The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the US- and EU-led response to it are watershed events in global affairs with far-reaching political and economic implications for East and Southeast Asian stability. Governments in these regions have largely sided with the USA and the EU in the General Assembly of the United Nations; however, due to historically rooted and strategic reasons, most Southeast Asian governments did not join their efforts in sanctioning Russia. This online panel discussion will provide a critical assessment of the responses of countries across East and Southeast Asia. It features panelists Hee Kyoung Chang (Korea), Kasira Cheeppensook (ASEAN), Manuel R. Enverga III (Philippines), DIJ researcher David M. Malitz (Japan), Surachanee Sriyai (Thailand), Patrick Ziegenhain (Indonesia) as well as Claudia Derichs (moderation) and welcome remarks by DIJ director Franz Waldenberger and Nele Noesselt (director, IN-EAST). The panel is jointly organised by the Institute of East Asian Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen (IN-EAST), the DIJ, the Chair of Transregional Southeast Asian Studies at Humboldt University Berlin, and the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. It takes place on Tuesday, April 26, 19-21h JST. Details and registration here

Jointly organised by the Asia Research Institute (National University of Singapore) and the DIJ, the workshop “Health Infrastructure and Asia’s Epidemiological Transitions: Historical Perspectives” will investigate Asian experiences in crafting health infrastructure over the long twentieth century. Asia has long been stigmatized as a source of global contagion, yet there has been relatively little historical examination of the everyday health challenges there, such as epidemiological transitions, climate change, and extensive internal and international migration. The workshop brings together scholars with different geographic foci within Asia to engage in a comparative and connective dialogue. It seeks to produce new ways of understanding the dynamics of health and disease under the processes of decolonization and development, but also with an eye to drawing lessons from the past that could lead to formulating better health policies in the present. The workshop takes place online on April 13-14 and is co-convened by DIJ’s David M. Malitz. Details and registration information here

DIJ social scientist Celia Spoden will present her latest research on “Cybernetic avatars and the vision of an inclusive society” at the Japanese-German conference Artificial Intelligence and the Human: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Science and Fiction (May 11-13). In her presentation, Celia focuses on the avatar technology OriHime which aims to counteract people’s loneliness and create new forms of social participation. Celia analyses how technologies such as the OriHime can make physical limitations less significant in cyber-physical spaces. In her paper she examines the cultural backgrounds as well as the social and ethical implications of this new technology. The conference takes place in Berlin and is jointly organised by the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, the Japanese-German Center Berlin, and Waseda University.