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

Southeast Asia Majors of the UP Asian Center Take Part in SEASREP Conference in Yogyakarta

Details

Five students and one alumna of the UP Asian Center, all specializing in Southeast Asian Studies, presented their respective papers at a conference, “Celebrating 20 Years of SEASREP and Southeast Asian Studies,” which was held from 4 to 5 November 2015 at the University of Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. 

According to their website, the Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP) is “an organization which aims to promote Southeast Asian studies through various research, study and exchange grants and establish a network of scholars in the region through universities and other channels.” Learn more about the SEASREP's projects.  

Below is a list of papers presented by the Southeast Asian majors of the UP Asian Center. The papers cover a variety of topics and countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

  • “Medical Tourism and the Globalization of Healthcare in Thailand” by June Taguiwalo (student)

  • “Rethinking Green Tourism as Driver of Development in Megabiodiversity Countries of Southeast Asia” by Abegail Rose Valenzuela (student)

  • “Peace and Autonomy: Indonesia and the Philippines” by Ricardo Roy Lopez (student)

  • “Forging Peace in South Thailand: Building Peace by Teaching Peace Program in Pattani Province” by Jasmine Ferrer (alumni)

  • “Market Ideology and Consumer Patterns in Post-Doi Moi Vietnam” by Ima Carmela Ariate (student)

  • “Theatre and Resistance under Colonial Rule in Southeast Asia” by Gil Turingan (student)

The students were joined by Dr. Marina Durano, Assistant Professor at the UP Asian Center, who discussed “Heterodox Economics: A Comparative Review of the Philippines and Malaysia.”

SEASREP is celebrating their 20th year in 2015, and the conference was held, according to the call for papers, to “reflect upon the achievements of SEASREP over the past 20 years by encouraging SEASREP grantees, participants, partners, and scholars of Southeast Asian studies to share their research findings.”  

Supported by the Toyota Foundation and the Japan Foundation Asia Center, the conference also provided a platform for “new studies about the region.” Indeed, panel presentations included reflections on the “state, progress and prospects of Southeast Asian studies in the future.” Read the entire conference call for papers. 

PHOTO: The conference presents from the UP Asian Center in Prambanan. Courtesy of Abegail Rose Valenzuela. 

The 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. For an overview of these graduate programs, click here. The Asian Center also publishes Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia, the latest issue of which can be downloaded at the journal's website. View recent and upcoming Lectures & Conferences and read other News & Announcements. Join our mailing list to receive invitations to lectures, conferences, etc.