[Tlc] UW conference in honor of Charles Keyes

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Dear TLCers,

See below information about the conference in honor of a TLC
member -- Charles Keyes. It celebrates his many contributions
to the field and the 20th anniversary of the founding of the
University of Washington's Southeast Asia Center.

Best regards,
justin

Conference Announcement
“Religion, Ethnicity, and Modernity: Identity and Social
Practice in Asia”

University of Washington
Southeast Asia Center 20th Anniversary Celebration Conference
October 5-6, 2007
Seattle, Washington

The Southeast Asia Center will celebrate its 20th anniversary
on October 5-6 by honoring the scholarly contributions of its
founding director, anthropology professor Charles “Biff”
Keyes.  Since the beginning of his career, Professor Keyes’s
work has centered on three key Weberian themes—religion,
ethnicity, and modernity—which, together and separately, have
had special relevance to the study of Southeast Asia, and Asia
more generally.  Leading scholars of the region will attend a
two-day conference to explore these three concepts and their
relevance in understanding the complex and volatile processes
of change that have taken place in the region.

Keyes, who retired in 2006, is a former president of the
Association for Asian Studies and the recipient of the 2003
University of Washington Graduate Mentor Award.  Over his
41-year career, he has chaired 42 dissertation committees and
served on over 145 others.  He has played an especially
significant role in mentoring an entire generation of Thai and
Vietnamese anthropologists, many of whom now hold academic,
administrative or political positions of importance in
Southeast Asia.  A prolific writer, Keyes has authored
numerous articles and books, many of which are considered
classics in their field, on topics ranging widely from
ethnographic studies of village life in Thailand, to inquiries
into the religious and cultural interpretations of karma. 
Among some of his best known works are “The Golden Peninsula:
 Culture and Adaptation in Mainland Southeast Asia,” and
“Thailand:  Buddhist Kingdom as Modern Nation-State.”

The two-day conference will be open to the public and will
include thematic panels of invited papers, a reception to
honor Professor Keyes, and a keynote address.  The conference
is supported by generous contributions from the Henry M.
Jackson Foundation and the University of Washington College of
Arts & Sciences.   

The Southeast Asia Center
Jackson School of International Studies
303 Thomson Hall, Box 353650
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195-3650
206-543-9606
http://jsis.washington.edu/seac

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