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Conference Announcement Theme: The Power of Knowledge Subtitle: Asia and the West Type: 7th Annual Nordic NIAS Council Conference Institution: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), University of Copenhagen Institute of Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark Location: Sønderborg (Denmark) Date: 4.–8.11.2013 __________________________________________________ Western intellectuals, and thus also media and the political elites, have long based their approach to reality on the fundamental assumption that the same basic processes underlie all human thought. In other words, how people make sense of the world around them was the same for everyone and everywhere. The implications of this assumption are many, from plain intellectual arrogance to war, over a wide array of misunderstandings and animosities, resulting in a host of lost opportunities. Contemporary engagements with Asia be they political or intellectual are often based on routine presumptions of either universal similarity or cultural difference. However, in an era of increasing globalization and shifting world order, both these presumptions appear problematic. Undoubtedly culture matters. Through massive and longitudinal survey research it has been documented that cultural traits change much slower than most other societal phenomena, such as politics, economics, technological levels etc. Recently biology, neuroscience, and not least cross-cultural psychology has documented that culture not only “sticks”, it is situated in the human mind as a subconscious guideline. Culture seems to have physical repercussions. Over time our cultural heritage impacts our habits of thought. Not that culture becomes written into our genes, but what we describe as cultural will be perceived as natural to carriers of a given culture. However, globalization is challenging locally rooted cultural patterns, as well as mainstream social sciences and humanities. Although culture sticks, ideas travel. How does this affect social reality in Asia and the West? Ideas, concepts and theories do not stay put with their place of origin, they travel and questions arise as to what happens during their journey, and at the place of arrival? The travelling of ideas may be welcomed, resisted, or adopted to local conditions to serve specific social or political purposes. Regardless of the approach, the possession of knowledge of ideas may thus become a source of power, or bestow empowerment to certain groups. Ideas may have an impact on local culture, bringing changes to the place of arrival. On the other hand, the ideas themselves may change by being suited to local conditions, or even met with counter-ideas, thereby challenging the hegemonic position that Western ideas until recently has sought, and this despite the fact that Western thinking historically owes much to ideas and inspirations from the East. As the movement of thoughts from East to West seem to increase, it is high time to realize the opportunities of a multipolar world and seriously consider all existing human experiences and knowledge systems. The present conference and PhD workshop will limit itself to Western and Asian experiences, in an effort of bringing the two into a creative and fruitful dialogue. In light of this, area studies and the different disciplines need to come together and share insights and identify theoretical and methodological approaches that might strike a reasonable balance between universal concerns and particular cultural understandings. This is not only an exciting new situation for academia; it is a serious obligation for us to contribute in producing knowledge that indirectly or directly can promote inter-cultural understanding and ease tensions, whether they occur in the suburbs of big cities or between states with different ideas and interests. These and more topics will be discussed at the 7th Annual NNC Conference and PhD course to be held on November 4-8 at the University of Southern Denmark at its Sønderborg campus. Topics: - The concept of power, Asia and the West - Gender knowledge: Power and Empowerment (Asia and the West) - Technology transfer, ideology transfer? - Western values in the Asian cultural fabric, Asian values in the Western cultural fabric - The power of knowledge: individual, civil society and the state - Asian and Western perceptions on majority versus minority, center versus periphery - Theory travelling, translation, appreciation and localization - Minorities Knowledge, a universally lost resource Opening and registration 4 November Conference 5-6 November PhD Course 7-8 November For more information please visit the conference website: http://www.knowledgennc2013.niasconferences.net Contact: Katrine Herold, Project Coordinator Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS) University of Copenhagen Øster Farimagsgade 5 DK-1353 Copenhagen K Denmark Email: katrine.her...@nias.ku.dk Web: http://www.knowledgennc2013.niasconferences.net __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________