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

In Search of Common Symbols in Southeast Asia: A Public Forum

Details

The Alumni, Friends, and Benefactors of the Asian Center (AFBAC), in partnership with the UP Asian Center, will be holding a public forum, “In Search of Common Symbols in Southeast Asia: Rediscovering Precolonial Cultural Heritage and its Implications to ASEAN Engagements” on Thursday, 12 November 2015, 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.* at the GT-Toyota Asian Center Auditorium, Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman. The forum is free and open to the public. 

“In Search of Common Symbols in Southeast Asia” will feature two lectures: 

  • “The Theme of the Naga Princess and the Bird Maiden in Philippine and Southeast Asian Folklore” by Grace P. Odal-Devora, Ph.D.
  • "BASI and BISA: Connectivities in Southeast Asian Iron Metal" by Honey Libertine Achanzar-Labor, Ph.D.* 

The forum will also showcase a “Synthesis” section wherein Dr. Joefe Santarita, Dean of the Asian Center will briefly “discuss how common symbols and values can be renewed and reinvented to arrive relevant policy implications and meet contemporary sociocultural needs as we articulate an ASEAN identity.”  

View the tentative program (7 November) | Photo: Forum poster. Click to view and enlarge. 

“In Search of Common Symbols” aims to shed light on the fundamental cultural and social bases of commonalities among ASEAN member-states; to deepen ASEAN cultural discourse by sharing studies on ASEAN folklore, mythology, and the arts; and to help promote better understanding among the people of Southeast Asia. The forum is being held as part of the Asian Center’s 60th anniversary celebrations. 

AFBAC is a private organization mainly comprised by graduates of the UP Asian Center. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, but the organizers would appreciate your filling up this Google Form as an expression of intent to come.

For inquiries, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

* The public forum was originally scheduled to end at 5:00 p.m, and to feature a talk by NCCA Chairman, Felipe de Leon, Jr. Ph.D., as well as cultural presentations. Please be guided accordingly.   

Page last updated: Nov-9-2015, 1523

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.