The 2nd Annual Conference of the Asian Studies Ireland Association

Transcription

1 Conference Archive The 2nd Annual Conference of the Asian Studies Ireland Association The 2nd Annual Conference of the Asian Studies Ireland Association was held on November 13, 2009 at UCC. The conference brought together foreign delegates form the Centre of Modern Contemporary Chinese Study in the University of Le Harve in France, Leiden University in The Netherlands, the Brussels Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies in Belgium, University of Kuopio in Finland and Hainan University in China. Co-ordinated by University College Cork s School of Asian Studies and Kemmy Business School University of Limerick, the conference ran a series of panel based workshops and seminars, which aimed to focus on the impact of the global economic crisis on the Asian economies, the different responses of the various Asian governments to the crisis and the different perceptions of the crisis between European and Asian societies. The event was conclude with a roundtable discussion focusing on Ireland s Celtic Tiger past and how such issues are relevant to both regions.

2 Post Beijing 2008: Geopolitics, Sport, Pacific Rim International Conference/Workshop The International Conference/Workshop took place in Cork, Ireland on March 18th, 19th and 20th The Conference/Workshop is organized jointly by the International Journal of the History of Sport (IJHS) - Routledge, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the Irish Institute of Chinese Studies (IICS) and the Confucius Institute at UCC. Distinguished academics from Europe, North America, Asia and Australia gathered in Cork, and discussed the impact of the Beijing Olympics on the geo-political future of the Pacific Rim. For three days, nearly 20 presentations approached the topic from various perspectives. Inspired by the presentations, participants discussed the cultural, political, and economical influence of the Beijing Olympics. Selected papers which presented at the C/W will be published in the forthcoming IJHS and Sport in the Global Society (SGS) numbers. This is the first conference/workshop of its kind after the Beijing Olympics. The discussions have covered themes including politics, economics, culture and sports development in the post Beijing 2008 Era. Scholars from distinguished universities in Europe, Australia, USA, Asia and China presented their analytic views on the geo-political future of the Pacific Rim after the Beijing Olympics. The Lord Mayor of Cork City Cllr. Brian Bermingham, the President of UCC Dr. Michael B. Murphy, Former President of the Gaelic Athletic Association(GAA) and Executive Chairman of the Irish Institute of Sports Mr. Seán Kelly, all presented at the opening of the conference/workshop. They expressed their warm welcome, and stressed the importance of the conference/workshop.

3 IICS Annual Conference 2008 The Rise of Asia and the Challenge for Europe IICS s second annual international conference, The Rise of Asia and its Challenge for Europe, was held by UCC at Jurys Hotel, Western Rd, Cork on 14th November The aim of the conference was to bring together academics from Asia and Europe with representatives from Irish government and business. The Lord Mayor of Cork, Mr Brian Bermingham along with UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy officiated at the Opening Ceremony followed by Micheál Martin, TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs who delivered the Keynote Address. Ambassadors from several Asian countries (People s Republic of China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia) then participated in a roundtable discussion titled Ireland in Asia during Challenging Times and chaired by Dr Tom Hardiman, member of the Asia- Europe Foundation (ASEF) Board of Governors. In the afternoon, two panel discussions comprising figures from the worlds of academia, business and journalism were carried out. The first panel, chaired by Professor Paul Giller, Registrar and Vice- President for Academic Affairs, UCC focused on 30 Years of Reform in China. Participants included Prof Kjeld Erik Brodsgaard, Asia Centre, Copenhagen Business School, Professor Gary Liu, China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, Dr Paul Gillespie, Foreign Policy Editor, the Irish Times, Professor Louis Brennan, Trinity College Dublin, Dr Damien Tobin, S.O.A.S., London and Dr Chris Connolly, IICS, UCC. Panel II, chaired by Mr. Peter Ryan, the Director of Intellectual Exchange, ASEF, Singapore, discussed The Economics of Asia s Rise with participants Professor Badar Alam Iqbal, Aligarh Muslim

4 University, Aligarh (UP), India, Professor Yeoh Koh Kheng, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Dr Joern-Carsten Gottwald, IICS, UCC and Professor Bernadette Andreosso-O Callaghan, University of Limerick. The Irish Institute of Chinese Studies held its inaugural international conference from June 6th to 8th, The conference, entitled "CHINA in the 21st Century: Culture, Politics, Business", aimed to promote research on China and its relationship with Ireland, Europe and the World. Delegations from China, UK, South-East Asia, US, and Europe participated in the event at UCC. Ireland was well represented by delegates from the government and business sectors, as well as from universities. Special guests at the opening of the conference included: Ambassador of China to Ireland Mr. Zhang Xinsen; Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment Mr. Michael Martin; former Chinese Ambassador Mr. Sha Hallin; and the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Michael Ahern.

5 Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, Mr. Michael Martin, himself a UCC graduate, officially opened the conference on June 7th. In his address, he stated that Ireland's links with China have grown enormously in recent years at political, official and people to- people levels. The trade between Ireland and China has continued to grow at a rapid and sustained level, surpassing the Euro 5.5 billion mark in China, the most vibrant and discerning market in the world, will continue to be a key target for Irish companies. Other keynote speakers included: Dr Sha Hailin, former Chinese Ambassador to Ireland and currently a high-ranking politician in Shanghai; Professor Martin King Whyte from Harvard University; and Professor Sun Zhongxin from Fudan University in Shanghai.