Biennial DGA conference
Sustainability “Made in Asia” – Challenges, Trends and Opportunities
University of Rostock, 14-16 September 2023
Ulmenstraße 69, House 1 (Thünen-Haus), 18057 Rostock
Conference programme
Thursday, 14 September 2023
14.00-15.45 Opening Session (Room 323)
Welcome Addresses:
Jörn Dosch, Vice Dean, Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Rostock
Carmen Brandt, President, German Association of Asian Studies
Michael Paulus, Director, International Office, University of Rostock
Keynote:
Jürgen Rüland (University of Freiburg)
The Sustainability of Foreign Policy Pragmatism: The Response of ASEAN Countries to the War in Ukraine
15.45-16.15 Coffee Break
(coffee, tea, cakes etc. will be available throughout the conference, included in the conference fee)
16.15-18.00 Panels, Session 1
| Panel 1A: Sustainable Peace and Sustainable Security in Asia Room: 126 |
| Questions of peace and security are highly relevant for various Asian countries and sub-regions. In Asia, we observe divers domestic and interstate conflicts ranging from separatism and terrorism to hot border clashes. We see also highly volatile security dynamics that are accompanied by arms races and intensified security competitions in realms such as cyber and space. Thirdly, conflicts and tensions caused by resources scarcity remain high on the agenda. The influence of external actors deserves special attention. The United States, for example, are closely connected to the continent due to their security alliances with South Korea, Japan, Australia, and others. Powers like Russia and China are also trying to strengthen their influence in Asian regions like Central Asia or Southeast Asia. Given the harsh security environment in Asia, strategies for sustainable peace and sustainable security are needed. Thus, we invite papers that address the above-mentioned developments and discuss possible solutions and ideas for sustainable peace and security. |
| Convener: Jens Heinrich (University of Rostock) Anna Mühlhausen (University of Rostock) From the ‘War on Terror’ to Peace Negotiations: Which factors explain the start of negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban? Alena Schmitz, German Aerospace Center (DLR) ‘Playing with fire’? The Taiwan Issue as game-theoretical interaction between China and the USA Jan Asmussen (University of Kiel) Integrated Maritime Security Cooperation in South-East Asia |
| Panel 1B: (Non-)sustainable Concepts: Empirical and theoretical consideration of the (re)emergence and disappearance of concepts about China (1) Room: 124 |
| The conceptualization of China as a systemic rival and geo-strategic antagonist has become an integral part of Western rhetoric and normality in the public debate about China. Expectations of political and social liberalization in the wake of China’s economic opening and its integration into global organizations have been disappointed. At the same time, China’s (re)rise is shifting the global balance of power toward multipolarity and is the subject of ongoing debates both inside and outside the country. External descriptions of a China that is often thought of as monolithic are contrasted with internal Chinese self-descriptions. In addition to the portrayals of party-ideologically influenced propaganda, there are diverse Chinese self-descriptions, for example in the scientific system, the cultural sector and the intellectual public sphere-all of which are admittedly under state scrutiny. In this context, the corona pandemic has not led to more solidarity; on the contrary, it has increased the already existing tensions between China and the West. Most recently, Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit led (among other things) to sharp rhetoric in Chinese and Western media and politics. Hostilities between China and the ‘West’ are not new; rather, conceptualizations of China by the ‘West’ and Chinese self-conceptualizations are subject to change and fluctuation. Some concepts show a remarkable longevity (sustainability) other concepts last only a short time. These fluctuations refer not only to public representations, but also to nuanced scientific discussions. The concepts have far-reaching consequences for the perception of China. Underlying this is the constructivist assumption that perceptions of China are essentially interrelated to conceptualizations of what China is. Concepts of China or in relation to China arise from perceptions, which in turn are already shaped by concepts. These perceptions ultimately culminate in the narratives that are told about China. In many cases, the concepts cannot be neatly separated into perceptions of the outside world and self-perceptions; rather, these “Chinese” and “Western” concepts are often interwoven. Methodologically, concepts can be described as components of discourse. As macro-sociological knowledge structures, they have a constituting effect on the perception of everyday phenomena in relation to China and constitute distinctive, disciplinary orders through which power/knowledge works. |
| Convener: Anno Dederichs (University of Tübingen) Peter Kesselburg (Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg) ‘Self-Isolation Policies’ of the Ming and Qing dynasties in the “Dontai qingling” period: How to use the imperial past to shape a political discussion in the present” Stefan Messingschlager (Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg) Constructing China: On the discursive formation of a rising Power (1950s-1970s) Han Wenjing (Goethe University Frankfurt) “Chinese” vs. “Non-Chineseness”? Reflections, reimaginations and reconstructions on Chinese translation theories and practices |
| Panel 1C: Open Panel (1) Room: 118 |
| Convener: Ludmila Lutz-Auras (University of Rostock) Daniel Köllner (Ruhr-University Bochum) Socio-Economic Cohesion in Southeast Asia – Potential and Limitations of International Trade UnHye Joe (Friedrich Schiller University Jena) “Toward New Regional Integration Models for East Asian Economic Institutional Community-Building” Sartika Soesilowati (Airlangga University) China’s Global Health Diplomacy on COVID-19: as a Responsible Great Power and Pragmatic Revisionist? |
18.30 Reception/Dinner: Ulmen-Mensa (included in conference fee)
Friday, 15 September 2023
Coffee, Tea and light snacks available from 8am
08.30-10.15 Panels, Session 2
| Panel 2A: Sustainable Academic Engagement with China: Challenges, Trends, and Opportunities – The View from Central and Eastern Europe Room 118 |
| We live in an interdependent and interconnected world where people, goods, and ideas are as mobile as never before. This international mobility also includes scientists and their research. In the last few years, China invested massively in research and technology, and as a consequence many Chinese universities are now ranked among the global top-100. However, as China is an authoritarian governed country, the academic mobility and interconnectedness with China is increasingly questioned by the general public as well as economic and political actors in Europe. Fears of a know-how and technology transfer to an authoritarian country exist. Moreover, there are concerns that sensitive European know-how can be used by Chinese actors for military purposes, without the knowledge or explicit consent of the European partner. In light of China’s rising economic and military power and the systemic conflict between China and the United States, risks and threats arising from an academic engagement with China are increasingly questioned also in Europe. Germany has only recently seen a public discussion of how its actors should position themselves in this changing environment. The DGA has likewise issued a positioning statement. In this panel, we ask how sustainable the current Sino-European academic engagement is for both sides and how its sustainability can be improved. The panel will map the current state of the cooperation between China and Central- and Eastern European academic institutions and analyse the guidelines on the EU and national levels for involvement in such interactions. |
| Convener: Alfred Gerstl (Palacky University Olomouc) Alfred Gerstl (Palacky University Olomouc) and Martin Mandl (University of Vienna) Austria’s academic relations with China: Just one partner among many |
| Panel 2B: (Non-)sustainable Concepts: Empirical and theoretical consideration of the (re)emergence and disappearance of concepts about China (2) Room 124 |
| Convener: Anno Dederichs (University of Tübingen) Lala Samedova (University of Cologne) The reassessment of Chiang Kai-shek and the GMD in the Soviet scholarship Anno Dederichs (Non-)Sustainable Concepts Christoph Rothenbuecher (University of Rostock) Interdependence, identities, institutions: transcultural perspectives on world orders |
| Panel 2C: Rethinking Political Ecology and Anthropocene Perspectives on environmental issues in (Southeast) Asia Room: 126 |
| Highlighted by recent calls for a Green New Deal and Degrowth, sustainable development, maintenance of biodiversity, and intergenerational equity in access to environmental resources are now accepted as worthy ideals in the capitalist world-ecology. This is also apparent in Southeast Asia, where new voices and arenas of resistance and responses to dominant forces emerge, and environmentalism has become a legitimizing discourse of opposition (beginning from the late 1980s). With rapid and fundamental environmental and political-economic change, Southeast Asia suggests itself to use environment as a window on wider aspects of societal dynamics, and to analyse the extent to which different groups are benefiting or suffering from the rapid changes affecting each society and country in the region. This field of tension presents political-economic, environmental, and social challenges for Southeast Asian countries and their production, utilisation and management of natural and biological resources. These processes and the related, rapidly expanding web of relations stimulate a variety of scientific approaches, theoretical concepts and perspectives. Beyond the management of natural resources, the conceptualization of human-nature relationships, values, and connections to individuals’ behaviour become a focus of interest. This includes Southeast Asian perspectives on human’s alienation from nature, attempts for a reconciliation between human and nature (also in urban settings), and diversified conceptions of nature in traditional knowledge systems across the region. Political Ecology approaches environmental issues focusing on power relations and the coproduction of nature and society. This means investigating the reflexive relationship between environmental conditions, discourses, and activism on the one hand and changing economic, social, and political relations on the other. A central aim is to dismantle false boundaries of ‘the social’ and ‘the natural’. Similarly, contemporary Anthropocene research puts a focus on entanglements between differently defined ‘natures’ and ‘cultures’. The emphasis on interrelations in the context of nature-cultures creates a space for thought with promising reference points for investigating human-nature-relations. Anthropocene is a popular term in the global knowledge landscape, but it is filled with very different contents and includes several dimensions of knowledge. The concept has its origins in the natural sciences and has migrated as a “traveling concept” into the cultural sciences and into extra-scientific fields such as art. However, both the concept, the historical onset of the Anthropocene and, above all, the empirical evidence to be consulted are controversial. So far, the discussion of global anthropogenic environmental change under the term “Anthropocene” has taken place almost exclusively in Western countries. In (Southeast) Asia, the phenomenon is often discussed under simpler terms such as “global anthropogenic environmental change” or “geosystem change”. Thus, both the data situation and the conceptual discussion are strongly Atlantic-centric. The question is how global man-made change is thought about, researched, and socially discussed in extra-ethnological research contexts and in spaces in Southeast Asia. Our panel aims at exploring the rapidly evolving field of entangled natural and social environments in Southeast Asia from different angles, including (but not limited to) Political Ecology and Anthropocene perspectives. Both contributions with a comparative approach and case-studies from different countries are most welcomed. We invite contributions on the following (or related) questions: What are dominant ideas about natural environments (and their inherent values and beliefs) and what ideas about the use or management of natural resources and products exist? What different modes of environmentalism can be found in Southeast Asia, and how can scholars disentangle institutional, political, social and material bases for environmentalism? How can we theorize and conceptualize the social-ecological nexus, combining Political Ecology and Anthropocene (and other) perspectives? |
| Paul Christensen (University of Göttingen) Christoph Antweiler (University of Bonn) Patrick Keilbart (University of Frankfurt) |
10.30-12.15 Panels, Session 3
| Panel 3A: Towards the Future: Sustainability in South Asia (1) Room: 126 |
| South Asia is one of the most densely populated and fastest growing regions in the world. The way in which the countries in the region face the challenges of their intertwined environmental, economic, political, and societal issues will impact not only South Asia but the world as a whole – for better or for worse. Unsolved problems might have destabilizing effects elsewhere while successful South Asian paths towards sustainability may become role models for other regions. Based on this necessity to make sustainability practically effective, the panel addresses the ways and hurdles to get there. Thus, the unifying element of the panel’s subject and disciplinary diversity lies in the question of whether and how sustainability can be achieved in South Asia. Accordingly, sustainability is defined in a broad understanding. Relevant topics may range from natural resources, ecological issues, and disaster management to questions of political stability, economic development, and social cohesion. In an interdisciplinary approach, the panel invites contributions from different research areas including (but not being limited to) area studies, history, political science, sociology, anthropology, environmental studies, and economics. |
| Convenor: Pierre Gottschlich (University of Rostock) Clemens Jürgenmeyer (Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut Freiburg) An Exception to the Rule – The Perseverance of India’s Democracy Pierre Gottschlich No Sustained Populist Rule in Sri Lanka? What Went Wrong for the Rajapaksa Dynasty |
| Panel 3B: Filial piety as doing family in China Room 124 |
| Filial piety (xiao 孝) is one of the key sensemaking concepts employed in China to negotiate intergenerational relations and generation-specific roles within families. It has been part of state discourse in imperial times as well as in recent years. However, what can be called xiao (filial) is subject to negotiation. Our panel explores the way in which filial piety is negotiated in popular discourse and everyday life practice within family, and which consequences this has for doing family and doing generation, e.g. in terms of empowerment of members of different generations. We also analyse state propaganda and local government programs as one important context that shapes discourses on filial piety, and that tries to connect filial piety to nationalism, Chinese identity, and loyalty to the country. By doing so, we highlight the dynamic process of negotiating filiality and, in course of this, negotiating Chineseness. |
| Convener: Marius Meinhof (University of Bielefeld) Marius Meinhof Constructing the filial self – Defining and Negotiating filial piety in state-led moral construction programs in contemporary China Zhang Yiming (University of Bielefeld) Heteronormativity in/of space: An Ethnographic Study of a Certification Room in an Urban Marriage Registry in City M, Southwest China Grete Schönebeck (Goethe University Frankfurt) Doing family through and at graves in contemporary China Sujie Jin (University of Zürich) The Crisis of Patriarchy: An Analysis of Patricide in Chinese Danmei Fiction |
| Panel 3C Open Panel (2) Room 118 |
| Convener: Jörn Dosch, University of Rostock Tri Soesantari (Airlangga University) Surabaya Street Children Teaching Movement Rustinsyah (Airlangga University) THE ROLE OF THE POKDARWIS (TOURISM Awareness Group) in THE BEACH TOURISM AND ITS IMPACT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PANYURAN VILLAGE, TUBAN DISTRICT, EAST JAVA, INDONESIA. Meng-Hsi Pan (University of Bielefeld) Imagined Community on the Move – Negotiating Identity after the A4 Revolution with the Case Study of Chinese Diaspora in Germany Bertram Lang (Goethe University Frankfurt) Give-and-Take Recognition: Mutual Legitimation Dynamics in the Globalisation of Chinese Philanthropy |
12.30-13.30 Lunch Break: Ulmen-Mensa (included in conference fee)
13.30-15.15 Panels, Session 4
| Panel 4A: Contemporary Indonesia’s Foreign Policy and Diplomacy (1) Room 124 |
| Indonesian foreign policy and diplomacy remain guided by the principle of bebas-aktif (free and independent). Meanwhile, its contemporary implementation strives to adapt to current interests and challenges. As one of the world’s most populous countries and one of the largest democracies with the largest Muslim population in the world combined with important geostrategic and geopolitical dimensions, Indonesia is considered a key emerging power. Indonesia needs to grasp opportunities in international venues both in terms of traditional and recent non-traditional interests and issues. Indonesia must also adapt to new trends in foreign policy, such as digitalisation, and economic and science diplomacy – all of which are important in modern international affairs. Nonetheless, the role of Islam in Indonesia’s foreign policy, democracy and human rights are mainstay topics. This panel will discuss contemporary issues surrounding Indonesian foreign policy and diplomacy. It is crucial to assess how Indonesia develops and adapts, especially in terms of its foreign policy and diplomacy, to understand how the country reacts to and responds to global challenges. Individual presentations will cover topics about digital aspects of Indonesian diplomacy, Indonesia’s effort to promote Islamic science diplomacy, Islam in Indonesian foreign policy, Indonesian economic diplomacy, Indonesian foreign policy on Papua, climate change, populism, and Indonesia’s foreign policy amidst rising geopolitical tension as well as its relation with the middle-power state of South Korea. This panel will be divided into two sessions, in which the first session will focus on new issues while the second session will discuss more about traditional issues inside Indonesian foreign policy. |
| Convener: Albert Triwibowo (Rostock University and Parahyangan Catholic University) Discussant: Marco Bünte (University of Erlangen-Nürnberg) Amanda tho Seeth (GIGA Hamburg) From the Campus to the World: Mapping Indonesia´s Islamic Science Diplomacy Wendy Prajuli (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Bina Nusantara University) Islam in Indonesian Foreign Policy Albert Triwibowo In Search of Digital Diplomacy Made in Indonesia |
| Panel 4B: The Role of Science Diplomacy in Sustainable Research Cooperation with China Room 118 |
| This panel focuses on the changing concept of science diplomacy (SD) in the last few decades and its impact on Germany’s research cooperation with China. Based on the assumption that there is a mutually beneficial relationship between science and diplomacy, the original SD concept was designed as an instrument for achieving various policy objectives: 1) Science for diplomacy is expected to improve international relations between countries, while scientific collaboration produces positive externalities in non-scientific fields that can help to reduce political tensions between countries; 2) Diplomacy for science entails the promotion of international science cooperation, which is seen as a tool for dealing with cross-border challenges such as climate change or pandemics; 3) Science in diplomacy refers to the provision of expert advice regarding foreign policy, thus helping diplomacy. Contrary to the normative concept, and based on empirical research into relevant (public) actors’ SD strategies, another taxonomy was developed that focuses on three core approaches: 1) gaining access to overseas resources such as talent, knowledge and finances; 2) promoting the country’s higher education (HE) as well as science, technology and innovation (STI); and, 3) exercising influence over other actors via HE and STI. These approaches reveal that national interest and competition over resources play important roles in SD strategies. We apply the above concepts to the science cooperation between Germany and China focusing on the role of scientists and science organizations in SD, the interactions between scientists and diplomats, on SD in comparative perspective, focusing particularly on Chinese approaches, the impact of geopolitics on the conceptual understandings and objectives of SD and on empirical cases of SD in Sino-German research cooperation. The panellists will address the following questions : 1) What impact has Germany’s feminist and value-based foreign policy approach had on the country’s SD strategies vis-à-vis China? 2) What additional policies and measures are needed to achieve mutually beneficial scientific cooperation with China regarding large analytical research infrastructure? 3) What is the practitioner’s view of how to build trust and transparency in science cooperation with China? 4) What are China’s own SD strategies, concepts and policies? |
| Margot Schüller (German Institute for Global and Area Studies, GIGA, Hamburg) Marcus Conlé (WIKOOP-INFRA at DESY) Andrea Braun Střelcová (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) |
| Panel 4C: Towards the Future: Sustainability in South Asia (2) Room 126 |
| Convenor: Pierre Gottschlich (University of Rostock) Wiegand Körber (Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) On the Hurdles of Sustainable Resource Management – The Groundwater-Energy Nexus and the Role of the Electorate in India Jamal Ali Bashir (Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) In times of Water Shortage: Mega Projects as a Panacea for the Ruling Elite in Pakistan |
15.30-17.15 Panels, Session 5
| Panel 5A: Contemporary Indonesia’s Foreign Policy and Diplomacy (2) Room 124 |
| Convener: Albert Triwibowo Discussant: Marco Bünte Aknolt Kristian Pakpahan (Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung) Indonesian Economic Diplomacy: The Need of Finding New Non-Traditional Markets I Nyoman Sudira (Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung) Indonesian Foreign Policy on the Issue of Papua Stanislaus R. Apresian (University of Leeds and Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung) The Political Economy of Climate Change Adaptation in Indonesia |
| Panel 5B: Working, worshipping, studying, and escaping: Mixed migration and mobilities to and from Southeast Asia Room 126 |
| Migration – past and present – has been a crucial part of peoples’ social realities in Southeast Asia. For some ethnic communities, like the Minangkabau, domestic migration (merantau) has been a way of life for generations, while for other people, migration is a more recent necessity. Through trade, environmental changes, pilgrimage, and scholarly migration, but also through colonization, forced displacement, relocation and resettlement programs, labour migration, human trafficking and asylum, Southeast Asians have been and continue to be highly mobile within and beyond the region. In as much as experiences of migration trigger the diversification of culture and enhance intercultural exchange, they also inform the manifestation of socio-cultural boundaries and socio-political inequalities. Interestingly, several forms and experiences of migration cannot be easily categorized and are in fact mixed, as for instance the combination of working and studying abroad or ‘labour migration’ in the context socio-economic crises. Moreover, migrants sometimes become residents, and invest in personal emotional relationships. The social reality of migrants often differs significantly from government policies, which lack to accommodate peoples’ needs for citizenship rights, labour, health and educational rights, security, and welfare. This panel explores different types of migration and mobilities with a focus on discussing the concept of “mixed migration” from and within Southeast Asia in order to uncover conditions, experiences and effects of migration past and present. |
| Conveners: Mirjam Lücking (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) Antje Missbach (University of Bielefeld) Antje Missbach Juvenile refugees and their intimate relationships with ‘aunties’ in Indonesia Bilal Dewansyah, B. (University of Leiden) Implementing Asylum and Refugee Laws in Indonesia: Institutional Arrangement and the Chain of Discretion Towards Refugees Mirjam Lücking Pilgrimage, education and labor migration from Indonesia in the Middle East |
| Panel 5C: Unravelling sustainability outcomes of public policies across Asia Room 118 |
| Sustainability is a multidimensional concept that encompasses a broad range of aspects and objectives. The widely acclaimed Brundtland report breaks sustainability down into three areas: environmental, social and economic sustainability. While each area comes with its own set of objectives, the overarching goal is to balance the three dimensions. At the same time, there may exist conflicts among the three dimensions and different groups of people at certain points in time may attach varying importance to each of the objectives. Public policy has the power to prioritise some goals over others and thus shapes sustainability outcomes. However, the policy-making process and the effects of public policy are themselves influenced by a range of factors. First, local factors determine which issues become political problems and thus move to the political agenda. Therefore, policy goals may differ between polities. But even if the goal is the same, the design of the corresponding policy may still differ. Moreover, public policy may not work as intended or have unexpected side-effects that impose disproportionate societal costs. Finally, national policies do not only change conditions within national borders, but effects can unfold across nations. In conclusion, the design of public policy is dependent on a wide range of factors and policies can have intertwined and unexpected outcomes. Thus, analysing public policies and their effect on sustainability across polities can help untangle the interrelated and multidimensional effects of public policy on sustainability. We therefore ask, how do public policies shape sustainability outcomes across Asia? In this panel, we break down public policies and their effect on environmental, social and economic sustainability in Asia. Taking the analysis one step further, we also compare public policies and their sustainability effects across different regions in Asia. By taking an interdisciplinary and inter-regional approach, we are able to uncover hitherto unknown interlinkages and add to the academic discourse on sustainability. We are also able to add to the creation of a more nuanced picture of ‘Sustainability “Made in Asia”’. |
| Convener: Jonas Lindner, Úniversity of Würzburg, jonas.lindner@uni-wuerzburg.de Discussant: Hannes Gohli, University of Würzburg, hannes.gohli@icloud.com Geena George, University of Erfurt, geenageorge9@gmail.com Sustainable Financial Access for Women Entrepreneurs – A Study on India’s Credit Instrument Lynn Ng, Free University Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, ly.ng@fu-berlin.de Sustaining Recovery and Development of Fukushima a Decade after the Triple Disaster Jonas Lindner, Úniversity of Würzburg, jonas.lindner@uni-wuerzburg.de Economic growth and income inequality in Northeast Asia |
18.00 Optional Evening Programme: Dinner and “night watchman tour” (Nachtwächterwanderung) in the old town of Rostock (not included in conference fees)
Saturday, 16 September 2023
Coffee, Tea and light snacks available from 8am
8.30-10.15 Panels, Session 6
| Panel 6A: Contemporary Indonesia’s Foreign Policy and Diplomacy (3) Room 124 |
| Convener: Albert Triwibowo Discussant: Marco Bünte Putu Agung Nara I. P. S. (Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung) Populism and The Joko Widodo’s Second Terms Foreign Policy: Does It Exists? Idil Syawfi, Adrianus Harsawaskita and Jessica Martha (Parahyangan Catholic University, Bandung) Indonesia’s Foreign Policy and Hegemonic War Mark Philip Stadler (Watch Indonesia) Indonesia and the Indo-Pacific: Cautious Strategic Maneuvers of a Rising Global Middle Power |
| Panel 6B: Sustainability and Migration in and out of Korea Room 126 |
| Since the 1990s, significant changes have taken place both inside and outside South Korea concerning im/migration, diversity and multiculturalism. In the past, seeking improved economic opportunities, Korean emigrants chose North America or Europe for their destination. However, in the last three decades, motivation has diversified and Korean emigration has extended to many countries in the Global South. At the same time, after 30 years of rapid economic development from the 1960s to 1990s, Korea has transformed itself from an emigrant-sending to an immigrant-receiving country. The country has expended remarkable efforts to become a multi-cultural nation, contrary to the widely held perception of Korea as an ethnically homogeneous nation. We need new tools to fully comprehend and analyse the complex issues and challenges surrounding migration in and out of Korea beyond the economic-driven movement. The concept of sustainability surpasses the natural environment; it extends into cultural, social, economic and political resources and contexts and encompasses economic development, social equality, political changes and many other social dimensions. As this concept offers great insights to address and reshape major economic, social and environmental issues and challenges, this panel will use the concept of sustainability to approach migration in order to understand and interpret the trends and topics regarding Korean emigration abroad as well as immigrant communities within Korea. In addition, the concept of sustainability will provide tools and approaches to explore new issues and topics around migration in and out of Korea that are neither typical cases of economic-driven migration nor theoretically developed studies in migration, such as lifestyle or tourism-related mobility. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary framework of sustainability will help discuss the topics within a broad range of disciplines at diverse social levels. Of particular topical relevance are the issues relating to social reproduction in light of the current low birth-rate and declining labour force in South Korea. This panel will present works primarily produced by scholars at the outset of their academic career, such as PhD students and Post-doc researchers, to enhance the sustainability of the research process around this topic in the Korean Studies academic community. Our goal is for these scholars to go beyond existing concepts and traditional ways of approaching issues and challenges related to migration and mobility and to come up with new ideas and answers, linking with and adapting to the concept of sustainability as a new tool to explore and interpret these topics. |
| Convener: Jihye Kim (University of Central Lancashire and Goethe University of Frankfurt) Ruixin Wei (Goethe University of Frankfurt) Transnational Childhoods Between Hometown and Homeland: A Case Study on Children from Korean Chinese Transnational Families Jihye Kim (University of Central Lancashire and Goethe University of Frankfurt) Immigrant Entrepreneurship and the Rising Popularity of Korean Cuisine: Korean Restaurant Businesses in Frankfurt Junsang Lee (Free University Berlin) Migration Motive for Sustainable Emotions: Korean Youth Migrating to Germany |
10.30-12.15 Panels, Session 7
| Panel 7A: Roundtable: Challenges for academic cooperation and research under authoritarian regimes – confronting the new normal in Southeast Asia Room 126 |
| Rosa Castillo (Humboldt University Berlin) Claudia Derichs (Humboldt University Berlin) Andrea Fleschenberg (Humboldt University Berlin) Jasmin Lorch (Humboldt University Berlin) Wolfram Schaffar (University of Passau) Richard Takhun (University of Bonn) |
| Panel 7B: Impact of China’s Infrastructure Projects at Home and Abroad Room 124 |
| China’s accelerated modernization is having a lasting impact on stabilization of political power/influence in China and in cooperation with other countries. It has proven that it has the potential to overtake the developed world, not just simply catch up with them. China’s increasing technical and political prowess, a Chinese version of modernity, led to greater influence beyond the country’s borders. This panel will examine how Chinese infrastructure projects affect China’s political, economic, and social development – sustainable in a Chinese manner. In particular, comparisons will be made to show whether and how the logistical, data, control, and memory infrastructures that symbolize modernity with Chinese characteristics have national and transnational implications. By inquiring about various infrastructure cases, we aim to unfold and clarify how modernization in China has already altered and in some cases fundamentally transformed the ontological and discursive components of China’s politics, economy, and culture. Examining the constitutive role of infrastructures in the shifting patterns of spatiality, connectivity, subjectivity, and temporality in the world, we seek to contribute to enriching theoretical debates about the role of emerging technologies in the Global South and its impact on late industrial societies, as well as shifts in the international order. In addition, new empirical evidence, based on qualitative and quantitative methods will be presented to develop the study of infrastructures in the context of Chinese policymaking – domestic and abroad. our goal is for this panel to provide multiple perspectives on Chinese infrastructures. |
| Conveners: Yen-Chi Lu und Ningjie Zhu (University of Bonn), Ningjie Zhu Despotic and Infrastructural Power Dynamics in China’s Intelligent Party-Building: An Examination of the Integration of Digital Platforms in the CCP’s Party Regulation Nicolas Huppenbauer (University of Bonn) Negotiating connectivity: The politics and shifts of China’s global digital connections Pascal Abb (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt) Moving into fragile spaces: the Belt and Road Initiative’s transformative impact on conflict states |