Previous events in Academic Year 2006/07

Nationalism, Globalisation and Regional Order in Northeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan)

On 12 May 2007 the Asia Research Centre held an international conference on the topic of Nationalism and Globalisation in Northeast Asia: Implications for Regional Order. This brought eight internationally renowned speakers in the field of East Asian politics and international relations from overseas to the LSE.

The audience was composed of colleagues from various departments in the LSE, other colleges of the University of London and from the main centres of Asian Studies in the UK. Experts in this field were also brought from the European Union countries of Germany, France and Italy.

For more information on the event, please click on the Agenda and list of speakers and chairs (PDF).

Should you have queries about the conference please contact Dr Christopher R Hughes (email: c.r.hughes@lse.ac.uk) who chaired the event.

C R Parekh & Sir Ratan Tata Fellowships Seminar 2006/07

Asia Research Centre will hold presentations on the following research conducted by Dr Bindu Ramachandran and Dr Samapti Guha respectively during their fellowships in the academic year 2006/07:

"Tribal Education in Kerala: Prospects and Constraints" by Dr Bindu Ramachandran, CR Parekh Fellow 2006/07;
"Impact of Competition on Microfinance Beneficiaries: an evidence from India" by Dr Samapti Guha, Sir Ratan Tata Fellow 2006/07

Date and time: Wednesday 9 May 2007, 2pm-3.40pm
Venue: Room U210, Tower1, LSE
Chair: Professor Stuart Corbridge, LSE

The presentations will be followed by Q&As.

The event is free and open to all with no ticket/ reservation required. Please note however that seating is limited in Room U210. For queries, please contact Ms Shunji Cui (email: s.cui@lse.ac.uk) at Asia Research Centre.

Abstracts of presentations:

Tribal Education in Kerala: Prospects and Constraints

It has been widely understood that the socio-economic conditions in tribal areas have constrained the process of primary education along with the other social inequalities. The tribes of Kerala have been exposed to formal education only recently. Their response to formal education and schooling are different from one another as they are from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds and exposed to a variety of situations. In Kerala a large proportion of tribal children from the economically poor conditions are either denied access or are failing to complete even five years of basic primary education. Most of the studies on learner achievement levels revealed that tribal students in primary classes had lower achievement scores compared to non-tribal population. Every year Government is spending money towards the education of tribal children but the level of education does not commensurate with the general literacy level and development programmes implemented. This paper is an attempt to examine the prospects and constraints of tribal education in Kerala from an anthropological perspective.

Impact of Competition on Microfinance Beneficiaries: an evidence from India

India has been implementing Microfinance programmes for last three decades. The micro-credit to microfinance is a long journey. Presently Formal Financial Institutions, Government and Non-Government Agencies are implementing microfinance programmes all over the country. However, it is found that there is no synergy among these organisations. They are not sharing information about their clientele among themselves. This paper makes an attempt to analyse the impact of an increase in competition among microfinance institutions on the decision of delay in repayment of beneficiaries.

North Korea in Search of Its Future

ARC Public Seminar

Date and time: Tuesday 20 March 2007, 2pm-3.30pm
Venue:             Room D109, Clement House, LSE
Speaker:          Dr Andrew Scobell
Chair:              Dr Chris Hughes, LSE

Dr. Andrew Scobell is associate research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, and adjunct professor of political science at Dickinson College both located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Born and raised in Hong Kong, he joined the Strategic Studies Institute in 1999 and is the institute's specialist on Asia-Pacific security. Prior to his current position, he taught at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, and Rutgers University, New Jersey. Scobell's current research focuses on North Korea. His publications include China's Use of Military Force: Beyond the Great Wall and the Long March (Cambridge University Press, 2003), and Kim Jong Il and North Korea: The Leader and the System (Strategic Studies Institute, 2006). Scobell holds a Ph. D. in Political Science from Columbia University.

The event is free and open to all with no ticket required. As seating is limited, reservation is recommended but not necessarily required. For reserved seats or queries, please contact Mr Jeffery Reeves (email: j.reeves@lse.ac.uk) at Asia Research Centre.

Frontline Pakistan: The struggle with militant Islam

ARC Public Lecture

Speaker:         Mr Zahid Hussain
Chair:              Professor Athar Hussain
Date and time: Tuesday 27 February 2007, 6.30pm
Venue:            New Theatre (E171)

This event will explore the rise and continunation of Islamic extremism in Pakistan. It will also explore the links between al-Qaeda, major jihad groups in Pakistan, and the ISI.

Zahid Hussain is the Pakistan correspondent for The Times, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal. His soon to be published book, 'Frontline Pakistan: The Struggle with Militant Isalm' will provide the basis for a panel discussion.

The discussion panel will include Sir Hilary Synnott, former UK high commissioner to Pakistan. Sir Hilary Synnott is now at International Institute for Strategic Studies. The panel also includes Prof. Shaheen Sardar and Ms Nafisa Shah. Details of more penalists will soon be made available.

Securing Peace in Korea

ARC Roundtable Discussion

The discussion will begin with a short presentation on a particular topic by each of the three speakers followed by questions and answers. The discussion is intended to be frank and informal.

Date/time:       Friday 16 February 2007, 16:30-18:00
Venue:            D109, 1st floor, Clement House, LSE
Speakers:       'Inter-Korean Relations': Counsellor Whie-jin Lee
'North Korea's nuclear crisis': First Secretary Jae-kyung Park
'US-ROK alliance': First Secretary Joon-ho Lee, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
Chair:             Dr Christopher R Hughes, LSE

The discussion is open to all. The seating in D109 is limited. Please RSVP by 12:00 noon Monday 12 February to reserve a seat.

Contact person for RSVPs & queries: Mr Jeffrey Reeves (email: j.reeves@lse.ac.uk)

Nations and Nationalism in Asia: Comparative and International Perspectives

ARC Seminar Series 2006/07

This seminar series brings scholars from the LSE and elsewhere in the academic world to discuss new research and writings on nationalism in Asia. The study of nationalism in Asia is rich in new empirical findings and new analytical approaches, and it is a field which is truly interdisciplinary as well, attracting anthropologists, historians, political scientists, and sociologists. This seminar series is diverse in its coverage of major regions in Asia but stresses broad analytical themes, most notably the importance of comparative analysis and international contextualization for understanding nationalist consciousness and mobilization.

The event is free and open to all with no ticket required.

For queries, please contact Mr Jeffery Reeves (email: j.reeves@lse.ac.uk) at Asia Research Centre.

For details of each session scheduled, please see below:

1st session

Title:              Autonomy or National Unity? Contradictions in Indonesia's accommodation of Acehnese and Papuan nationalism'
Speaker:        Professor Jacques Bertrand, University of Toronto
Chair:             Professor John Sidel, LSE
Date and time Friday 27 October 2006, 11am-1pm
Venue:           Graham Wallas Room, 5th floor, Old Building

2nd session

Title:              'Republicanism, Communism, Islam: Transnational Motors of 'Nationalist' Struggles in Southeast Asia'
Speaker:        Professor John Sidel, LSE
Date and time Friday 10 November 2006, 11am-1pm
Venue:           Graham Wallas Room, 5th floor, Old Building

3rd session

Title:              'Anticolonial Nationalisms and the Authentic Voice'
Speaker:         Dr Benjamin Zachariah, University of Sheffield
Date and time Friday 24 November 2006, 11am-1pm
Venue:           Graham Wallas Room, 5th floor, Old Building

4th session

Title:               'Japan in Chinese Nationalism: The Long Perspective'
Speaker:         Dr Christopher R. Hughes, LSE
Date and time Friday 2 February, 2007, 11am-1pm
Venue:           Graham Wallas Room, 5th floor, Old Building

5th session

Title:                'The Politicization of Islam in China's Contentious Northwest'
Date/time:        Thursday 22 February 2007, 11am-1pm
Venue:             Graham Wallas Room, 5th floor, Old Building
Speaker:          Dr Gardner Bovingdon
Chair:               Professor John Sidel

The talk will discuss Beijing's crackdown on Islamic belief and practice in the volatile northwestern region of Xinjiang, in light of tighter restrictions placed on Muslims in many parts of the world since 2001. While the Chinese government restricts religiosity of any sort more stringently than do most democratic governments, Muslims in many parts of China face no greater scrutiny than members of other religious groups. Beijing has focused particular attention and pressure on Uyghurs, claiming as justification that Uyghur separatist groups are part of a global network of Muslim terrorists.

Dr Bovingdon is Assistant Professor, Central Eurasian Studies, Assistant Professor, East Asian Languages and Cultures, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Political Science, Indiana University.

The event is free and open to all with no ticket required.
For queries, please contact Mr Jeffery Reeves (email: j.reeves@lse.ac.uk) at Asia Research Centre.