Conference in Siem Reap
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michele Thompson" <thompsonc2@southernct.edu>
To: "VietnamStudies Group" <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:01 AM
Subject: [Vsg] Fwd: Conference in Siem Reap
Dear VSG Folks,
I've been asked to post this announcement for what sounds like a
very interesting conference next February in Siem Reap,
cheers
Michele
Local Practice and Transnational Dynamic in Mainland Southeast Asian
Religion:
Historical and Contemporary Patterns
CKS Conference Hall, Siem Reap, February 23-24, 2007
Arising from the Rockefeller Foundation-funded CKS program Building
Institutional Capacity in Higher Education in Cambodia, where early
career Cambodian academics studied and researched Comparative
Religion of Mainland Southeast Asia, this conference will provide a
forum in which these academics can present their research alongside
international scholars with related interests.
In Southeast Asia, as in the rest of the world, religion has become a
more and more salient issue as transnational movements of people,
economies and culture break down traditional assumptions about the
modern secular nation state. We invite scholars to take a fresh look
at religion in the new social context. How well have Buddhism, Islam
and Christianity weathered the Communist and post-Communist eras? How
are they affected by religious and secular influences from abroad?
What has been the impact of evangelical Christianity, and how have
Cambodians and other Southeast Asians reacted to it? How many young
persons pursue a religious vocation, even for a short time? What do
young people in urban areas believe, and what effect, if any, does
religious teaching have on their behavior? What historical roots do
current transnational patterns have? How is religious “tradition”
remembered and reconstructed in the new social context? And finally,
what comparisons can be made between what is happening in Cambodia
and in neighboring countries (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma)?
These are only a few of the questions that could be addressed in what
would ideally lay the foundation for a long-term, multi-disciplinary
study, utilizing a regional approach which identifies and compares
cross-border networks and patterns.
The emphasis will be on developing comparisons between Cambodia and
other countries in Southeast Asia, presented by individuals or in
panel sessions.
This two-day conference will involve early career Cambodian academics
from the CKS program, and up to twenty-five other presenters. It
will be run in collaboration with Cambodian partner universities.
Scholars based in Southeast Asia are especially encouraged to
participate, and some limited funding may be available to support
their attendance.
CKS hopes to disseminate selected papers through its website or a
print publication.
Please submit titles, short abstracts (300 words maximum) and contact
details to cheanmen@khmerstudies.org by Friday, November 24, 2006.
Registration fee: US$50 due on first day of conference ($25 for
students with ID and free for scholars and students from mainland
Southeast Asia).