[Tlc] TLC-3 calls for papers

[justinm at ucr.edu]

FYI. See info. about three conferences below.
Thanks,
justin

1) Call for Papers
Reassessing the Origins of the Cold War in Southeast Asia: A
Roundtable on the Sixtieth Anniversary of 1948

Conference Date: 10-11 July 2008
Venue:  Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

2008 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the beginning of
Left-wing insurgencies in Malaya, Indonesia, Burma and the
Philippines: insurgencies which continue to leave their
imprint on the region today.  On this historic occasion, we
invite scholars to gather to discuss in what ways 1948 was -
or perhaps was not - 'the beginning of the Cold War' in
Southeast Asia; and to debate the significance of this year in
Southeast Asian history.

The Cold War in Europe is often thought to have begun early
after World War II, with the formation of the Cominform and
the publication of Zhdanov's two-camp doctrine in 1947, or
even with the 1945 Yalta Conference which signalled a Soviet
sphere in Eastern Europe.  For Eastern Asia, many authorities
are inclined to place the key turning points later, with
events such as the establishment of the People's Republic of
China in 1949 and the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. So
here we have two very different dates for the beginning of the
Cold War.

Southeast Asia is different again. The crucial events seem to
fit neither the early European dates, nor the later East Asian
dates. In this region, it is hard to ignore 1948 as the
parting of the ways.   What is indisputable is that after 1945
the British, French and Dutch all tried to restore their power
in Southeast Asia, and all met resistance from Leftist
organisations.  By 1947, there was evidence of Russia's
growing interest in Southeast and East Asia, and in 1948 the
Soviet Union opened an embassy in Bangkok. A wide range of
groups such as the World Federation of Democratic Youth and
the International Union of Students sent delegations to tour
Asia. The years 1947 and 1948 also saw a plethora of
Asia-linked Leftist gatherings, including the World Youth
Festival at Prague (1947), and the Empire Communist Conference
(1947). Shortly after the first copies of the Cominform
newspaper, carrying Zhdanov's "two camps" assessment of the
international situation, arrived in Asia, there were held in
Calcutta the South East Asia Youth and Student Conference
(February 1948), and the Second Party Congress of the
Communist Party of India (Feb/Mar 1948).

How far did all these events feed on common origins, of
whatever kind?  In 1958, Ruth McVey argued that what mattered
for the 1948 uprisings was not the Calcutta Conferences, but
the gradual d issemination of the change in the international
communist line from September 1947, and since then historians
have pointed to the interplay of a wide range of factors, some
stressing local factors, others international ones.

Recent debates, especially that between Deery and Hack over
the origins of the "Malayan Emergency", as well as claims by
the Communist Party of Malaya's Secretary-General Chin Peng
that it was British pressure which led to the uprising in
Malaya have brought these issues of the origins of the "Cold
War" in Southeast Asia to the fore again.

This Roundtable will therefore examine questions such as:
*     Did 1948 constitute a watershed in Southeast Asian history?
*     When and how did a 'Southeast Asian Cold War' coalesce?
*     What do individual studies of the Cold War in Indonesia,
Indochina, Malaya, Myanmar, Singapore and the Philippines
suggest of its origins?
*     How far did the changes in Southeast Asia overlap with
those in Europe and East Asia, or how did they display
'autonomous' features?
*     What sort of interconnections existed within the region?
*     What links were there with the Soviet Union, East Asia,
Western Europe and Australia?
*     Were there common discourses, orders or understandings
which drove events?
*     After 60 years of division, can the conflicting
perceptions of the events of 1948 be bridged by balanced
scholarship?

For this Roundtable, we thus seek new documentary data and new
interpretations, wh ich will, we hope, allow a balanced
assessment of 1948 as a moment in the development of Southeast
Asian history. All papers should reference this date, though
some may suggest other dates as being of equal or greater
significance. Paper proposals are invited by 15 October 2007,
in the form of a 500-word abstract and a 200-word biographical
note on the author.

Funding will be available to accepted paper-presenters from
the Southeast Asian region, and part-funding for those based
in developed countries.

*Convenors:*
Anthony Reid, Asia Research Institute, Singapore
Karl Hack, Open University, U.K.
Geoff Wade, Asia Research Institute, Singapore

Expressions of interest should be directed to:
Ms Rina Yap
Senior Administrative Officer
Asia Research Institute
National University of Singapore
#10-01 Tower Block
469A Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 259770
Email: <ariymjr at nus.edu.sg>
Asia Research Institute website:
http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/article_view.asp?id=1
_____________________________________________________________

2)
Call for Papers and Panels
The Second International Conference in the History of Medicine
in Southeast Asia (HOMSEA 2008)

Penang, Malaysia, 9-10 January 2008

Organised by Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU), School of
Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia with support from The
Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, University
College London (UCL).

All proposals on the subject of the history of medicine and
health in Southeast Asia will be considered, with those on the
theme of diseases and epidemics especially welcome. 

Final Deadline for Abstracts: 1 October 2007
Deadline for Working Papers: 15 November 2007

Registration:
‘Early bird’ registration:      USD 100.00      Deadline: 1
November 2007
Normal registration:            USD 150.00      Deadline: 1
December 2007
On the spot registration:       USD 180.00      Deadline: 9
January 2008

Funding:  Scholars or advanced students from the following
countries may apply for subsidy to cover their economy travel,
conference fees, and accommodation during the period of the
conference:  Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, The
Philippines, and Vietnam. Please send an abstract by post on
your institution’s letterhead, plus an estimate for the
return-fare travel (economy class) costs to the address below.

Individual Participants: Individuals are invited to present a
15-20-minute working paper relevant to any aspect of the
conference’s theme. They are requested to submit an abstract
(150-200 words) to the Secretariat, below.

Specialized Panels: Scholars who wish to organize a panel (4-5
presenters; 1-hour per panel) based on a particular topic
relevant to the conference’s overall theme are to submit to
the Secretariat the following materials:

Proposed Panel:         Abstract (350-400 words)
Convenor / Panelist I:          Abstract (150-200 words)
Panelist II:                    Abstract (150-200 words)
Panelist III:                   Abstract (150-200 words)
Panelist IV:                    Abstract (150-200 words)
Panelist V:                     Abstract (150-200 words)

For further information and inquiries, general correspondence,
submission of abstracts, proposed panel, and working papers,
please contact:
The Conference Secretariat
The Second International Conference HOMSEA 2008
Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU)
School of Humanities,
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Penang
Malaysia

Tel: 604 6533888 Ext. 3341
Fax: 604 6563707
E-mail: <kgooi at hotmail.com>
Website: http://www.hum.usm.my/apru_web/
________________________________________________________

3)
Call for Papers
World Conference on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery

The World Conference on Japanese Military Sexual Slavery, a
three-day conference being held from October 4-7, 2007, at the
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to honor the
bravery and struggle of the survivors from many Asian
countries. The World Conference is the first global gathering
of scholars, non-governmental organizations, human rights
activists, attorneys, artists, and most importantly,
survivors, to coalesce around a unified plan of action for
obtaining the recognition and justice due to aging survivors
of Japan's Military Sexual Slavery brutally imposed during
World War II (euphemistically known as “comfort women”).
Japan’s “comfort women” system was the largest sexual
trafficking of women known to modern history, for which Japan
has steadfastly refused to apologize, despite pressure from
the United States and abroad.

As part of the proceedings, there will be an Academic
Conference on Friday, October 5, 2007. After the moving
testimony of the survivors, renowned scholars and experts will
give panel presentations about the forgotten human rights of
comfort women; explore the connections of militarism,
colonialism, racism and sexism; and analyze current issues
surrounding sexual violence against women and girls during
wartime.

Students are encouraged to participate through paper
submissions. Proposals should be submitted on or before
September 15, 2007 and include: (1) Proposed title, names and
contact information for authors; (2) A 250-word abstract of
the paper; and (3) curriculum vitae. Papers exploring the
experiences of “comfort women”; issues surrounding
gender-based and sexual violence during war wartime; and
trafficking are especially encouraged. Please submit to
Professor JongHwa Lee <info at jmss.org>.

Conference website: http://www.jmss.info/

______________
Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
2617 Humanities Building
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
951-827-4530
justinm at ucr.edu