• Date: October 16th, Friday, 2020 14:00 – 15:30
• Online lecture via Zoom (https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/96930041282)

SNUAC Special Lecture Series by Foreign Professors (1)

Speaker: Prof. Martin Grossheim (Asian History)

The world is confronting uncertainty and transforming every aspect of our lives for which we are ill prepared. Economies, politics, culture, education, social and everyday life are being challenged while pointing us towards emerging and unknown futures. Leading this transformation is Asia with its resilience and dynamism, and ability to respond in a way that respects the past, sees the opportunities of the present, while having long-term visions. This is shifting the focus of global attention away from Europe and America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries respectively. This monthly online seminar series proposes to look at the role of Asia, its past and present and vision of possible futures, in creating the twenty-first century.

Abstract

In 2019, Vietnam commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the Sino-Vietnamese War (1979-1989). After the Chinese invasion of the provinces at Vietnam’s northern border, relations between Hanoi and Beijing were at a low ebb and China was presented as an “expansionist power” by the Vietnamese propaganda apparatus.

Since the normalization of relations in 1991, however, the Vietnamese state has refrained from using these derogatory terms and played down the commemoration of past military clashes with the Northern neighbor.

This presentation shows that since China has shown increasingly aggressive and assertive behavior in the South China Sea in the last few years, the commemoration of the Sino-Vietnamese War has been stepped – especially by non-state agents of memory such as veterans and more modestly by the Vietnamese state.

Thus, I argue that the commemoration of the Sino-Vietnamese past is shaped by the dynamics of the South China Sea conflict and that at the same time the perception of the South China Sea conflict in Vietnam is partly influenced by the memory of past military skirmishes with China.

Lecture 1)

• Date: October 16th, Friday, 2020 14:00
• Speaker: Martin Grossheim (Asian History, College of Humanities)
• Title: Remembering a Forgotten War and Preparing for a New Conflict? – The Third Indochina War (1979-1989) and the South China Sea Conflict

※ Zoom URL: https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/96930041282

Lecture 2)

• Date: November 6th, Friday, 2020 14:00
• Speaker: Siavash Saffari (Asian Languages and Civilizations, College of Humanities)
• Title: Asia, “the West,” and Postcolonial Visions of the Future

Lecture 3)

• Date: November 24th, Tuesday, 2020 14:00
• Speaker: Alena Kulinich (Asian Languages and Civilizations, College of Humanities)
• Title: Memories of Tomorrow: Islamic Past in the Visions of West Asian Future

Lecture 4)

• Date: December 11th, Friday, 2020 14:00
• Speaker: Stephan Sonnenberg (Clinical Law, Law School)
• Title: Revisiting the “Asian Values” debate: human rights, human dignity, and personal responsibilities

The issue of Asia’s changes and its future is an interest not only of researchers but also of all citizens in Asia. While global interest in Asian studies has reached its golden days, SNUAC seeks the image of new Asian studies through the construction of the network for domestic and foreign researchers on Asia and convergent research combining various regions and themes.

As part of its efforts, SNUAC has programmed a seminar series to introduce excellent foreign professors of Asia-related majors at SNUAC to foster research cooperation at home and abroad. The series will consist of 8 lectures (4 in each semester) from 2020 fall semester. We hope that diverse perspectives and tasks will be discussed such as various issues related to Asia, and the rise of Asia and its role as seen by Westerners. We expect presentations and discussions of interesting and significant topics by professors in diverse majors.

In the first lecture that was held on October 16th, Prof. Martin Grossheim (Dept. of Asian History) gave a presentation on “Remembering a Forgotten War and Preparing for a New Conflict? – The Third Indochina War (1979-1989) and the South China Sea Conflict)”. Though it proceeded on Zoom, 15 experts and students participated and carried out a lively discussion on the topic. Prof. Grossheim explained how it is said that the Sino-Vietnamese War ended with China’s one-way withdrawal and the Third Indo-China War was terminated but the tension in the South China Sea has been reignited in the 21st century and China is exerting its power there, increasing the concerns for potential conflict.

The following lecture is to be held on November 6th, 14:00. Prof. Siavash Saffari (Dept. of Asian Languages and Civilizations) will give a presentation on “Asia, ‘the West,’ and Postcolonial Visions of the Future Asia”. This lecture will also be given online, open to everyone through Zoom (link below).

※ Zoom online lecture: https://snu-ac-kr.zoom.us/j/96930041282