> YCAR Graduate BrownBag Research Seminar series
This series is an opportunity for students whose research focuses on Asia or the Asian Diaspora to present their research to colleagues and faculty to receive feedback critical to the development of their research. It is open to Masters and Doctoral students with the intention to assist students who may be at any stage in the development of their Graduate level thesis work.
Winter 2010 | York University
Details

> The Environment and Southeast Asia
Sakkarin Na Nan, Vanessa Lamb and Keith Barney will present their research as part of the final YCAR Graduate BrownBag Research Seminar Series of Winter 2010.
Thursday, 25 March 2010 | 12:30 to 2:30pm | 280N York Research Tower

The Making of Plant Gene in the Struggles of the Small-Scaled Farmers under the Global Seed Market Integration in Northern Thailand
Sakkarin Na Nan | PhD Candidate, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University

To challenge the understandings of agrarian transitions under the context of global seed market integration in the northern Thailand, I problematize the taken-for-granted view of "gene" as a naturally bounded entity in the genetics debates and plant genetic manipulations. By exploring the discourses of plant genetic improvement and peasant neo-populism development among the dominant actors like state officials, NGOs and seed companies, I show the various forms of bio-politics for plant genetic improvement upon the spatial arrangement and social practices of the local farmers in one village of Nan province.

I investigate the livelihood strategies being used by the local farmers in order to negotiate with those actors’ regulations involving with plant genetic manipulation. In such negotiation, "gene" is revealed as the ongoing social-nature object being made in the process of hybridization of knowledges under the context of global seed market integration.

Knowledge and Environmental Governance on the Nu-Salween River
Vanessa Lamb | PhD Candidate, Geography

In the face of hydroelectric and other impending developments on the Nu-Salween River, local knowledge has been promoted as one way that local residents can create a counter-discourse to and even serve to ‘democratize’ the scientific ways of knowing that normally dominate the development process. In this paper, I think critically about how such knowledge is incorporated (and indeed, transformed) in decision-making processes and environmental governance. To do so, I present and analyze two situations emerging from the unanticipated outcomes of one local knowledge initiative undertaken by communities in Thailand and Burma living along on the Nu-Salween River, an important transboundary river that serves as a source of livelihood and food for an estimated 6 million people in China, Burma, and Thailand.
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> Cosmopolitanism and Youth Identities: Challenging Lacunae in Contemporary Cosmopolitan Conceptualisations
Professor Tracey Skelton, National University of Singapore, will present a paper that asks questions related to young people and cosmopolitanism as intellectually theorised, and in material practice. It asks, in a range of ways, whether young cosmopolitans exist and if so how can we theorise and conceptualise their presence?
April 2010 (TBA) | York University

> The Rise and Fall of Lee Teng-hui’s “No Haste Be Patient” Policy: Its Implication for Taiwan’s Mainland Policy Today
In his talk, Jonathan Yang will examine the recent history of and contemporary struggles over Taiwan government policies with respect to the growing economic ties between Taiwan and China.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010 | 3 to 4:30pm | 830 YRT | York University

> Surveying Korean Transnationalism: Pilot Test Findings from the Study on Toronto Korean Families
Ann Kim will discuss prelimary findings from her 'Development, Migration Strategies and Prospects for Social Integration: Understanding Contemporary Transnationalism Among South Korean Families' research
20 April 2010 | York University

> Asian-Canadian Collaboration in Education: Pathways of Enrichment
Sixth Asian Heritage Month Education Roundtable and Asian Heritage Month Lecture
Wednesday, 19 May 2010 | OISE, University of Toronto

Earlier 2009.2010 and earlier events

> Liquid Modernity, Fluid Brand Meaning: Urban Chinese Consumers' Changing Perception of Western Brands
Yikun Zhao | PhD Candidate, Marketing, Schulich School of Business

Brand meaning transformation has not been studied in the global context where the developed and the developing nations are redefining themselves relentlessly. This paper aims to examine how the changing macroeconomic landscape especially the rising status of China influences urban Chinese consumers’ perception of Western brands in general and fast food brands in particular (McDonald and KFC in this case), so as to reveal the increasingly fluid nature of brand meaning particularly in the context of globalization. A macro-level factor, the power dynamics among countries, is highlighted in this analysis.
Thursday, Thursday, 11 March 2010 | 2:30 pm | 830 York Research Tower
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> Slumdogs versus Millionaires: India in the Age of Inequality
Palagummi Sainath, Rural Affairs Editor, The Hindu ( India) is the 2007 winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia’s most prestigious prize (and often referred to as the ‘Asian Nobel’), for Journalism Literature and Creative Communications Arts. He was given the award for his “passionate commitment as a journalist to restore the rural poor to India’s national consciousness.” He was the first Indian to win the Magsaysay in that category in nearly 25 years. His book Everybody Loves a Good Drought (Penguin India, 1996) remained a non-fiction bestseller by an Indian author for years and in the late 1990s, Nikhil Chakravartty, India’s then senior-most editor, described Sainath’s work as “the conscience of the Indian nation.”
10 March 2010 | 3:30pm | 519 York Research Tower | York University
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> Body and Gender | Gender and Nation
Doris Ha-Lin Sung (PhD Candidate, Social and Political Thought) and Jooyeon Rhee (PhD Candidate, Humanities) will present their research as part of the YCAR Graduate BrownBag Research Seminar Series.
Thursday, 25 February 2010 | Noon to 1:30pm | 830 York Research Tower

Doris Ha-Lin Sung | Expressions of Body and Gender in the Performances of He Chengyao
This paper traces expressions of body and gender in the works of Chinese female performance artist He Chengyao (b.1964). It looks at strategies of subject formation in the artist's works through probing historical and philosophical expressions of selfhood in Chinese art in order to trace how signs and conventions are renewed and reinterpreted in contemporary body performances.

Jooyeon Rhee | Gender and Nation in Korean Silent Films
This paper will discuss the representation of women reflected in two Korean silent films, Airiang (1926) and A Boat without the Master (1931), written and directed by Na Un-kyu (1902-1937). These two films are known for the expression of the impoverished social conditions of Korea and the strong desire for regaining Korea's independence. I will analyze the relationship between gender and nationalism in colonial context.
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> Minority Rights Accommodation in China: The Tibet Case
Tenzing Jigme (Master's Candidate, Master's Candidate, Public and International Affairs) willl discuss minority rights violations in Tibet and how certain policies (e.g. regional autonomy laws) limit the recognition of Tibetan identity, culture and development. These violations and approaches to minority accommodation will be analyzed within a theoretical discourse on minority rights and 'politics of recognition', from Western and non-western perspectives.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010 | Noon | 830 York Research Tower
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> Research on China
This event is part of RESEARCH MATTERS - a speaker series organized by the Associate Dean of Research
Wednesday, 27 January 2010 | 10am to noon | 280N York Lanes

> Made for Canada, Product of the Philippines: Global Nurse Migrations and the Geopolitics of Global Justice
Mark Lawrence Santiago is a University of British Columbia Doctoral Candidate in Geography and Trudeau Scholar. Lawrence's research addresses an urgent social and economic phenomenon in the Philippines today – the large-scale migration of its health care work force seeking better employment opportunities in more developed economies such as Canada. As this research will study the tremendous social implications of such migrations for the Philippines, it likewise promises to review the other side of the migration, in Canada.
Tuesday, 1 December 2009 | 1 to 3pm | 280A York Lanes | York University
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> Biography and History of Hong Kong
Speakers at this unique event will examine the contributions and limitations of the various modes of historical inquiry for telling Hong Kong's past, including biography, oral history and memoir. The presenters are: Senator Vivienne Poy as well as York faculty Bernard Luk (History) and Yuk-Lin Renita Wong (Social Work).
Thursday, 26 November 2009 | 2:30 to 4:30pm | 956 York Research Tower | York University
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> Home and the World: Women and Nationalism in the Novels of Rabindranath Tagore
Himani Bannerji has a long-standing connection with research in India. She is a visiting professor with the Institute of Development Studies in Kolkata and a life fellow at the Jadavpur University School of Women's Studies. Her books on India include: The Mirror of Class: Political Theatre in West Bengal; Inventing Subjects; and an upcoming volume, Demography and Democracy: Essays on Nationalism, Gender and Ideology. She is a recipient of the West Bengal Literary Academy's Tagore Memorial Prize. Professor Bannerji received her B.A. from Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, which was  Tagore's university, and was a visiting scholar at the Tagore archives for three years. She is the recipient of a three-year CIDA-Shastri Partnership Grant on women's reproductive health in Kolkata.
Monday, 23 November 2009 | Noon | 280A York Lanes | York University
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> China's rising international financial power: The future of the Dollar System?
To what extent is China emerging as a major power in the international financial system? The presentation by Gregory Chin will examine the nature of China's growing international financial power, and draw comparisons with Japan's emergence as a creditor nation two decades ago. Attention will also be given to the factors that constrain China's financial rise, as well as recent developments whereby Chinese authorities are cultivating greater financial and monetary independence from the United States, and potentially challenging the dollar's preeminence in ways that previous rising powers have not or could not.
Monday, 23 November 2009 | 2:30 to 4:30pm | Verney Room, 6th floor | Ross Building, York University

> Philippine Study Group meeting
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 | 1 to 3pm | 830 York Research Tower | York University

> Native Bible Womanhood and Women's Rights in Late 19th century Taiwan: Minnie Mackay's Story
Jane Lee of Aletheia University, Taiwan, will explore the experience of native Christian women in Taiwanese women's history.
Friday, 6 November 2009 | Noon to 2pm | 280A York Lanes | York University
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> Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies (GDAS) orientation
Open to all graduate students interested in enrolling in the diploma programme.
Monday, 26 October from 1 to 2pm in 830 York Research Tower
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> Literary Translation in a Multicultural World
Talk by A.N.D. Haksar, Sanskrit literary scholar and career diplomat
Tuesday, 20 October from 10:30am to 12:30pm, 280A York Lanes
Details | Photographs from the event

> What's your vision for Canada's future with Asia? workshop
The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada wants you (18 to 35-year-olds) to tell Canada what you think belongs on APF's list of 25 thing that matter most for Canada's future with Asia. Create short video that describes an issue, a challenge or an opportunity that you feel Canadians should be thinking about in our relations with Asia - is it family values? Freedom of speech? Fusion cuisine? A video workshop will be held for York Students interested in the 25@25 initiative.
Monday, 19 October at noon in 305 York Lanes
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> YCAR Open House
Drop by and see our new offices in the York Research Tower and hear about our activites and project for 2009-2010.
Thursday, 8 October 2009 between 1:30 to 4:30pm

> Inaugural Asia Lecture with Veena Das | Poverty and the Imagination of a Future: The Story of Urban Slums in Delhi, India
Thursday, 24 September 2009 at 6pm in ACW109, York University
Photographs from the event

> Annual General Meeting

Friday, 25 May 2009 from 1to 3:30pm. Location 0005 TEL Building.

> Religion and Human Rights in China conference
Presentations at the conference will examine the human rights issues surrounding religious practice in China as well as the contributions of religion to human rights and civil society in China.
Saturday, 30 May 2009 , Toronto
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> The 2009 Asian Heritage Month Lecture
With Dr. Joy Kogawa C.M. as keynote speaker and featuring the launch of the Virtual Museum of Asian Canadian Cultural Heritage (VMACCH).
Thursday, 4 June from 7 to 9pm at York University
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> Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies (GDAS) orientation
An information for graduate students with Asia and/or Asian Diaspora research interests who are interested in enrolling in the Diploma Programme.
Wednesday, 3 September 2008 from noon to 1pm at 270 York Lanes, Room B.

> YCAR Welcome Back Event
Current Associates and faculty/student/staff interested in Asian/Asian Diaspora research are invited to meet friends and colleagues and make new connections. We will also preview our activities for the 2008-2009 year.
Wednesday, 10 September from 3 to 5pm in 280 York Lanes.

> The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada: Post-Graduate Fellowships, Research, Analysis and YOU
An information session for graduate students presented by Ajay Parasram.
Wednesday, 24 September 2008 from 2:30 to 3:30pm at 390 York Lanes, York University
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> Behind the Lines: Culture in Late Colonial Korea: An International Symposium
Thursday, 25 September 2008 from 10am to 3:30pm at 280 York Lanes, York University
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> Transformations: Researching Asia
YCAR Graduate Associates' Inaugural Graduate Student Conference
Friday and Saturday, 26 & 27 September 2008 at York University
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> The Future of Post-Olympics China (Listen to the talk)
Xu Wenli, academic and one of the founders of China's democracy movement
Tuesday, 30 September at 12:30pm in 305 York Lanes, York University.
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> The Dilemmas of Humanitarian and Development Assistance in North Korea: Foundations for a Coherent Aid Strategy (North Korea Speaker Series)
Gregory Chin (Political Science and YCAR Faculty Associate)
Thursday, 2 October 2008 at noon at 208N, North House, Munk Centre For International Studies, 1 Devonshire Place, Toronto
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> Travelling Film South Asia @ York
21 to 24 October 2008 at York University
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> Gender and Cultural Production: A New Approach to Chinese Women's Journals in the Early 20th Century
Monday, 27 October 2008 from 9am to 5pm in 280 York Lanes, York University. Click here for the programme.
Details

> Mrdangam
Concert featuring Trichy Sankaran with members of autorickshaw and special guests
Tuesday, 28 October 2008 at 7:30pm at York University
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> Roundtable with Ted Lipman, Canadian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Thursday, 30 October 2008 from 3 to 4:30pm in 280 York Lanes, York University
* Participation in this roundtable is limited to university faculty and students. RSVPs required to ycar@yorku.ca by 29 October 2008.  
Details

> Political Change in China
Conference on the prospects for political change in China in the areas of local governance and democratization, state and law, the Party and political change, and authoritarian transitions and rights provision will be discussed by Chinese and North American scholars.
Friday and Saturday, 6-7 March 2009
Programme

> Global Financial Crisis: An Asian Perspective
Gregory Chin, Political Science professor and YCAR Faculty Associate
Monday, 9 March 2009 from 12:30 to 2:30pm in 280 York Lanes
Details

> Journeys with Kabir
Concert and film screenings around the life and work of Kabir, an Indian poet-saint revered by Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs alike
Monday and Tuesday, 16-17 March 2009
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> Have India's economic reforms been "guided by compassion and justice" as once promised?
John Harris, Professor of International Studies at Simon Fraser University, will speak on the social impacts and responses to India's economic reforms.
Thursday, 26 March 2009 from 2:30-4:30pm in 305 Founders College
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> Korean Studies Workshop
All students and faculty are welcome to this first meeting of the Korean Studies Group that aims to get to know each other’s research and discuss the future direction of collaborative work and Korean Studies.
Thursday, 2 April 2009 from 3 to 5:30pm in 305 York Lanes, York University
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> Global Asia and the Global Economic Crisis: A Workshop
A workshop featuring York Asian scholars who will discuss the economic, social and political effects of the current global economic crisis.
Wednesday, 8 April from 9am to 12:15pm in 280 York Lanes
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> Don't let a Good Recession go to Waste: How (not) to Study the Social Impacts of Economic Downturns
Talk by Ben White, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague.
Thursday, 30 April 2009 from 2:30pm in Junior Common Room (024E), Founders College
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> What does the ethnic costume represent?
Talk by Haji Oh, YCAR Visiting Scholar
Friday, 1 May 2009 from 12:30 to 2:30pm in 270 York Lanes, Room B
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> A Courtyard House or a Dream? An Informal Talk on Space, Time, Image and China
Talk by Yam Lau, Visual Arts, York University
Thursday, 7 May 2009 from 2:30 to 4:30pm in 002 Accolade East Building, York University.
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>The Chinese Knowledge Diaspora and the International Knowledge Network | Australian and Canadian Universities Compared
Talk by Rui Yang (University of Hong Kong) and Anthony Welch (University of Sydney)
Friday, 8 May from 12:30 to 2:30pm in 270 York Lanes, Room B.
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> North Korean Film Day
Screenings of Chosen Forever (2008) and The Game of Their Lives (2002). Opening comments by Janice Him (History).
Wednesday, 13 May 2009 from 6pm to 8pm in 280 York Lanes, York University.
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> The Global Modern: Transnationalism and the Media in Asia symposium
The symposium explores the transnational origins and dimensions of the modern mass media in Asia. Demonstrating that various forms of South and East Asian media were global from their inception, the workshop both reinforces themes explored in the accompanying exhibition on diasporic Asian art and belies the commonly held conception that globalization is a post-modern, post-capitalist, late twentieth century development.
Friday, 15 May 2009 from 10am to 5pm in 280 York Lanes, York University
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> Publishing and the Birth of China's Modern Art World: Shanghai huabao (Pictorial Shanghai) in the 1920s
Judy Andrews, a specialist in Chinese painting and modern Chinese art from Ohio State University, will present the keynote speech for 'The Global Modern: Transnationalism and the Media in Asia' symposium.
Friday, 15 May 2009 from 4 to 5pm in 280 York Lanes, York University
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> transpulsation – new asian canadian imaginings exhibition
Cultural traversing and globalization are (re)shaping our understanding of the 'connected world.' These processes have significant importance for the members of Asian Diaspora in Canada, whose interactions with their cultural origins transform their social, economic, political and cultural experience. Artists Shelly Bahl, Will Kwan, Meera Sethi and Amy Wong explore a broadened scope of cultural interactions that attempts to create and enhance the socio-cultural and historical connections between Asia and Canada.
Opening: Friday, 15 May from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the Gales Gallery, 105 Accolade West Building, York University. Exhibition runs from 15 May to 12 June 2009
Details

> YCAR Annual General Meeting
Monday, 25 May from 1 to 3:30pm in 0005 TEL Building.

If you have an idea for an event to profile Asian or Asian Diaspora research, please contact us at 416.736.5821 or by email: ycar@yorku.ca

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