Dr. Tina Clemente presented a paper, “Spanish Colonial Policy Toward the Chinese Merchant Community in 18th Century Philippines” at the Dialogues Between European and Asian Commercial Documents: Trade, Cultural Exchanges and Knowledge Construction in Modern East Asia. It was held on 1-2 November 2013 at the National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Republic of China.
Focusing on the 18th century, Dr. Clemente analyzes the relationship between the Spanish colonial government and Chinese merchants through major policies of containment on the Chinese merchant community in the Philippines. These include commercial restrictions, population regulations through expulsions and segregation; and massacres. Her paper is a contribution to the literature of merchant communities.
The conference is organized by the Institute of Taiwan History, Academic Sinica; the Institute of History and "The European Trade in Far East Asia and the Formation of Modern Knowledge" Research Program, National Tsinghua University. According to its Call for Papers, the conference aims to 'provide a platform for bringing together European and East Asian trade archives, in order to try and reconstitute the trade routes, models, and networks of different periods.'
Dr. Henelito A. Sevilla, Jr delivered a keynote speech and presented a paper at a conference with the theme, 'The End of the Westphalian Settlement? Contemporary Global Challenges Towards the Nation-State System.' This was held on 11 November 2013 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
In his keynote speech, Dr. Sevilla cited several factors to help explain how and why the nation-state will still play a transformative role in international politics. He later presented a paper, 'Philippine Policy and Responses to the Arab Spring: The Case of Libya and Syria,' in which he examines the impact of the Arab Spring on the Philippines. He also discussed the impact of the phenomenon on the millions of Overseas Filipino Workers, in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and explores the Philippine government's response to the Arab Spring.
According to conference proceedings, The International Conference on International System is a collaborative project among the International Relations Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and the University of the Philippines.
PHOTO: Dr. Sevilla presenting his paper.
Janus Isaac Nolasco, University Researcher, presented a paper, 'From Remittance to Revolution: The Filipino Diaspora and Political and Economic Change in the Philippines' at the Young Researcher's Workshop on Politics, Culture, and Migration in Southeast Asia. It was held on 8 November 2013 at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.
In his paper-cum-research proposal, Mr. Nolasco argued that the Filipino diaspora is emerging as a new social class in Philippine society and that their remittances and development projects can help undermine patronage politics in the Philippines.
The workshop was organized by, among others, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University and National Chi Nan University. Mr. Nolasco was joined by other young researchers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, and Taiwan.
PHOTO: Participants of the Young Researcher's Workshop on Politics, Culture, and Migration in Southeast Asia.
Professor Aileen Baviera was in Beijing and Shanghai recently to deliver lectures on the Philippines and Phiippines-China relations, organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs. At Peking University, she lectured before the Philippine Studies Program as well as at a graduate seminar in international relations under Prof Zhu Feng.
Together with former Philippine ambassador to ASEAN and De La Salle professor Wilfrido Villacorta, she then gave a presentation at Tsinghua University, before proceeding to Shanghai to meet with scholars and analysts at the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies.
Prior to the Beijing and Shanghai visits, she participated in a conference on UNCLOS and State Practice organized by the Hainan-based National Institute of South China Sea Studies of China.
PHOTO 1: Professors Baviera and Villacorta with Pres. Chen Dongxiao of the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies and officers of the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai.
PHOTO 2: Professor Baviera (right) with Amb. Wilfrido Villacorta and Dr. Wu Jiewei of Peking University's Philippine Studies Program.