Last week Centre for Asian Studies staff dr. Linas Didvalis spent five days at Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) as a visiting scholar. The visit was based on Erasmus+ Staff Mobility for Teaching program and consisted of a number of lectures for Waseda University students that covered such topics as Europe-Japan relations and China’s current foreign policy. The visit also allowed for Dr. Didvalis to conduct his own research and to have meetings with local professors to discuss cooperation between Waseda University and Vytautas Magnus University. The two universities entered partnership in 2001 which since then resulted in numerous student exchanges and increasingly strong academic connections. (more…)

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Students thesis defense

Public Bachelor thesis defense of the students of East Asian Cultures and Languages program will take place this year on June 4th, 5th and 6th at the Faculty of Humanities in Putvinskis str. 23, room 310. On July 4 the defense will start at 10:00, during the other days – at 9:30.

The public Master thesis defense of East Asia Region studies program student Kristina Gedminaitė will be held on June 4. Her topic is “Korean Peninsula: the impact of Sunshine policy and United Nations’ sanctions”. The defense will be taking place at 9:30 at the Faculty of Humanities in V. Putvinskis str. 23, room 310.

Everybody is invited to listen the presentations and to participate in the discussions.

The list of students and their topics.

The end of May marked official announcement of decision to establish King Sejong Institute (KSI) at Vytautas Magnus University. This new institution will contribute to the spread of Korean language and culture in Lithuania and strengthen Korean studies that began at VMU more than a decade ago. The Institute will also provide additional value to already existing study programs: East Asian Cultures and Languages (BA level) and East Asia Region Studies (MA level). (more…)

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The Centre for Asian Studies invites all interested in China, Japan and Korea to apply for the East Asia Region Studies program (EARS), which is the only graduate program in Lithuania and the Baltic States that is taught in English and focused on East Asian contemporary politics and society. VMU also provides scholarships for selected foreign students.

EARS program’s applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree of humanities or social studies. Same as earlier, the best and most motivated students will be encouraged to study at least one semester abroad at one of our partner universities in East Asia. After graduation students acquire the MA degree of political science. All the courses of the program are taught in English. Research paper and master’s thesis are also written in English.

More information about the program, the application process and other requirements can be found in EARS page. Application deadline: June 28th.

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On May 24 – June 30 VMU Centre for Asian Studies invites you to visit Japanese post stamps exhibition “Prefectures”. The exhibition displays a part of Mr. Leonas Veržbolauskas collection of Japanese post stamps. The exhibition is located in the 4th floor gallery at the VMU Multifunctional Research and Studies Centre (V. Putvinskio st. 23, Kaunas).

Japan began issuing stamps for its prefectures, also known as furusato (ふるさと – hometown) stamps in 1989. However, they are not trully regional stamps as they are issued by Japan Post and are sold at the post offices not only in their prefectures but also all around the country. Prefecture stamps provide an excellent opportunity to experience the sights and scenes for which Japan’s prefectures are famous for. (more…)

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On April 17 we are inviting everyone to an open lecture called “World peace through ancient Indian wisdom” which will be held in Putvinskio str. 23-310 from 11:15. The lecture will be given by Prof. C. Upender Rao who is a scholar of Sanskrit and India studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi, India). Prof. Rao has been involved in Sanskrit studies for more than 30 years already, and plans to talk about the concept of “peace” in ancient Indian tradition and how that connects with both global and individual attempts to achieve peaceful coexistence. More information about the lecture is in the provided PDF file.

The lecture will be held in English. The admission is open and free to all.

“Time for Asia” is a cycle of events, organised by the Centre for Asian Studies and aimed to present contemporary issues and topics in the fields of Asian politics, society, culture and economics.

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Seminar about Myanmar

Vytautas Magnus University Centre for Social Anthropology invites you to the seminar “Networks of Resilience: Legal Precarity and Transborder Citizenship Among the Karen from Myanmar in Thailand”. Speaker of the seminar – Indrė Balčaitė. The seminar will be taking place on April 12th, 2018 at room 103 in Gediminas st. 44, Kaunas. 

The paper probes the relationship between legal precarity and transborder citizenship through the case of the Karen from Myanmar (Burma) in Thailand. (more…)

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VMU Centre for Asian Studies invites you to the premiere of a new documentary “Kaunas. The city of Sugihara and Japan”. The premiere will be taking place on April 26, 5:30 P.M. in Kaunas cinema centre’s “Romuva” temporary hall, Kęstučio st. 62 (entrance through the inner yard).

The story of Kaunas – Japan bilateral relations are revealed through four personalities who prior the World War II became bridges between the two countries. It is Yukichi Fukuzawa – the first Japanese who mentioned and wrote about Kaunas in his diary. In 1862 together with the mission of 36 (more…)

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The Centre for Asian Studies continues “Time for Asia” events and invites you to learn more about China’s role in international affairs and relationship with both neighboring and distant powers. The lecture “China’s Relations with (Re-)Emerging Powers and Regions” will be held by dr. Konstantinas Andrijauskas, Associate Professor of Asian Studies and International Politics from Vilnius University. As a visiting scholar he worked at Fudan University, Zhejiang University and most recently Columbia university. Dr. Andrijauskas is the author of a number of publications on Asian politics, including his 2016 book “The Clash between China, India and Russia in Eurasia’s Civilizational Spaces”.

The lecture will be held on March 15 from 17:00 at Gedimino 44-202, Kaunas. The event is free and open to all. (more…)

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We are now accepting registrations and proposals for presentations for the 28th EAJRS conference to be held in Kaunas 12-15 September 2018, organized by Centre for Asian Studies of Vytautas Magnus University. The partners of the event are Tokyo University of Foreign Studies Global Japan Office and VMU Library.

If you plan to attend, please complete the registration form and return it to eajrs@eajrs.net.

Proposals for presentations should be returned by 15 May 2018.

Download the registration form here.

The central topic this year is “(G)localizing Japanese Studies Resources”, whereby special (more…)

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