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 UP Asian Center will host a research forum,Japan Studies AcrossBorders, and the book launching of “Thinking Beyond the State: Migration, Integration, and Citizenship in Japan and the Philippines” on 16 August 2018, 1:00 pm–4:00 pm, Seminar Room, UP Asian Center, Quezon City. Both events are free and open to the public, but seating is first-come, first-served; interested participants are requested to sign up to receive any change to the program.

ABOUT THE BOOK: ‘THINKING BEYOND THE STATE’

“Thinking Beyond the State: Migration, Integration, and Citizenship in Japan and the Philippines” features the nine studies from Filipino and Japanese scholars which address the need to think beyond prevailing state discourses in problematizing human movements between Japan and the Philippines. This they do by focusing on the presence of other actors involved in these processes.

This collection investigates citizenship and nationality, migrant incorporation and integration, human security, migrant welfare, philanthropy, identity, and multiculturalism.  

The book may be purchased at PhP 300, twenty-five (25) percent off the regular price of PhP 400. Offer is limited to first 50 copies.

SPEAKERS FOR THE BOOK LAUNCH (1:00–2:00 Pm)

  • Editor’s Remarks: Johanna Zulueta, PhD (Associate Professor, Soka University)

  • Discussant: Maruja SB. Asis, PhD (Director, Scalibrini Migration Center)

  • Publisher: David Jonathan Bayot, PhD (Executive Publisher, DLSU Publishing House)

JAPAN STUDIES ACROSS BORDERS (2:15 Pm–4:00 Pm)

Four presenters will share the gist of their respective chapters in ‘Thinking Beyond the State’ and present their perspectives and experiences on doing Japan Studies—methods, approaches, etc.—not only in Japan and the Philippines, but also in other parts of Asia. Abstracts have been attached: 

  • Conducting Research as a Foreign Student in Japan: Insights and Experiences by Jocelyn Celero, PhD

  • Doing Multi-Sited Ethnographic Fieldwork by Megumi Hara, PhD

  • Trends, Opportunities and Pitfalls of Japanese Studies in the Philippines/Southeast Asia by Benjamin San Jose, PhD

  • Engaging Japan: Reading and Interviewing in Japanese by Johanna Zulueta, PhD

The forum will be moderated by Dr. Ricardo Jose, Director of the UP Third Word Studies Center. He is Professor at the UP Department of History and specializes on, among other topics, on Philippine-Japan relations, especially during World War II. 

ABOUT THE FORUM SPEAKERS

  • Dr. Jocelyn Celero is Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

  • Dr. Megumi Hara is Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Technology, Wakayama College, Japan.

  • Dr. Benjamin San Jose is Assistant Professor at the Japan Studies Department, Ateneo de Manila University.

  • Dr. Johanna Zulueta is Associate Professor of Sociology at Soka University, Tokyo, Japan.

VENUE, VICINITY MAP, And INQUIRIES

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


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 atthe journal's website. For other news and upcoming events at the Asian Center, click here.