The Power of Knowledge: Asia and the West

Conference and PhD workshop.

Together with the University of Southern Denmark and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), IIAS co-organises from 7-8 November a PhD course on the theme: “The Power of Knowledge: Asia and the West,”. The course will immediately follow an international conference on the same theme (4-6 November).

The PhD course provides a unique opportunity for PhD students from The Netherlands and Scandinavia to meet and discuss their interests, and to present their papers to their fellow students and a select group of international scholars. 

Introduction to the theme:

Western intellectuals, and thus also media and the political elites, have long based their approach to reality on the fundamental assumption that the same basic processes underlie all human thought. In other words, how people make sense of the world around them was the same for everyone and everywhere. The implications of this assumption are many, from plain intellectual arrogance to war, over a wide array of misunderstandings and animosities, resulting in a host of lost opportunities. Contemporary engagements with Asia – be they political or intellectual – are often based on routine presumptions of either universal similarity or cultural difference. However, in an era of increasing globalization and shifting world order, both these presumptions appear problematic.

As the movement of thoughts from East to West seem to increase, it is high time to realize the opportunities of a multipolar world and seriously consider all existing human experiences and knowledge systems. The present conference and PhD workshop will limit itself to Western and Asian experiences, in an effort of bringing the two into a creative and fruitful dialogue. In light of this, area studies and the different disciplines need to come together and share insights and identify theoretical and methodological approaches that might strike a reasonable balance between universal concerns and particular cultural understandings. This is not only an exciting new situation for academia; it is a serious obligation for us to contribute in producing knowledge that indirectly or directly can promote inter-cultural understanding and ease tensions, whether they occur in the suburbs of big cities or between states with different ideas and interests.

For further information on the theme of the conference and PhD course, see: http://knowledgennc2013.niasconferences.net

Call for Papers deadline: 23 September

IIAS invites PhD students in Asian Studies from Dutch universities to participate in the PhD course and to submit an abstract of 300 words max. before 23 September. Those who are interested are asked to use the pertinent registration forms that can be found at the conference website, and to use the site for submitting their abstract,  and also to send a short separate email to Dr Willem Vogelsang informing us of your intended participation (w.j.vogelsang@iias.nl), with reference to “PhD course Denmark”. They should also inform IIAS whether they want to attend the full programme, or the PhD course only. Students will hear by 1 October whether their abstract has been accepted; the full paper (10-12 pages) should be submitted by 25 October.

Fees
Costs for the full programme (4-8 November), including both conference and PhD course: 200 euro (including conference dinner, lunches and living accommodation). For the PhD course only (7-8 November), fees amount to 100 euro (incl. lunches and living accommodation).

Grants
IIAS offers a limited number of grants to cover fees and travel costs. Please indicate your request in your email to IIAS.