sell their waste rather than simply dispose of it. Join Dr. David L. Howell as he discusses the night-soil economy in nineteenth-century Japan.

Study in Japan Info Session

Abstract: Going to Japan as an exchange student, graduate or research student?Join us for a very good opportunity to learn about the possibility of studying in Japan. You will be able to meet students who actually went to Japan as an exchange student or as a graduate/research student and ask any questions about qualifications, procedures […]