Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

Dr. Tina Clemente Compares Oral Histories of China Studies in PH and Nepal in Bangkok Conference

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Dr. Tina Clemente (R, front) with fellow workshop participants in Bangkok. Photo provided by Dr. Tina Clemente.

Dr. Tina Clemente, Associate Professor at the UP Asian Center, gave her insights on China Studies in the Philippines and Nepal at a conference, “Comparative Chinese Studies: South Asia and Southeast Asia in Comparative Perspectives” held from 24 to 25 November in Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. 

Her paper, “Comparative Reflections on China Watchers from the Philippines and Nepal” attempts to “embark on what seems to be an atypical comparison between the oral histories of China knowledge in the Philippines and Nepal.” The paper aims to “explore oral history linkages that go beyond the usual geopolitical grouping;” “to problematize the idea that oral histories on China knowledge are not hinged on essentialism”, and “to explore the concept that atypical comparisons underscore that flexible epistemological approaches can strengthen China Studies as a field.”

Dr. Clemente teaches graduate courses at the UP Asian Center, including one on the social and economic development of China, as part of the program on North East Asia with a focus on China. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics from the School of Economics, University of the Philippines Diliman. Her latest publication is "Understanding the Economic Diplomacy between the Philippines and China," which appears in the August 2016 issue of the International Journal of China Studies.

The participants -- including those from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan -- are working on a larger project that aims to trace the intellectual history of China Studies in South and Southeast Asia. The conference allowed them to learn from each other’s research as they compare China Studies in and from their respective regions.

The conference was hosted by the Asia Research Center, Chulalongkorn University.  For more information on Chulalongkorn University, please visit their webpage. 

The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, andxhosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.