As the coronavirus spread across the globe in 2020, interaction among people has been restricted and continuing international projects became a struggle for many. The Japan Foundation Asia Center also faces challenges in continuing projects that were implemented to connect people beyond national borders. In times like this, the Asia Center has started the online seminar series "Asia Center TERAKOYA" to create a new platform for people in Asia to connect through culture, language, and dialogue.
FY2021
#8 "'Magical Islamism': Feby Indirani Talks about Religion and Society in Contemporary Indonesia"
To develop better understanding in Japan of Southeast Asian culture and Islam, the Japan Foundation Asia Center has conducted the exchange program TAMU/Talk with Muslims. In the online seminar "'Magical Islamism': Feby Indirani Talks about Religion and Society in Contemporary" released on September 24th, 2021, the author talked about her works that depict a sense of crisis in the changing Indonesian society where religious tolerance has been less valued, and her surrealistic yet humorous approach to those issues as a fiction writer.
The seminar also discussed distinctive features of Indonesian Islam and its similarities shared with other Islamic societies, importance of respecting different interpretations of the religion, and power of fiction which can convey universal message regardless of social and cultural context.
[Seminar Report]
Online Seminar Series "Asia Center TERAKOYA" #8――"Magical Islamism": Feby Indirani Talks about Religion and Society in Contemporary Indonesia
[Video Recording]
FY2020
#6 "Democracy at a Crossroads: Choices for the New Era of Questions Posed by the Coronavirus Crisis"
In the session "Democracy at a Crossroads: Choices for the New Era of Questions Posed by the Coronavirus Crisis" which was held on December 18, 2020, we invited experts in the fields of academia, international exchange, and journalism to discuss the challenges that democracy faces, revealed by theCOVID-19 pandemic. Referring to the cases of Southeast Asia, India and Japan, the participants discussed the fading trust between nations and among nations and their people, the widening gap and division, the shrinking space for civil society, and the declining interest in conflict zones. We also discussed how each of us should accept the reality and learn from the current situation to move forward.
[Seminar Report]
Online Seminar Series "Asia Center TERAKOYA" #5 & #6――The Significance of Looking Back on Asia's 30-Year Journey in These Times
[Video Recording]
*English Subtitles Available
#5 "Intellectual Exchange in Asia: The 30 Years of History since the End of the Cold War, and the Future"
In 2020, the Japan Foundation Asia Center has published a report looking back on the activities of the Asia Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP), which was implemented from 1996 to 2018 with the aim of creating a network of public intellectuals who are deeply rooted in and committed to the civil society in Asia.
Accompanying the report, we held the session "Intellectual Exchange in Asia: The 30 Years of History since the End of the Cold War, and the Future," on December 9, 2020, to take a panoramic view of the exchange of intellectuals in Asia, and look back at the changes in Asia over the past 30 years. Five intellectuals invited from various fields engaged in insightful discussions on the significance of the intellectual exchange that has been built up by diverse participants, the relationship between Japan and Asian countries that has changed over the course of its history, and the future of intellectual exchange based on mutual understanding.
[Seminar Report]
Online Seminar Series "Asia Center TERAKOYA" #5 & #6――The Significance of Looking Back on Asia's 30-Year Journey in These Times
[Video Recording]
*English Subtitles Available
#4 The Future of Football in Asia and Japan: Long-term Dispatch Projects of Football Coaches and Staff
This seminar is only available in Japanese.
[Video Recording (Japanese)]
#3 Filmmaking in the Time of COVID-19: Case studies from Japan, Indonesia, and China
Along with the free streaming of the omnibus film Asian Three-Fold Mirror 2018: Journey , three participating directors from Japan, Indonesia, and China united to share their thoughts about the challenges of and prospects for filmmaking in their respective countries in this age of the coronavirus.
[Video Recording]
*Japanese, English (partly Chinese) with consecutive interpretation
#2 What Football Can Do Now: Activities by J. LEAGUE Clubs in Southeast Asia
This seminar is only available in Japanese.
[Video Recording (Japanese)]
#1 Connecting Across Borders in the COVID-19 Era "To Explore New Forms of International Cultural Exchange"
The first seminar of the "Asia Center TERAKOYA" welcomed four internationally acclaimed guests in the field of culture and art, to discuss the role of culture and cultural collaboration, and shared how Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Japan handle this unprecedented situation.
[Seminar Report]
Connecting Across Borders in the COVID-19 Era "To Explore New Forms of International Cultural Exchange"
[Video Recording]
*English Subtitles Available
