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



The Asian Center Balangay, the graduate student organization of the Asian Center, successfully held the 9th International Graduate Students' Conference last 7 December 2013 at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

PHOTO: Conference participants

Themed 'Asia Across the Disciplines,' the conference sought to provide MA- and PhD-level students a critical and multidisciplinary forum where they could share their findings, expand their intellectual horizons, and meet their peers from other Asian countries. Participants came from Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia and organizers divided the papers into the following panels: 

  • Migration and Cultural Diffusion in East Asia
  • Sexuality, Religion, and the Politics of Media
  • Islam and Society in East Asia
  • Politics, Finance and Diplomacy in Southeast Asia

Dr. Resil Mojares, Professor Emeritus at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, delivered the keynote address, which explored the life of Mariano Ponce as a'corrective' to a Western perspective that focuses on the Western origins of Area/Asian Studies.

The conference was organized with the assistance of the Japan Foundation, the Southeast Asia Commonality Research Foundation, International Relations and Security Network, Class Prints, Ph Care, Tomo Kai, and HallyUP. 

The Asian Center offers MA programs on Asian Studies (South Asian Studies, West Asian Studies, and Northeast Asian Studies) and a PhD in Philippine Studies.

PHOTO: Dr Resil Mojares holding the microphone; beside him is Professor Eduardo Tadem of the Asian Center. 

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