Workshop & Scholarships: Asia on Its Own Terms: Towards New Terminology and Narratives for Research in Asian Studies

call for papers [150-2]Tel Aviv University,
The Department of East Asian Studies

Asia on Its Own Terms:
Towards New Terminology and Narratives for Research in Asian Studies

Doctoral Summer Scholarships
Asian Spaces

The program Asia on Its Own Terms (funded by Yad Hanadiv) of the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University is happy to offer six-weeks fellowships for outstanding doctoral students. The applicants will be part of a research group comprised of faculty members, post-docs, and graduate students that focuses on the topic of spaces in Asia.

Program Objective:

In recent years there is a growing scholarly interest in transitional processes in East and South Asian countries. Nonetheless, so far there have been relatively few attempts of an integrated and comparative study of these regions by venturing across geographical, political, and linguistic boundaries. The Asia on Its Own Terms program aims to readdress this shortcoming by facilitating interdisciplinary and cross-regional dialogues between local and international scholars and students specializing in China, India, Japan and Korea. It is “border-crossing” both in cutting across parochial regionalism and artificial borders, and in cutting across disciplines.

Our Gender Research Group:

During the third year of the Asia on its Own Terms Program, we have chosen Asian Spaces as our scholarly focus. Space has become the object of inquiry in various disciplines in recent years. A concrete, imagined, or conceptual geo-physical, social, political, as well as a metaphoric notion of expanse of sorts, space has been interpreted and approached in multiple ways and from various perspectives. The aim of our research group is to examine, in the Asian context, questions related to the interaction between humans and the physical space in which they exist; how they construct, produce, and invest physical space with meaning; and how they conceptualize and imagine the physical space that lies around, between, and beyond them. In particular, we are interested in the reciprocal or dialectical processes through which humans and space affect each other, as well as in the role of extra-human agents (such as gods, ghosts, and objects) in all of the above. Themes related to how spaces are bounded, the liminal zones around and in-between them, the divisions between what is regarded, understood, and constructed as “inside” or “outside” such spaces, are also part and parcel of our inquiry.

Venue:

The East Asian Studies Department at Tel Aviv University, with its unique purview on the study of China, India, Japan and Korea as well as its diversity and deeply-rooted interdisciplinary nature, along with its cohort of researchers covering a broad range of periods, topics and disciplines, opens a program of excellence for students who are interested in delving into this fascinating field of research.

Studentships:

The program invites students from different disciplines, including Asian Studies, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science. The summer program will begin on May 7th 2016, and end on June 17th. Participants will be able to attend an intensive graduate seminar titled “” taught by Robin Yates and Grace Fong. Participants will also present in our annual workshop.

The fellowship will cover the participants travel expenses (economy class only) and campus Housing.

Asian Spaces”

  • Every participant in the program is invited to present a short paper concerning her/his work in an international workshop on May 16-18.

Eligibility:

Interested individuals are requested to send the following documents (in English).

  • Curriculum vitae.
  • A description of the applicang’s research interests and its relevance to the Nature/Spaces Research Group in the Asia on its Own Terms Program (up to 500 words).
  • A letter from the PhD supervisor
  • Title and abstract for a presentation (if applicable).

Candidates must submit their applications by December 31, 2016 to the Academic Committee, Yad Hanadiv Fund, Department of East Asian Studies by mail to Dr. Asaf Goldschmidt gasaf@post.tau.ac.il

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Call for Papers: Reflecting (on) the Asia-Pacific: Places, Relations, Systems

call for papers [150-2]On behalf of the program committee for the 2017 Conference of the Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast (ASPAC) at Willamette University, we invite college and university faculty, K-12 teachers, independent scholars, and graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in Asian or Asian diaspora studies to submit proposals for organized panels, roundtable discussions, individual papers or poster presentations on historical or contemporary topics in the humanities, arts, social sciences, education, health, law, business, environmental sciences or other allied disciplines related to East, South, or Southeast Asia and their diasporas.

Both our Association’s name and the Pacific Northwest’s image as a North American gateway to trans-Pacific interactions highlight the importance of concepts and discourses of “region-ness”, and the ways that the enterprise of Asian studies reflects and reproduces interactions that span geographies, cultures, and histories.  We invite papers on all topics, with the hope of stimulating discussions that help us to critically reflect upon, and even de- and re-center, the territorial and temporal frames by which we apprehend Asia.  How does our work situate the region in wider conceptual terrains of the study of “world” or trans-territorial history, culture, politics, economics, society, art, language and humanism?  How do our concepts of regional “relations,” “systems,” and “place” inform our work to understand Asia and Asian diaspora, and how might our diverse ideations be brought into dialogue?

When to apply: Early submission and notification: The early application deadline is Friday, December 30, 2016. Early submission is intended mainly for international applicants who need a letter of invitation for visa purposes. For applications received by the early submission deadline, notification of acceptance will be sent by Tuesday, January 31, 2017. If you miss the early submission deadline and need a letter for visa purposes, we will provide you with it as soon as we can.

Regular submission and notification: For regular applicants, the application deadline is Tuesday, February 28, 2017. For applications received by the regular submission deadline, notification of acceptance will be sent by Friday, March 31, 2017.

Extended submission and notification: For applicants who cannot meet the regular deadline, we will continue to accept submissions until Friday, March 31, 2017 and provide notification of acceptance as soon as possible thereafter.

How to apply: Online submission forms can be found at: http://www.willamette.edu/centers/cas/aspac/CFP/index.html
Questions about applying can be directed to the organizers at aspac-2017@willamette.edu

Contact Info:

Conference co-chairs, Ann Wetherell (awethere@willamette.edu) and Huike Wen (hwen@willamette.edu)

Contact Email:
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Book Announcement: Trans-Pacific Japanese American Studies: Conversations on Race and Racializations

Via University of Hawai’i Press.

9780824847586

Trans-Pacific Japanese American Studies: Conversations on Race and Racializations
Editor: Takezawa, Yasuko; Okihiro, Gary Y.;
456pp. September 2016
Cloth – Price: $68.00ISBN: 978-0-8248-4758-6

Trans-Pacific Japanese American Studies is a unique collection of essays derived from a series of dialogues held in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Los Angeles on the issues of racializations, gender, communities, and the positionalities of scholars involved in Japanese American studies. Bringing together some of the most renowned scholars of the discipline in Japan and North America, the book seeks to overcome past constraints of dialogues between Japan- and U.S.-based scholars by providing opportunities for candid, extended conversations among its contributors.

While each contribution focuses on the field of “Japanese American” studies, approaches to the subject vary—ranging from national and village archives, community newspapers, personal letters, visual art, and personal interviews. Research papers are divided into six sections: Racializations, Communities, Intersections, Borderlands, Reorientations, and Pedagogies. Papers by one or two Japan-based scholar(s) are paired with a U.S.-based scholar, reflecting the book’s intention to promote dialogue and mutuality across national formations. The collection is also notable for featuring underrepresented communities in Japanese American studies, such as Okinawan “war brides,” Koreans, women, and multiracials.

Essays on subject positions raise fundamental questions: Is it possible to engage in a truly equal dialogue when English is the language used in the conversation and in a field where English-language texts predominate? How can scholars foster a mutual respect when U.S.-centrism prevails in the subject matter and in the field’s scholarly hierarchy? Understanding foundational questions that are now frequently unstated assumptions will help to disrupt hierarchies in scholarship and work toward more equal engagements across national divides. Although the study of Japanese Americans has reached a stage of maturity, contributors to this volume recognize important historical and contemporary neglects in that historiography and literature. Japanese America and its scholarly representations, they declare, are much too deep, rich, and varied to contain in a singular narrative or subject position.

17 color, 7 b&w illustrations

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Call for Papers: East Asian Media Studies Conference at Harvard University

call for papers [150-2]

Call for Papers

The East Asian Media Studies Conference
May 6-7, 2017
Harvard University

Keynote Speakers:
Rey Chow (Duke University)

Thomas Lamarre (McGill University)

We invite proposals to the East Asian Media Studies conference at Harvard University. The conference aims to provide a venue for presenting research on historical and contemporary media in East Asia and for discussing the current state and possible futures of this rapidly expandingfield of inquiry.

New media technologies are changing the way we think, live and act around the globe. Their impact in East Asia has been particularly striking, transforming cultures and communities, politics and economics, built urban environments and everyday life. Such massive shifts raise important questions about the nature of media and about its past and future in East Asia, questions for which much remains to explore from the vantage points of both media studies and area studies. 

They also raise a more fundamental set of questions so far posed primarily in the North American or Western European context. For instance, how do different media connect to one another and form an extensive ecosystem?  What tensions emerge between newer media practices and older media infrastructure and content? How do different media situations elicit different theories, or even different forms of theorization?

The East Asian Media Studies conference aims to foster interdisciplinary, intermedial, transnational, and transhistorical conversations.  We hope to address three broad questions:

– What kind of work is being done in East Asian media studies, using what types of theories, methods, sources, and frameworks
– How do we understand the many challenges and potentials of such a field of inquiry?
– Can the coupling of “media studies” and “East Asia” generate new strategies to work against existing disciplinary frameworks, including those drawn along national boundaries, historical periodization, and medium-specific approach to aesthetic/cultural objects?

We invite proposals on all topics related to media culture in East Asia and are open to a broad span of topics and approaches. Proposals should be up to 200 words in length and include a list of three keywords and a few sentences on how the paper contributes to an emergent field of East Asian media studies.

Lodging for three nights will be covered for all conference participants.

Please send proposals in pdf form by January 10, 2015 to:

eastasianmediastudiesconference@gmail.com.

The conference is organized by Tomiko Yoda, Jie Li, and Alexander Zahlten. It is made possible with the kind support of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University, the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies, the Fairbank Center of Chinese Studies, and the Korea Institute. 

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Job Opening: Director of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center

Institution: Asian American Studies Center, UCLA
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Deadline: Jan 31, 2017
Type: Full Time

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) seeks a dynamic and respected scholar to provide intellectual research and programmatic leadership for AASC and invites applications for the position of Director of the Asian American Studies Center (AASC). Qualifications for success include an outstanding scholarly research and publication record; experience developing interdisciplinary research programs in Asian American and Pacific Island Studies; commitment to social justice; ability to administer budgetary and personnel processes; and proven effective experience in fundraising, including engaging in development activities as well as obtaining and managing extramural grants and/or contracts, gifts and donations, and endowment funds.

This scholar is expected to work effectively with AASC staff members, members of the AASC Faculty Advisory Committee, and campus leadership to develop internal priorities. This individual needs to maximize external visibility of AASC through building bridges between UCLA and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, strengthening intercampus collaboration, in relation to research and community partnerships. This is a tenured faculty appointment in the appropriate department or school with the expectation at the full professor rank. Ph.D. or equivalent is required by date of hire.

Established in 1969, AASC is the nation’s leading research center in the field of Asian American Studies. Its mission is to promote research, critical thinking, education and community service within an academic framework, contributing to an understanding of the history, cultural heritage, and present social, socioeconomic and political position of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. AASC has core programs in research and publications; in library and archival collections; in international and national visiting scholar and fellowship programs, as well research grant programs; in scholarships, internships and academic prizes for undergraduate and graduate students; in joint university-community research projects; in policy making; in endowment and development efforts; and in public educational and outreach activities. AASC is seeking to build on its established partnerships, collaborations, and exchanges with numerous public and private institutions across the nation and around the world, and continue to play a critical role in developing Southern California’s infrastructure of educational programming, social service agencies, civil rights organizations, museums, historical societies, media and cultural groups, and business associations that serve and represent Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. For more information on the Center, please visit http://www.aasc.ucla.edu/

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited.

Applications should include:
1) a cover letter that includes statements on research, administrative and leadership experience, teaching, and commitment to diversity
2) a curriculum vitae
3) three names and contact information of references

Applications should be sent electronically to: https://recruit.apo.ucla.edu/apply/JPF02730.

Inquiries may be addressed to Professor Min Zhou, Search Committee Chair, at mzhou@soc.ucla.edu or (310) 825-3532, and Melany De La Cruz-Viesca, AASC Assistant Director, at melanyd@ucla.edu.

For full consideration, applications should be sent by Tuesday, January 31, 2017.

Candidate review begins immediately, with a preferred starting date of July 1, 2017.

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Call for Papers: Re:locations: Journal of the Asia-Pacific World

call for papers [150-2]Based out of the Asian Institute at the University of Toronto, Re:locationsJournal of the Asia-Pacific World  is a new peer-reviewed, student-run journal seeking to foster dialogue among student researchers working across disciplines, institutions, and regions in Asia and the Pacific. We invite quality submissions from those conducting research related to the Asia-Pacific world.

Are you an undergraduate or graduate student with an undimmed passion and fascination with the Asia-Pacific World looking for your first publication? Re:locations: Journal of the Asia-Pacific World  is inviting submissions for our inaugural issue to be published online in Spring 2017.

On a rolling basis throughout the year, the Re:locations academic forum invites quality submissions from both graduate and undergraduate students from any institution who feel that they have meaningful pieces to contribute to this exchange. Re:locations is also seeking papers, reviews, poetry, translations, and visual artwork that examine the Asia-Pacific world from cultural, environmental, economic, political, and historical perspectives.

Although we stress that our inaugural issue will be open to any submission related to the Asia-Pacific World, we especially welcome any submission focused on Asian diasporas throughout the world and the phenomenon of urbanization.

Journal submissions should be emailed to the Senior Editor at relocationsjournal@gmail.com in.doc format by Friday, December 23, 2016. For important submission details please consult our journal’s website before submission: http://relocationsjournal.org/submissions/.

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Call for Papers: Buddhism in Indo-Japanese Relations「日印関係における仏教」

call for papers [150-2]CALL FOR PAPERS

 International Buddhist Conference
March 16-18, 2017
New Delhi, India

Buddhism in Indo – Japanese Relations
日印関係における仏教

Call For Papers Deadline: December 18th, 2016

Abstract submission to: samutthan.conference@gmail.com, ranjanayaya@gmail.com

India, as the birthplace of Buddhism, has always held a reverential place in the worldview of Japanese Buddhists, and is referred to as “tenjiku” (heavenly land) or “saiten” (western paradise) in the Buddhist scriptures of Japan. However, there are very few and sparing instances of interactions between Indian and Japanese Buddhists in pre-modern Japan, and the descriptions about India were mostly drawn from the Buddhist legends that were transmitted to Japan from India via China. It was only with the advent of modern era in Japan i.e. after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and opening of Japan with the end of isolation (“sakoku”) policy that Japanese Buddhists were able to travel to India to visit the Buddhist sites and give real life accounts of their experiences in India.

The purpose of this conference is to understand the role of Buddhism, in people to people contacts as well as in formal diplomatic initiatives, in the relationship between India and Japan in different phases of the history of both the countries.

The approach of the conference is threefold: First, to study the history of interactions between India and Japan, especially through Buddhist pilgrimages from Japan to India and how it has influenced both Japanese and Indian Buddhism, especially the Buddhist revival movements in India and the development of Buddhist sacred sites such as Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Sarnath etc. Second objective is to understand the ideological implications of these Buddhist interactions between Japan and India on the Buddhist movements in Japan and India, impact on Buddhist scholarship in Japan, and the development of ideologies such as Buddhist nationalism or Pan-Asianism in India, Japan as well as in other Asian countries. Third, how these historic Buddhist linkages between India and Japan has been used as a soft power in the diplomatic relations between India and Japan and the renewed emphasis on Buddhist diplomacy in India’s foreign policy towards Japan.

Samutthan Foundation, a Public charitable trust in India, in association with Japan Foundation, will organize a two-day International Buddhist conference in New Delhi, India, which will focus on the historical, religious, cultural and international relation aspects of the Buddhist interaction between India and Japan. The conference proposes to invite scholars of Buddhism, religious studies, history, international relations and other fields from Japan, India and other countries.

The conference will focus on, but not limited to, the following themes:

•Role of Buddhist pilgrims, tourists, monks and scholars in the history of relations between India and Japan.

•Buddhist heritage as soft power and cultural diplomacy between India and Japan.

•Buddha’s relics in diplomatic and non-diplomatic exchanges between India, Japan and other East Asian countries.

•Analysis of archival (travelogues, diaries, memoirs of Buddhist travelers), archeological and others resources on Indo-Japanese Buddhist interactions.

•Impact of Buddhist pilgrimages from Japan on Buddhist revival movements in 19th and 20th century India.

•Contribution of Japanese Buddhists towards restoration of Buddhist sites in India.

•Impact of Buddhist pilgrimages to India on Buddhist scholarship in Japan and India.

•Interactions between Japanese Buddhists and Indian Buddhists and intellectuals (Dharmapala, Shaku Kozen, Okakura Tenshin, Fuji Nichidatsu and others).

•India’s independence movement, anti-westernism, Buddhist nationalism and Pan-Asianism of Japanese Buddhism.

•Indian Buddhism and Buddhist ‘modernism’ / Modern Buddhism (Kindai Bukkyo) in Japan.

•Post-second world war peace movements of Japanese Buddhists and Gandhian ideology.

•Transnational networking of Engaged Buddhists and Buddhist activists of India and Japan.

•Buddhist tourism and internationalization of Buddhist sites in India.

•Interactions between Japanese and Indian Buddhists in global perspective, and making of transnational or Global Buddhism.

•India’s Buddhist diplomacy towards other East Asian, South and South-east Asian countries.

Those interested in presenting a paper in this conference should send their abstract (about 1000 words in English) relevant to the theme of the conference along with a short CV/profile (300 words in English), mentioning their name, affiliation and areas of research interest by December 18th, 2016 to samutthan.conference@gmail.com (cc:ranjanayaya@gmail.com).

We intend to publish a book based on the papers presented in this conference. Those with ongoing, unpublished research and able to contribute a chapter to this book will be given preference.

Selected presenters are expected to submit their full presentation paper (approx. 3000 words in English), that will be part of the conference publication, at least two weeks prior to the date of the conference. Conference proceedings and discussions will be mainly in English. Some interpretation/ translation assistance could be provided to Japanese speakers.

For any conference related queries contact-

Dr. Ranjana Mukhopadhyaya (Conference Convener)
Associate Professor, University of Delhi
Email: ranjanayaya@gmail.com 
Phone: +91-8588814646

Contact Info:

Submit Paper proposal / abstract to :  samutthan.conference@gmail.com

For conference related queries contact: Dr. Ranjana Mukhopadhyaya (Conference Convener) Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. Email:  ranjanayaya@gmail.com

Contact Email:
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Job Opening: Japan Program Manager, Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute

job opening - 5Employer: Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute
Location: Irvington, NY
Application deadline: December 31, 2016
Start date: December 16, 2016
Education: Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience)

SEEKING A JAPAN PROGRAM MANAGER
The Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute (EFLI) is an initiative of the Eileen Fisher Community Foundation (EFCF) developed to promote leadership in young women. The initiative is rooted in the philosophy that young people can be designers of their own lives and is based on the EILEEN FISHER Inc. practices of creativity, confidence, connection and community. Having begun in 2010 with 11 young women in a seven day program, the institute has been expanding over the last seven summers and, with support from the United States Japan Foundation, has begun to develop a young women’s leadership initiative in Japan. EILEEN FISHER was initially inspired by the timeless Japanese style so it is now fitting to share the leadership practices of the company with aspiring young women.

EFLI is seeking a Program Manager for EFLI’s Japan initiative to become a part of our developing community. At EFLI, we foster a space where young women can find their truest selves, connect with each other beyond everyday encounters and develop their authentic leadership style. The Japan Program Manager will add to the team in profound and meaningful ways, sharing their gifts and serving the community in fulfillment of their own personal purpose. The Program Manager will engage in all projects related to the Japan program including coordination, translation, and taking leadership of this initiative to hold the moving parts together. Fluent in both Japanese and English, the Program Manager will engage in program development starting in Winter 2016, coordinating continued research, development and partnership assessment. The Japan Program Manager will develop an understanding of EILEEN FISHER leadership practices, EFLI core values and current core curriculum by participating in EFLI facilitator trainings at the beginning of and throughout the winter. The Program Manager will oversee the project as a whole and manage the work of the team throughout the year, contributing to strategic development over 2017 and beyond.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Coordinating continued research
Development through grant writing and partnership
Partnership assessment with Japan based organizations
Understand and share EF Leadership Practices
Community Outreach – Marketing and Branding in Japanese context
Database maintenance of partners/participants
Scout locations
Develop programs and events through planning/scheduling
Work with Program Director to hire facilitation team/leaders for programs
Guide attention of team members by identifying priority areas of work
Maintain records and documentation of all programs
Translate documents and reports as needed

QUALIFICATIONS
Fluent in English and Japanese
Strong experience working with youth
Strong experience in empowerment work with youth (preferred)
Understanding of gender and identity concepts
Commitment to EFLI’s mission and philosophy and a socially-conscious worldview
Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
Experience working as a collaborative team member
Community building/organizing experience (preferred)
Experience with budgeting (preferred)
Self-motivated working style and commitment to engagement in personal leadership development for themselves
Openness to giving and receiving feedback
Proficient with logic models of program development and creation of yearly workplan
Excellent communication, organizational, and time management skills
Experience in marketing (preferred)
Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience)
Driver’s License (preferred)

For full details, see listing on EFLI. Via Idealist.

 

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Funding: Blakemore Foundation

money [150-2]Deadline: December 30, 2017.

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year of full-time, intensive language study at the advanced level in East or Southeast Asia in approved language programs. For grants to be awarded in spring 2017, study must start between June 2017 and May 2018. Grants are highly competitive. In recent years we have been able to fund less than 10% of applicants.

Selection Criteria

  • A focused, well-defined career objective involving Asia in which regular use of the language is an important aspect
  • The potential to make a significant contribution to a field of study or area of professional or business activity in an Asian country
  • Prior experience in the Asian country or involvement or participation in activities related to the country
  • Good academic, professional or business background, appropriate to the career program

For more information:

http://www.blakemorefoundation.org/language.html

Click to access 2017%20Grant%20Guidelines.pdf

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Funding: 2017 Asia Studies Fellowship at the East-West Center (Washington DC)

money [150-2]This fellowship supports scholars and analysts who wish to undertake research and writing on topics of relevance to contemporary US-Asia policy; in particular, key challenges in U.S.-Asia relations and possible responses and approaches to addressing those challenges.

The fellowship finances residencies for a period of three months in Washington, D.C. at the East-West Center in Washington. Residency may begin as early as March 2017 and extend through September 2017.

Fellows will complete articles or a monograph and must give a seminar on their topic. The fellowship includes a monthly stipend, round trip economy airfare to Washington, D.C., and reimbursement of any applicable visa fees.

The application period for the 2017 Asia Studies Fellowship is NOW OPEN.

The deadline for applications is January 2, 2017.

For detailed information and how to APPLY, please click HERE to visit our Visiting Fellowships web page.

Contact Info:

Grace Ruch Clegg
Projects and Outreach Coordinator, East-West Center in Washington
Contact Email: washington@eastwestcenter.org
URL: http://www.eastwestcenter.org/ewc-in-washington/visiting-fellows/asia-studies-fellowship

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