Coming up in February 2002
COMING UP IN FEBRUARY 2002
| Release Date: | 1/31/2002 |
|---|
- EWC Briefings in Washington D.C. and New York City To Define Critical Population and Health Issues
- Taylor Symposium on Cultural Conflict and Mediation Features Workshop and Evening Program Open to Public
- Japanese and American Journalists to Meet and Exchange Opinions Following Study Tours
- In North Carolina: “Understanding Afghanistan” -- A two-part Panel Discussion Feb. 21
- The First EWC International Graduate Student Conference: “Exploring “Local/Global Relations in the Asia Pacific Region”
- East West Fest is February 24: A Celebration of Cultures for the Community
- Two Perspectives on the Environment
- “Okinawa Music and Dance” – February 2
“The Beauty of the Chinese Opera” – in Progress - “Japan’s Economic Recovery”
- Looking Ahead . . .
EAST COAST BRIEFINGS TO DEFINE
CRITICAL POPULATION & HEALTH ISSUES
Problems in reducing birth and death rates and the burgeoning HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia will be among topics discussed by East-West Center population and health researchers at briefings in New York City and Washington, D.C. in February.
The researchers are in the final stages of preparing a report on population trends in Asia, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report is intended for use by policymakers, government leaders in the U.S. and Asia, the donor community, population and international development NGOs, business leaders, and others with an interest in Asia and in global population issues. The purpose is to increase awareness of population trends in Asia and how critical these are to the economic and social well-being of the global community. The briefings will be:
- Friday, February 22 in New York City, Noon to 2 p.m., United Nations Association-USA, 801 2nd Avenue.
- Monday, February 25 in Washington, D.C., Noon to 2 p.m., Room 2168 of the Rayburn House Office Building
- Both are open to news media coverage. For information, contact: Robert Retherford, EWC Senior Fellow and Coordinator of Population and Health studies, (808) 944-7403. E-mail: retherfr@EastWestCenter.org
Major topics will include: (1) trends in fertility, family planning, and population growth; (2) behavioral trends among Asia’s adolescents and young adults, with an emphasis on risk-taking behavior; (3) changing marriage and family patterns, especially in East Asia; (4) tradition and change in women’s roles in the family and workplace; (5) economic and social consequences of population aging; (6) urbanization and the explosive growth of Asian megacities; (7) the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Asia; (8) demographic trends and economic development; and (9) interactions between population, natural resources, and the environment.
Making the presentations will be East-West Center senior fellows Tim Brown, Andrew Mason and Robert Retherford.
They note that for many decades, a priority of U.S. foreign assistance has been to slow global population growth, and that no region of the world figures more prominently in that goal than Asia. Half of the world’s people live in Asia, and U.S. and Asian interests – economic as well as security interests - are increasingly intertwined.
The presentations will describe the success of efforts to deal with Asia’s population problems and the challenges that remain, with emphasis on two critical issues:
Efforts to reduce birth and death rate. Many countries in Asia have not succeeded in reducing birth and death rates to low levels or in establishing social and economic conditions necessary to achieve those goals. Afghanistan and Pakistan, for example, have failed to address the health and educational needs of their youth, especially those of girls and young women.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although the epidemic in Asia is not likely to reach the levels documented in sub-Saharan Africa, rates of infection are rising rapidly in some countries. Given the region’s large population, more men, women, and children are likely to be affected by HIV/AIDS than in any other part of the world. An effective, timely, and sustained response is essential to dealing with these issues.
Symposium to Tackle Cross-Cultural Conflict
Creative Thinkers from Alaska to Fiji
Will Deliberate at the EWC Feb. 27 – March 2
The George E. Taylor Symposium on Cultural Conflict and Mediation will take place at the East-West Center February 27-March 2. Named after a pioneering humanist and Asia scholar, the symposium envisions a “Meeting of the Minds” to deliberate on real scenarios of cross-cultural conflict and to pose solutions. The creative thinkers assembled for the symposium come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but their common experience is the clash of cultures and a commitment to effective cross-cultural communication. They include a three-star general, indigenous peoples, a former United Nations ambassador, professors from both local and distant universities, a Hawai’i state senator, and a sprinkling of promising young scholars dedicated to the study of conflict mediation.
The symposium is sponsored by:- The Florence R. Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values, located in Bellingham, Washington
- The Conflict Resolution Program at Matsunaga Peace Institute at the University of Hawaii
- The East-West Center.
- The Symposium begins with a cross-cultural communication training workshop from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27 at the East-West Center. The workshop is open to the public and there is a $150 registration fee which includes the training, print materials and refreshments. (see details below)
The invitation-only symposium runs from 8 a.m. Thursday, February 28 to Saturday noon, March 2. During the sessions, participants will share their professional and personal insights on resolving cross-cultural conflicts and identify seemingly irresolvable issues for future research.
PUBLIC INVITED TO FREE EVENING PRESENTATION MARCH 2- A free evening presentation, “When Cultures Meet: Finding the Common Ground,” concludes the four-day symposium. The public is invited to Keoni Auditorium on Saturday evening, March 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. to hear different voices speaking across cultures to find commonality in these troubled times. The tone for the evening will be set with a reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Hawai’i resident, William S. Merwin, and a presentation by Hawai’ian storyteller, Tai’ivi Crouch. Ambassador Rex Horoi from the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific in Fiji, and Lelei Lelalu from Counterpart International in Washington, D.C. will also be on the program. All are welcome.
For Further Information: frkvalues@aol.com Jamie K. Donaldson –
Phone 360-733-5648
Additional information on the Feb. 27 workshop:
A half-day, introductory training workshop in the “Value Orientations Method” (VOM) to foster effective cross-cultural communication will be offered in the Asia Room of the Hawai’i Imin International Conference Center at the East-West Center from noon to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27. The workshop is presented by the Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values of Bellingham, Washington.
The Value Orientation Method (VOM) is based on the philosophy that many conflicts and misunderstandings between groups and cultures are rooted in different ways of perceiving and interpreting the world, in their different core values. Since 1987 the Kluckhohn Center has utilized and refined the VOM to understand the influence of these core values on cross-cultural communications. It has learned that exploring values-based similarities and differences can contribute in tangible ways to resolving long-standing conflicts within, as well as between, culturally diverse groups. The method has proven successful in helping to foster greater respect and cooperation between governmental agencies and Native American communities in the Pacific Northwest. It has been used effectively in multicultural education programs from the middle school to university level, in clinical settings with patients from diverse cultures and backgrounds, and in community-based development projects.
Offered for the first time in Hawai’i, the hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the concept of core value systems, the Value Orientations Method, its survey instrument, and its broad applications. The three trainers, Dr. Marian Ortuno from Baylor University in Texas, Dr. Danilo Ponce from the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai’i, and Kurt Russo, Executive Director of the Kluckhohn Center, have more than 65 years of combined experience with the VOM in a variety of settings.
The registration fee for the half-day workshop is $150 which includes the training, print materials, and refreshments. Space is limited to 50 participants. Checks should be made out to The Kluckhohn Center and mailed to: 119 North Commercial, Suite 240, Bellingham, WA, 98225 and received by February 15.
JAPAN-UNITED STATES JOURNALISTS EXCHANGE:
Feb. 13 through March 12 in Honolulu, U.SA. Mainland & Japan The East-West Center, in cooperation with the Nihon Shinbun Kyokai (NSK) in Tokyo and the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) in Washington, D.C. sponsors the Japan-United States Journalists Exchange. The program annually offers opportunities for six Japanese journalists to visit the United States and for six United States journalists to visit Japan.
Following these study tours, all 12 journalists meet at the East-West Center to report on their experiences and to exchange opinions on how coverage of each country may be improved in the other. The program was developed to enhance the quality and quantity of media reporting in each country of the other through specific focus on upper mid-level and senior "gatekeepers." The program is funded by the United States-Japan Foundation, New York, the Nihon Shinbun Kyokai (NSK), Tokyo, and the East West Center. The program builds upon the longest running bilateral U.S.-Japan exchange of journalists, begun in 1973 by the NSK and ICFJ. It has included more than 350 journalists from both countries.
The Japanese journalists are from the Shimane Nichi-Nichi Shimbun, the Kobe Shimbun, the Nishi-Nippon Shimbun, the Chugoku Shimbun, the Chunichi Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun. The U.S. journalists are from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Christian Science Monitor, Fort Bend/Southwest Sun Houston Community Newspapers, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Baltimore Sun.
EWC CONTACT: Dennis D. Donahue, Media Program Coordinator (808)944-7192.
E-mail: donahued@EastWestCenter.org
UNDERSTANDING AFGHANISTAN
A two-part panel discussion on Afghanistan in the aftermath of September 11 will be presented February 21 at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference in Greensboro, NC. The event is organized by the East-West Center in collaboration with the North Carolina Center for International Understanding. Time: First Panel - 10:50 - 11:50 a.m., Second Panel: 1:40 - 2:40 p.m. Place: Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, North Carolina.
A session on “Understanding Afghanistan: Prelude to September 11” will be followed by “Establishing Peace and Rebuilding Society in Afghanistan.”
Featured panelists are:- Sara Amiryal, Afghans for Tomorrow
- Louis Mitchell, Former Peace Corps Country Director for Afghanistan and CEO, TransCentury
- Alam Payind, Director of Middle East Studies at Ohio State University
- Agha Saeed, Visiting Professor, US-Berkeley and National Chairman, Association of American Muslims
The panel will be moderated by Jean Johnson, a South Asia specialist and former world history teacher who instructs pre-service teachers at New York University. A teaching strategy session led by Jean Johnson and Shabir Mansuri, Founding Director of Council on Islamic Education, will follow the panel discussion.
EWC contact: Greg Francis, E-mail: francisg@EastWestCenter.org
FIRST EWC INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE
STUDENT CONFERENCE IS FEBRUARY 21-23
“Local/Global Relations in the Asia Pacific Region” will be explored in more than 100 paper, panel and poster presentations from Asia, the Pacific, Europe and the United States. All conference presentations are free and open to the public.
The welcome ceremony and keynote address by Prasenjit Duara will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 21 at the EWC Hawaii Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall. Duara is professor of history and East Asian languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago. His books include Rescuing History from the Nation: Questioning Narratives of Modern China.
The conference has been organized by graduate fellows at the East-West Center. The home institutions of presenters include Baylor University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Minnesota, Sun Yat-Sen University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Hong Kong, Keio University (Tokyo), University of Rhode Island, University of Texas, Cornell University, University of Michigan, UCLA and the University of Oxford.
Session topics are:
Friday, February 22
8:30 – 10:15 a.m. Spirituality, Aesthetics and Morality: Traditions Encounter Modernity
10:30 – 12:15 p.m. Urban Spaces, Local Identities, and Global Economy
2 – 3:45 p.m. Hawai’i Contact Zones
4 – 5:45 p.m. Marginal Identities and Cultural Instability: Children, the Homeless, and Servants in the Shifting Socioscape
6 – 7:30 p.m. Poster Session
Saturday, February 23
8:30 – 10:15 a.m. Defining Nation and Diaspora in India’s (Trans) national present: Narratives of Gender, Culture and Nationality
10 – 12:15 p.m. Wars, Memory and Citizenship
2 – 3:45 p.m. Futures Panel
4 – 5:45 p.m. Varieties of Transnationalism: Individual and Community Constructions
FURTHER INFORMATION is available on the conference web site at East-West Center Click on “Education” and then on “The East-West Center International Graduate Student Conference” E-mail: studentconference@EastWestCenter.org Phone: 944-7111.
EAST WEST FEST is February 24:
Fun PLUS Educational Activities
East-West Center students from the U.S. and nearly 30 Asian and Pacific countries will share their crafts, delicacies, talent, children's games and goodwill with the Hawaii community at the annual day-long East West Fest on Sunday, February 24.
East West Fest 2002, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will include Japanese Taiko drumming by internationally acclaimed drummer Kenny Endo, an EWC alumnus, among a wide range of other activities. For more information, call 944-7111.
The Fest follows the tradition of the East-West Center in promoting international cooperation and understanding, said Fest coordinators Anthony Medrano, a master’s candidate in international relations from California, and Vijayan Mumusamy, an MBA candidate from Malaysia. They point out that this is a family event with educational and fun activities for all ages: “Admission to the annual East West Fest is entirely free of charge, with multi-cultural cuisines available for no more than five dollars. A chance not to be missed!”
The Fest will also feature face paintings, interactive craft demonstrations, martial arts, games, music, and other arts and exhibits from China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nepal, Solomon Islands, Guam, Tonga, East Timor, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Mongolia, Vanuatu, Hawaii, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Thailand, Fiji, the United States, India and many others.
All activities will take place at the East West Center's Hawaii Imin International Conference Center at Jefferson Hall, located on East West Road across from the Kennedy Theatre.
TWO PERSPECTIVES ON THE ENVIRONMENT:
Education Program Seminar on Environmental Studies
Tuesday, February 26 at Noon. Burns Hall Room 2118.- “Measurement and disclosure of corporate environmental conservation activities” by Yusei Uezu, professor of accounting, University of the Ryukyus, visiting fellow, East-West Center.
- “Atmospheric Transportation of Chemical Substances from Asian Continent to Pacific Ocean” by Akira Tanahara, Associate Professor, Instrument Research Center, University of the Ryukyus and Visiting Fellow, East-West Center.
E-mail: hidanoc@EastWestCenter.org
OKINAWA MUSIC AND DANCE
Music and Dance from Okinawa: Uzagaku and other Classical Styles featuring the Ryukyuan Uzagaku Ensemble and the Majikina Honryu Dance Company. will be presented at 8 p.m. Saturday, February 2 at the Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawaii at Manoa Music Department. This concert will feature an ensemble of 12 professional musicians and dancers from Okinawa who have specialized in the refined classical repertoire. The second half will be devoted to an ancient court music style-Uzagaku-which has recently been reconstructed.
Sponsored by the East-West Center Arts Program and the UH Music Department. Tickets at $10 for general admission and $8 for students, senior citizens and military are available at the UHM Campus Box Office (Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.; Saturday 8:30 a.m. - Noon) and at Hokama’s Music, 1319 S. King Street (Monday-Saturday 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.) Charge-by-phone: 944-7584. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door.
XiQu: the Beauty of Chinese Opera
Now through April 6. An exhibition of exquisite costumes, headdresses, musical instruments, props, and photographs showing the elaborate efforts that go into preparing Chinese musical theatre. EWC Gallery, John A. Burns Hall, corner Dole Street and East-West Road. Admission Free. Hours: M-F 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sundays Noon-4p.m. Closed Saturdays and holidays.
This exhibition coincides with the University of Hawaii's Kennedy Theatre production of a Beijing Opera, "Judge Bao and the Case of Qin Zianglian," February 8-17.
EWC Arts Programs are made possible by support from the Hawai'i Pacific Rim Society, the Western States Arts Federation, the Jackie Chan Foundation, the Hawai'i Community Foundation, Hawaiian Airlines, and by generous contributions to the East-West Center Foundation.
CONTACT: William Feltz, (808) 944-7612. E-mail: feltzb@EastWestCenter.org
New Publication
“Putting the Pieces in Place for Japan’s Economic Recovery” by Terutomo Ozawa, Colorado State University, 2001 EWC visiting fellow
Summary: Just over a decade ago, the phenomenal economic growth of Japan was admired and even feared. It had pursued a successful strategy of industry upgrading to catch up with the West, maximizing bank-based, state-directed financing. Ironically, the very institutional setup that was required for success eventually resulted in a devastating economic downturn. Japan remains languishing in a state of economic stagnation, but that may change: market forces are now driving Japan to carry out major reforms.
A market-oriented business environment is crucial, and thus Japan is being propelled toward deregulation and institutional reform. In particular, its traditionally protected, inner-dependent sector must be opened to competition on in order to improve efficiency, and obstacles to direct foreign investment must be eliminated. Although the process is a gradual one that has been further hampered by the slump in the U.S. economy, dynamic changes are in motion, creating promising roles and opportunities for foreign investors as well as potential for Japan to realize a new economic vitality.
East-West Center AsiaPacific Issues, No. 87. Eight pages.
L o o k i n g A h e a d . . .
March -- “Transporting the Pacific into the New Millennium” - a Joint Commercial Commission workshop focusing on the private-sector. (dates to be announced)
“Dynamics of Pakistan-U.S. Relations,” workshop organized by the Pakistan chapter of the East-West Center alumni association (EWCA) (dates to be announced)
March 2 -- Conclusion of the George E. Taylor Symposium on Cultural Conflict and Mediation. (invitation only). Cosponsored by the Kluckhohn Center of Bellingham, Washington, the East-West Center, and the Conflict Resolution Program of the Matsunaga Peace Institute.
Public Program: “When Cultures Meet: Finding the Common Ground.” This is the capstone event of the Taylor Symposium. For more information, please contact the Jamie K. Donaldson of the Florence R. Kluckhohn Center for the Study of Values at frkvalues@aol.com
March 3 -- Concert: Indian Classical Music – Featuring Kartik Seshadri, sitar, Arup Chattopadhyay, tabla. 4 p.m. Imin Center-Jefferson Hall. Tickets at $8 and $10 available from February 11 at UHM Campus Center Box Office or charge-by-telephone 944-7584.
March 5-7 -- 2nd Asia Pacific Executive Forum in Manila, co-sponsored with the Asian Institute of Management.
March 5-20 -- 4th Hong Kong Journalism Fellows program (in Honolulu, China and Hong Kong).
March 6-8 -- 11th Northeast Asia Economic Forum meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
March 13-14 -- 27th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders.
March 14-16 -- Asian Studies Development Program National Conference in Atlanta, hosted by Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Georgia.
March 15 -- EWC Foundation Annual Dinner.
March 29-30 -- Asian Studies Development Program workshop on China and Japan, Fort Lauderdale, hosted by the Florida chapter of the EWC Alumni Association (EWCA).
April 6 -- Washington, D.C.: Reception at the Association for Asian Studies meeting, hosted by the Washington, D.C. chapter of the EWC Alumni Association (EWCA).
April 28 -- Spring Jefferson Fellowship Program for Journalists through May 25.
(Tentative) -- Asia Pacific Executive Forum Workshop.
May 30 -- Annual East-West Summer Seminar on Population – to June 29.
May 12-16 -- Pacific Island Technical Training Planning Workshop.
May 14-26 -- 3rd Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowships (in Honolulu, Singapore and Taipei).
June 3-5 -- Senior Seminar on Environment: Greenhouse Gases.
July 1-4 -- EWCA/EWC International Alumni Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
August 4-7 -- Senior Policy Seminar.
September 1 -- 12th New Generation Seminar, through September 15.
September 9-16 -- Women in Leadership.
October 4-9 -- Chaplin Fellow in Distinguished Journalism.
October 5-8 -- 35th Anniversary Jefferson Fellows Alumni Conference.
October 6 -- Fall Jefferson Fellowships (through November 2).
October 27-30 -- 3rd Asia Pacific Conference on E-Commerce.
November 10-24 -- 3rd US-Japan Journalism Exchange (in Honolulu, US mainland and Japan).
November 25 -- Pacific Island Technical Training Program (through December 5).
