Invitation to the International Workshop on Transnational Migrant Identity in Asia: Intersecting Cultural, Social and Economics Dimensions on 17th and 18th December 2009
 
You are cordially invited to the International Workshop on Transnational Migrant Identity in Asia: Intersecting Cultural, Social and Economics Dimensions’, 17th - 18th December 2009, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), NTU. Co-ordinator: Assistant Professor Caroline Pluss, Division of Sociology, NTU, pluss@ntu.edu.sg.

Kindly assist us by disseminating this invitation to your colleagues and associates.
 
Workshop details are as follows:
Date: 17th  and 18th December 2009
Time: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (registration begins at 8.30 am)
Venue: HSS Seminar Room 9 (Basement 1 – 11, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Building, 14 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637332) (map)

The aim of the workshop is to further methodological, theoretical and empirical understanding of why and how the identities of transnational migrants in Asia combine cultural, social, political and economic dimensions that have roots in different geographical regions and localities. The issues addressed by the speakers include the following:
 
1) How migrant identities express these intersections.
2) How identities of transnational migrants are linked to their attempts to access cultural, social, political and economic resources.
3) How these identities express the difficulties, obstacles and barriers the migrants experience when seeking to access such resources.
4) How difficulties with adjustment and integration are linked to discourses stressing that the migrants’ transnational characteristics are different.
5) How the migrants’ transnational biographies combine cultural, social, political and economic dimensions with roots in different regions.
 
International sholars from several disciplines (sociology, anthropology, political science, geography, history) will discuss and share their research findings at the workshop, which we hope will develop new ideas and scholarship. Please find attached the programme, abstracts and biodata of the speakers. We encourage and invite you to join us for the symposium.

Programme

Abstracts and Bio-data

Registration
We will waive the registration fee of S$53.50 nett for NTU staff and for students. As seats are limited, online registration via https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_
NTU.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA0910301151
2570 is required.  Registration will close 11th December 2009 (Friday). 
 
Should you have any query, please feel free to call us at 6514 8382 or e-mail d-class@ntu.edu.sg 
 
We look forward to meeting you at the workshop.

The Idea of Asia in Modern History
by Professor Sugata Bose, Harvard University

Date: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Time: 5.30 pm - 7.00 pm [registration and
          reception start at 4.30 pm]
Venue: HSS Auditorium (Basement 1-14)
           Venue has been changed to HSS
           auditorium
           School of Humanities and Social
           Sciences, NTU [map]
Chairperson: Associate Professor Kwok Kian 
                   Woon, Head of Division of
                   Sociology
                   School of Humanities and Social
                   Sciences, NTU

Click here for more details.

Registration
Admission is free and registration is required. As seats are limited, it will be on first-come-first-serve basis. To register, please click https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_
NTU.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA09092810572110. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact Ms Joey Kek at 65148364 or email kqkek@ntu.edu.sg.

Singapore Economic Policy Forum 2009

October 27, 2009
Hyatt Hotel, Singapore

Jointly organised by:
Economic Growth Centre, NTU and Economic Society of Singapore

Supported by:
NUS (Department of Economics and LKY School) and SMU (School of Economics)

The Singapore Economic Policy Forum continues the successful collaboration between the three major universities in Singapore and the Economic Society of Singapore (ESS) to bring research findings and policy issues concerning the Singapore economy to the wider public, following similar forums held annually since 2006. This year, it has acquired even greater cogency and relevance in view of the formation of the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) to map out new directions for the Singapore economy.

The organisers have arranged a stimulating and thought provoking programme, with prominent economists from the private sector and academicians from the local universities scheduled to speak on what it takes to achieve sustainable and quality economic growth for the next 5 to 10 years. Presentations by the invited speakers and a panel discussion will cover general issues concerning the Singapore economy in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and reform of the much vaunted Singapore growth model. In addition, there will be in-depth analyses of healthcare system, asset price bubbles and economic policy-making in Singapore.

The one-day forum is aimed at an audience of public policy-makers, academicians, financial and private sector professionals and the general public. Details of the programme and speakers are attached. Please register using the form provided. For more information, please send an e-mail to: esocsing@gmail.com. We hope to see you at the forum.

Programme

8:30–9.00: Registration

9:00–9.15: Welcome Address by
                 Professor Euston Quah
                 Head, Division of Economics,
                 NTU President of the Economic
                 Society of Singapore

9:15–10.15: “The Post-Crisis Era: Challenges for
                         the Singapore Economy”
                   Mr Manu Bhaskaran,
                   Vice-President,
                   Economic Society of Singapore

10:15–10.45: Tea Break

10:45–11.30: “Singapore’s Healthcare System:
                           Some Challenges”
                    Associate Professor Tilak
                    Abeysinghe,
                    Deputy Director, Singapore
                    Centre for Applied and Policy
                    Economics (SCAPE) and
                    Department of Economics, NUS

11:30–12.30: “Global Credit Crisis: Where Does
                           Singapore Stand?”
                    Mr Jimmy Koh,
                    Head of Economics,
                    Treasury Research, UOB

12:30–1.30: Lunch

1:30–2.15: “Should Monetary Policy Lean
                       Against Asset Price Bubbles?”
                 Associate Professor Chow Hwee
                 Kwan, School of Economics, SMU

2.15–3.00: “Economic Policy-making in
                      Singapore: Some Reflections”
                      Professor Basant Kapur, Director, 
                 SCAPE and Department of 
                 Economics, NUS

3:00–3.40: “The Singapore Growth Model:
                      Too Much Volatility?”
                     Dr Choy Keen Meng,
                 Economic Growth Centre (EGC),
                 Division of Economics, NTU

3:40–4.00: Tea Break

4:00–5.00: Discussion on “The Future of the
                       Singapore Economy and Its Role in
                       the Region”

                       Chair: Professor Bernard Yeung,
                           Dean, NUS Business School

                 Panelists: Professor Augustine Tan, 
                          School of Economics, SMU
                          Associate Professor Cao Yong,
                          Nanyang Business School,NTU
                          Professor Charles Adams,
                          Lee Kuan Yew School of Public
                          Policy, NUS

5:00–5.10: Close of Forum

Programme
Registration

CLASS Seminar Series

"An Objective Theory of Beauty"
by Assoc Prof Brian Mooney, Singapore Management University

Date: 23rd October 2009, Friday
Time: 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm
Venue: HSS Seminar room 4, HSS-B1-9

Abstract
It is widely assumed both popularly and among academics that the notion of beauty is subjective and there are good prima facie reasons for supposing this to be so – witness the marvelous diaphaneity of our appreciations and disagreements over what is beautiful in art works. This paper shows that subjective theories of beauty are ultimately incoherent and that any theory of beauty must be objective. What an objective theory of beauty could be however is a very difficult matter. I explore one fecund line of possible support grounded in transcendental thinking.

Bio
T. Brian Mooney received his doctorate in Philosophy from La Trobe University in Australia. He has published widely in the areas of Moral Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion and the History of Philosophy. His most recent books include Responding to Terrorism: Political, Philosophical and Legal Perspectives (Ashgate, 2008) and Thinking Things Through: An Introduction to Analytical Skills (McGraw-Hill, 2009). Dr. Mooney works with Singapore Management University in the School of Social Sciences.

Click to register!!!

LMS Seminar: Construction of local identity in Hawai‘i Creole TV advertisements

You are cordially invited to attend a seminar on
"They get free pupus over here!": Construction of local identity in Hawai‘i Creole TV advertisements
by Professor Mie Hiramoto, National University of Singapore

Date: Friday, 16 October 2009
Time: 11.00am to 12.00pm
Venue: Humanities & Social Sciences Seminar Room 1 (HSS-B1-08)

Abstract
Use of non-standard speech varieties in advertisement is a relatively recent phenomenon. In Hawai'i, pressure from conservative groups limited the media exposure that the local English dialect, known as Hawai'i Creole (HC), received. However, advertisers are increasingly realizing that HC, while decried as being 'broken English' by its detractors, is viewed in a positive light by many local people, and that refusal to use HC in ads effectively isolates those who feel strong ties to local language and culture.

This study posits that the characters and traits shown in local television commercials are manipulated to embody certain preconceived notions of the 'ideal' or 'average' local person. While these traits in general and the use of HC in particular, may be authentic to some extent, they represent a wealth of subtle criteria for implicit ‘membership’ in the local community consciously tailored to fabricate a synthentic relationship with the audience. Characters possessing these qualities serve to bait the audience with notions of fun, success, and higher socioeconomic class representative of the advertiser's ideal consumer, while retaining enough localness to still be accessible.

About the Speaker
Mie Hiramoto is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics at the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore. Her research interests include language contact and linguistic change, with particular interest in Japanese spoken outside Japan and Hawai'i Creole. She also works on language, gender, and sexuality issues, with special interest in the identity construction in scripted speech such as anime, movie translations, and comedy performances. Her current research focuses on translation of popular anime shows in English from Japanese, with a special focus on Japanese Women's language, and also second dialect acquisitions of Japanese immigrants in North America.

Registration
Admission is free.

CLASS Distinguished Public Lecture Series

" Consciousness, Semiotics, and Systems: Peirce's Index and the Affect of Poetry"
by Professor Ronald Schleifer , University of Oklahoma

Date: 13th October 2009, Tuesday
Venue: HSS Seminar Room 9 (HSS-B1-11) [map]
Time: 5.30 pm - 7.00 pm (light refreshment will be provided at 5.00 pm)

Abstract
This talk examines the functioning of the human hand from the vantage of several different disciplines: physics and physiology, evolutionary biology and evolutionary anthropology, semiotics and linguistics, systems theory and literary criticism. It even touches on medicine and music. Most generally, it argues that the human body can be understood in terms of physical fact, biological adaptation, and semiotic significance. Following the insight of Charles Sanders Peirce’s analysis of meaningful experience in relation to “iconic” sensate experience, “indexical” worldly location, and “symbolic” future-oriented meaning, the lecture examines the material basis of consciousness – and especially the shared consciousness of language and tool-making – and the particular power of poetry (in examples from Hart Crane, John Keats, and Jacques Roubaud).

Registration
Admission is free. To register, please click https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_
NTU.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA09092915333143. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at 65148382 or email d-class@ntu.edu.sg .

CLASS Seminar Series

"Divine mutations in the environs of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights"
by Susan Pyke, University of Melbourne

Date: 13th October 2009, Tuesday
Time: 11 am – 12.30 pm
Venue: HSS Seminar room 3 (HSS-B1-10)

Abstract
Using the hauntings in and around Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, I will consider how ambivalent ghostly representations can work productively to escape mainstream understandings of the divine/anti-divine. My paper will show where Brontë’s Cathy ghost moves between the ‘real’ and ‘not real’ to suggest that this creates a resonance echoed in productive revisions such as Kate Bush’s pop song ‘Wuthering Heights’ and Anne Carson’s poem, ‘The Glass Essay’. These two texts will be explored in terms of how they also use open-ended representations of the Cathy ghost to move in and out of the containment of psychological and religious perspectives that depend on the completed and repressive discourses of God/Heavenly Father and its inversion, not-god/mother earth. I will argue that like Bronte, Bush and Carson unsettle the ghost trope in ways that encourage the possibility of fragmented divines beyond such normalising discourses.

Bio
After completing her MA in History (ethnography) at the University of Melbourne, I spent some time as a curator with the Museum of Victoria then worked as a strategy consultant, finishing up this role with Deloitte. I left to focus on parenting and creative writing and now work part-time with Sustainability Victoria while working on my PhD in Creative Writing at the University of Melbourne. I have published a number of short stories and poems in literary journals including Overland, Island and Hecate and have also published in academic journals including Victorians Institute Journal and Intermedia.

Click to register!!!

Tan Lark Sye Professorship in Chinese Language and Culture Public Lectures Series

1) A Trans-systematic Society: Regional Perspectives in the Study of Chinese History

Speaker:
Prof Wang Hui
Tan Lark Sye Professor, NTU

Chairman:
Assoc. Prof Kwok Kian Woon
Head, Division of Sociology
Associate Chair (Academic)
School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Date: Friday, 9 Oct 09
Time: 2pm to 4 pm,
Venue: Chinese Heritage Centre
Please note that the venue has been changed from HSS auditorium to Chinese Heritage Centre.

To register, click here.

Abstract
Among discussions of various concrete problems about China, the question of “what is China” remains hidden at the heart of all concerns. The talk will try to give an analysis of the “regional” narrative and “regional” perspective in the study of the Chinese History by invoking the notion of China as a “trans-systematic society”.

About the Speaker
Wang Hui is professor of Chinese language and literature at Tsinghua University, China. His researches focus on contemporary Chinese literature and thought. In May 2008, Foreign Policy named him as one of the top 100 public intellectuals in the world. He has also been a visiting professor at Colombia University and other universities including New York University, UC Berkeley, Heidelberg University, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tokyo University. He was the executive editor of the influential literary journal, Dushu (读书,Reading) from 1996 to 1997. In China’s New Order: Society, Politics, and Economy in Transition (2003, 2006), Wang Hui offers a powerful analysis of China and the transformations it has undertaken since 1989. His new book, The End of the Revolution: China and the Limits of Modernity will be forthcoming in 2009.

2) 东西之间的“西藏问题”

主讲：
汪晖教授
（陈六使中华语言文化教授）

主席：
李元瑾副教授
南大中华语言文化中心

日期：
2009年10月4日
时间：下午2时至4时 （1时30分开始登记）
地点：新加坡中华总商会礼堂

报名详情，请点击这里。

摘要
2008年3月14日及稍后一段时间爆发的“西藏事件”引起了全世界的关注，不但在世界各地（主要是西方国家）触发了围绕奥林匹克火炬的对抗，而且也为网络时代的媒体斗争提供了一个契机。如何理解西方社会对于西藏问题的态度？如何分析西藏问题的历史成因？如何解释在中国市场化改革中的西藏危机？如何看待海内外新一代人对于这一问题的介入？演讲将围绕这些问题展开讨论。

演讲者简介
汪晖(1959-)，中国大陆著名学者，被誉为新左派领袖。1984年获中国南京大学硕士学位，1988年获中国社会科学学院博士学位。现任清华大学人文社会科学学院中文系教授，清华人文与社会高等研究中心执行主任。曾在美国哈佛大学、加州大学、哥伦比亚大学、北欧亚洲研究所、华盛顿大学、香港中文大学、柏林高等研究所、海德堡大学等学府和研究机构担任研究员、访问教授。1991年与陈平原、王守常一同创办《学人》丛刊，并任《读书》杂志主编长达十年。

早期研究鲁迅与中国现代文学，后来转向思想史，其多种专作、论文被翻译为英文、日文、韩文、法文等。主要著作有：《去政治化的政治：短20世纪的终结与90年代》(2008)、《现代中国思想的兴起》(2004，2008再版)等。