We invite scholars of various academic fields of humanities and social science to submit proposals to an academic conference “Nation Building and Cultural Diversity in East Asia: Challenges, Narratives, Perspectives” which will be held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) on October 18–19, 2024.

East Asia is one of the most diverse regions in the world when it comes to its ethnic composition as well as traditional and contemporary culture. This diversity can be explored from multiple academic angles, ranging from history and cultural studies to anthropology and political sciences. On the one hand, diversity can be celebrated by exploring its multifaceted forms of expression through arts, language, customs, etc. On the other hand, diversity is also a political field which is actively managed, controlled and shaped through the process of nation building, centralization, and economic integration. All East Asian countries must deal with historical legacies, trends of globalisation and migration, regional dynamics, as well as transformations of identity that challenge real or imagined cultural homogeneities. For example, the conference is partially inspired by a major change of self-identification among Taiwan’s citizens as well as development of national policies regarding multiculturalism. The organisers believe that such and other cases deserve in-depth investigation to draw lessons that are relevant not only for the East Asia region but Lithuania and Europe as a whole. (more…)

On 16 May 2024, The Centre for Asian Studies at Vytautas Magnus University has withdrawn from the “Dialogue of Asian Civilizations in Accelerated Globalization” conference, scheduled for May 23-26, 2024, at the University of Latvia.

This way we uphold the unified stance of the Baltic Alliance for Asian Studies institutions which was prompted by the opaqueness of the decision-making of the conference and the biased outcomes. The Centre for Asian Studies strongly supports the principles of academic freedom, impartiality, and open discussion, which, regrettably, were not followed by the organizers of the aforementioned conference. As a result, all six participants affiliated with Vytautas Magnus University expressed their will to be removed from the conference program.

Additionally, VMU Centre for Asian Studies requests not to use the Baltic Alliance for Asian Studies name in association with the mentioned conference.

The beloved and anxiously awaited festival is back! On April 22-26, Kaunas citizens and city guests will be invited to experience Asian culture, traditions, contemporary and classical art during VMU Asian Week.

This year’s VMU Asian Week celebrates its tenth anniversary, and this occasion will be conveyed with a diverse program and the abundance of events. The success of the festival is ensured by the Vytautas Magnus University’s Centre for Asian Studies together with the VMU student clubs “Hashi”, “Hallyu” and “Wuwei”. It means, both those who are just starting to discover East Asia and already experts of the region will find something to enjoy. (more…)

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On November 3–4, 2023 the Centre for Asian Studies at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) is holding an international academic conference “Challenging relations with(in) East Asia”. We invite everyone interested to join as listeners.

East Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world that is attracting global attention. As home to 1.6 billion people and almost a third of the world’s GDP, East Asia is often associated with growth, ambition, and innovation. As a result, East Asian countries have been establishing numerous bilateral and multilateral ties which created a complex network of governance of various spheres, ranging from economy to environmental protection. On the other hand, the region is not only a place of emerging opportunities, but also a hotspot of numerous risks and challenges. Tensions between North and South Korea, animosities among the neighboring countries due to historical legacies, display of military power in the Taiwan Strait – all this makes the international community very worried about the possible escalation and the negative impact it could cause to the whole world. It reveals that international relations both with and within East Asia can be challenging in numerous ways.

The conference will include presentations both on historical and contemporary affairs with(in) East Asia in such fields as history, art, politics and society. On both days the conference will start at 9am and take place at Room 310, Putvinskio str. 23, Kaunas. Please download full program for further information.

For those who would like to observe the conference online, please join by following this link.

The conference is organized by VMU Centre for Asian Studies and supported by Spotlight Taiwan.

The Centre for Asian Studies hosted the 36th Nihongo Kyoiku Renraku Kaigi (Liaison Conference of Japanese Language Education) on August 24th and 25th. This conference was created in 1988 to facilitate information exchange among local Japanese language teachers in Eastern Europe.

Originally planned to take place in Kaunas in 2020, it was postponed due to COVID-19. However, this summer, the conference was finally able to take place (more…)

Komaru Transportation Company together with Hiroshima University Lithuanian Center and VMU Center for Asian Studies is organizing the Sixth traditional Japanese Language Speech Contest. Students of the Japanese Language in Lithuania are welcome to participate. Traditionally, the organizers are going to surprise participants with special prizes.

The topic of the contest is “transportation” in its broad meaning, including traffic, travels etc. Speeches must be original and created by participants. Speeches will be evaluated by a special committee that will take into consideration its grammar, fluency, expressions, content and answers to questions.

The registration is open until September 11 (Monday), 2023. In order to register fill out an online application. After registering the participants will receive a link to submit their speeches in written form (until September 30, 2023).

If you have additional questions, please contact CAS senior coordinator Ms. Kayako Takagi via email.

For more information please refer to a detailed description (In Lithuanian and Japanese).

We would like to invite all interested in culture and languages of East Asia to listen to the public defense of students’ final thesis.

Bachelor thesis defense of East Asian Cultures and Languages will take place on June 5-6, from 9:00 at Putvinskio str. 23, room 310.

We invite scholars of various academic fields of humanities and social science to submit proposals to an academic conference “Challenging relations with(in) East Asia” which will be held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU, Kaunas, Lithuania) on November 3–4, 2023.

East Asia is one of the most dynamic regions in the world that is attracting global attention. As home to 1.6 billion people and almost a third of the world’s GDP, East Asia is often associated with growth, ambition, and innovation. As a result, East Asian countries have been establishing numerous bilateral and multilateral ties which created a complex network of governance of various spheres, ranging from economy to environmental protection. On the other hand, the region is not only a place of emerging opportunities, but also a hotspot of numerous risks and challenges. Tensions between North and South Korea, animosities among the neighboring countries due to historical legacies, display of military power in the Taiwan Strait – all this makes the international community very worried about the possible escalation and the negative impact it could cause to the whole world. It reveals that international relations both with and within East Asia can be challenging in numerous ways. (more…)

The Centre for Asian Studies (CAS) at Vytautas Magnus University together with the students’ clubs “Hallyu”, “Hashi” and “Wu Wei” invite Kaunas residents and city’s guests to the VMU Asian Week 2023. This year the event will take place on April 24-28 in venues of VMU and other public places in Kaunas.

VMU Asian Week is a one week-long cycle of events dedicated to East Asian cultures – Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese. It is done through the presentation of specific aspects of culture, arts and cuisine. CAS social partners in Lithuania and abroad actively participated in the organization of this event. This year, in cooperation with the Cinema Centre “Romuva”, we invite you to watch famous films by Asian directors in the evenings during the Asia Week. You can purchase the tickets at the cinema “Romuva” or online here.

Here you can download the program of the Asian Week (PDF).

Our partners: (more…)

We are happy to announce a call for papers for the 5th annual international students’ conference on Asia. The conference will take place on April 9 at Vytautas Magnus University (V. Putvinskio 23, Kaunas).

If you are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, arts, economics or other areas, this event is just for you. The conference, organized by VMU East Asian Languages ​​and Cultures students, together with the Centre for Asian Studies and the Department of Cultural Studies, is a great opportunity to share your accumulated knowledge, work or research with colleagues in this field and not only, to gain experience and improve your public speaking skills, or even get some inspirations. (more…)

We are sharing the invitation to submit abstracts for the 4th annual Student academic Conference, focusing on Asia. The conference will be held on April 24, 11:00-14:00, V. Putvinskio 23-310 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

This event, which has become an integral part of VMU Asian Week, is organized by VMU Regional Studies Asian specialization students and VMU Center for Asian Studies together with the Department of Cultural Studies. As every year, students from various fields whose work and research touch on the topic of Asia are welcome, both from the humanities, social sciences, arts and other disciplines. (more…)

The National Taiwan Library announced “Guidelines to the National Taiwan Library Fellowship for International Visiting Scholars and Students”.
The library provides Fellowship for experts and scholars to pursue their academic goals in Taiwan studies or Southeast Asia studies. Please click here to read more.

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It is time for all who are interested in East Asian cultures, languages, economics, politics and more to come together for what has become an annual student research conference, organised by the VMU East Asia Cultures and Languages students.
This conference is a great opportunity to share your knowledge, work and research with colleagues in the field, to try and improve your public speaking skills, to gain experience and to listen to presentations by like-minded people. (more…)

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Are you interested in politics of Japan? Maybe you are interested in economy of China? Maybe you are fascinated in Korean art and traditions? It does not matter in which field you are interested in, as long as it is related to East Asia we have a very interesting proposition to you. (more…)

VMU Department of International Relations informs about ongoing studies exchange and internship contests as well as “Erasmus Days’21” which are going to take place on February 17th, 18th, and 19th, during which students will be able to learn more about exchange opportunities. (more…)

Beijing Normal University entrusts the European Federation of Overseas Chinese and Chinese Associations to recruit 100 candidates for MBA and MPA studies (conducted fully in English) from all over the world. Appropriate students are welcome to sign up. (more…)

Applications for scholarships for studies in China in 2021-2022 are open. Persons who are nationals of Lithuania, EU or persons from the third countries having the right to live in Lithuania are welcome to apply.

Applications may be submitted by representatives of various fields of Lithuanian science and studies institutions/ representatives of science fields – Bachelor, Masters and PhD students. (more…)