People’s Republic of China Archives | Research & Innovation

91��ɫ Centre for Public Policy and Law leads Canada's delegation at inaugural labour rights forum in Beijing

fmaquito — Fri, 06 May 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The (YCPPL) has been chosen by the Government of Canada to organize and lead the first ever Canada-China Industrial Relations & Labour Rights Forum in Beijing.

The forum, which focuses on industrial relations, workplace discrimination and human rights issues, will be held today and tomorrow at the Beijing Conference Centre. YCPPL was awarded a major grant of $100,000 from the of (HRSDC) to organize the forum, which will bring together some of Canada's top thinkers in industrial and labour rights with key policy-makers and thinkers in China.

Right: Lesley Jacobs

"The Canada-China Forum is the first of its kind and reflects a new initiative of the Government of Canada in the realm of recalibrating their relationship with China involving university-led research units," says political science Professor Lesley Jacobs, director of YCPPL.

"Working with government officials in Canada and the Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, this event will bring together a 17-person Canadian delegation, including academics, senior government officials, representatives from human rights commissioners, and delegates from business, labour and NGOs, to provide a dynamic platform for an important comparative discussion of industrial relations and workplace rights with a view to relating these issues to international labour standards," says Jacobs.

In addition to Jacobs, 91��ɫ Professor Lorne Foster, director of the Master in Public Policy, Administration & Law program, will also be a principal investigator on this project. Jacobs and Foster, along with political science Professor Daniel Drache and Patrick Monahan, 91��ɫ's vice-president academic & provost, are in Beijing for the forum. Monahan will make the welcoming remarks to the delegates gathered in Beijing.

Canada’s ambassador to China, David Mulroney, along with a representative from the United Nations International Labour Organization and various Chinese dignitaries, will also deliver speeches to forum delegates.

"Being asked to lead such an event is a tremendous achievement for YCPPL and 91��ɫ," says Jacobs. "It offers an opportunity to demonstrate the dynamism and excellence of 91��ɫ researchers and their research."

YCPPL encourages research on the role and impact of law in the formation and expression of public policy. More specifically, the centre focuses on constitutional, institutional and legal aspects of the public policy, as well as the international and transnational dimensions of law and public policy.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Two 91��ɫ Professors part of team creating art for St. Clair streetcar stops

fmaquito — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 10:00:00 +0000

From Yonge Street to Keele Street, 24 original artworks have been installed above the new streetcar shelters as part of Toronto’s St. Clair Avenue West Transit Improvement Project. Six of these installations – a quarter of the entire series – are the work of 91��ɫ artists.

This massive public art project had four separate calls for entries: two open and two invitational. In developing their proposals, artists were asked to be sensitive to the site, the location of the artwork elevated above grade and the fact that people would be viewing the works while moving past them as well as when they were stationary.

Submissions were categorized based on the media used to create the pieces: digital interlay protected by glass, specialty glass, perforated metal screen and mixed media. All the works share the same dimensions: 30 inches high and a monumental 40 feet long, made up of four 10-foot-long panels.

More than 350 entries were submitted by artists from across the Greater Toronto Area for the two open competitions. Two independent juries, each judging two competitions, selected the winning works.

“The quality of the artworks and their scale and siting are setting a new standard for transit art projects in Toronto,” said Rina Greer, the art consultant who coordinated the project with Catherine Williams for the City of Toronto.

Five 91��ɫ artists have transformed the streetscape with their unique creations.

Spadina Road features the first of two works contributed by Professor Judith Schwarz,��hair of the Department of Visual Arts. Her abstract piece Weather Sampler, made of mill-grade stainless steel sheets, is a playful representation of various kinds of weather experienced by Torontonians. Geometric shapes are organized and repeated to represent sunspots, heat rising from the pavement, overcast days, clouds moving overhead, sleet and rain.

Above: Weather Sampler by Judith Schwartz

One stop west at Tweedsmuir Avenue, commuters will encounter Professor Yam Lau’s Nearness and Distance – A Chinese Ruler. It’s a digitally printed interlay representing the traditional, but now obsolete, system of measurement that would have been used to build inspirational places like the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Great Wall of China. For Lau, systems of measurement are never simply abstract. They can embody a world that is both poetic and emotional.

Above: Nearness and Distance – A Chinese Ruler by Yam Lau decorates the Tweedsmuir Avenue stop

Moon Transit by 91��ɫ visual arts alumna (BFA ‘79) is found at Christie Street. The work is constructed of two layers of laminated tempered float glass with pigmented glass enamel accents. It depicts the phases of the moon in an arcing passage through drifting clouds. This upward view was inspired by the escarpment location of St. Clair Avenue, high on a ridge above downtown Toronto. A month of moons unfolds like successive frames of a film or a series of time-lapse photographs. The sequence is integrated into a gestural sky whose graphic conventions are drawn from historical engravings like those depicting early views of Toronto.

Above: Titled Moon Transit, this artwork can be found at Christie Street. It was created by 91��ɫ visual arts alumna Jeannie Thib

Schwarz’s second contribution, Origami Remix, is installed at Dufferin Street. It features organic shapes and patterns on a garden theme, rendered in stainless steel. The stylized profiles evoke flowers, petals, stamen, floating pollen and vines. These images expand and recur along a sinuous curve to suggest process and alteration over time. Repeated and remixed at a different scale, the shapes coalesce into designs suggestive of garden ornamentation, decorative fences and patterns that allude to retro linoleum, wallpaper and picnic oilcloth.

Above: Schwartz's Origami Remix can be seen at the Dufferin Street

Caledonia Road is the site of Sidewalk Tango by 91��ɫ alumna (MFA ’94). Nind’s digitally printed interlayer expresses the richness and cultural diversity of the street life along St. Clair West. The street’s ambience offers a cacophony of colours, odours and tactile experiences: baskets of fruits and vegetables, displays of shoes and clothing, pots overflowing with flowering plants, domestic paraphernalia of hardware and household supplies.

Above: 91��ɫ alumna Sarah Nind's Sidewalk Tango

Art / Work, by photographer (MFA ‘07), marks the stop at Silverthorne Avenue. Inspired by 1920s modernist art photography and film and the then-novel techniques of montage, collage and transitional dissolves, Art / Work draws on the archival record of construction on St. Clair Avenue in the twenties, as found in the Toronto Transit Commission files in the City of Toronto Archives. A long-time local resident, Ingelevics makes this history visible through images of labour and labourers from this earlier period.

Above: Art/Work by 91��ɫ alumnus, photograper Vid Ingelevics marks the stop at Silverthorne Avenue

The distance between Yonge Street and Keele Street is just over six kilometres. The public art installations at transit stops are the finishing touches on the dedicated right-of-way streetcar lane for the 512 St. Clair streetcar loop. As a special initiative, the TTC is offering a two-hour time-based transfer for Route 512 that allows passengers to get on and off the streetcar to enjoy the artworks as well as the shops and restaurants along the way.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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91��ɫ signs research and exchange agreement with China's Beihang University with emphasis on science and engineering

fmaquito — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s on Friday. The agreement allows for the exchange of students and faculty across disciplines and offers collaborative opportunities for better research, teaching and faculty development.

Above: Standing, from left, Professor Tang Wenzhong, director, Institute for Science & Technology, Beihang University; Professor Wang Huiwen, dean, School of Economics & Management, Beihang University; Dr. Ma Jinxi, director international division, Beihang University; Professor Huai Jinpeng, president, Beihang University; MPP Michael Chan, Ontario minister of tourism & culture; Professor Bernie Frolic, director, Asian Business Management Program, 91��ɫ; Ivy Lerner-Frank, trade commissioner & manager InfoCentre China, Canadian Embassy. Sitting, from left, Professor Lorna Wright, associate vice-president international, 91��ɫ, and Professor Tang Xiaoqing, vice-president, international relations, Beihang University.

“91��ɫ recognizes that we now live in a global village and to remain on the forefront of knowledge we – and our students – must be global in our scope. Such exchange agreements are key to providing our students with opportunities to add an international component to their academic program,” said Lorna Wright, 91��ɫ’s associate vice-president international.

In particular, 91��ɫ aims to expand its expertise in the areas of life science, space science, and engineering, said Janusz Kozinski, dean of 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Science & Engineering.

“91��ɫ, and in particular the Faculty of Science & Engineering, is delighted to initiate this partnership with Beihang University, which is one of the most prestigious universities in China,” Kozinski said. “We will collaborate on specific research projects, aligned with mutual strategic research priorities. We will also exchange students and researchers across disciplines. These activities will strengthen 91��ɫ’s character as one of the most interdisciplinary and international universities in Canada.”

Kozinski noted that in the next decade, there will be a significant increase in opportunities for 91��ɫ students to participate in experiential education activity, both domestically and internationally, as a component of their degree program.

The signing took place in the run-up to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s . His team will meet with Chinese officials and business leaders to highlight Ontario’s expertise in clean water technology, financial services, international education and other areas, part of the Open Ontario Plan.

91��ɫ’s relationship with China and Chinese universities has a long history, dating from the University’s beginnings.

For more information, see the .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

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91��ɫ signs research collaboration agreement with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

fmaquito — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 08:00:00 +0000

91��ɫ will have even more opportunity to partner with researchers from China after the University signed a collaboration agreement with the (CASS) Monday.

CASS has over 30 research institutes, while 91��ɫ has one of the largest faculties of social sciences and humanities in Canada, which makes this an ideal partnership. “CASS is the premier institution in China for social sciences research,” says , associate vice-president international. “As 91��ɫ International researchers and 91��ɫ faculty members have already partnered with CASS researchers, I thought it was probably time we formalize what we were doing.”

Right: Delegates from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences meet with Lorna Wright (centre)

Six delegates from CASS came to 91��ɫ from China to meet with 91��ɫ researchers and discuss future initiatives and collaborations. “Basically, it will give 91��ɫ researchers better access to opportunities in China for research and we’ll have a partner for that research,” says Wright.

One of those researchers is 91��ɫ political science Professor Gregory Chin in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who currently has about six research projects on the go all involving CASS scholars in one way or another across disciplines. "The signing of this agreement with CASS will further strengthen these links," he said.

As the two delegations discussed areas of mutual interest, , associate vice-president research (social sciences & humanities), said he has worked with several CASS researchers in the past, in the 1990s. “91��ɫ used to work a lot with CASS researchers. I hope this will afford us the opportunity to start that again.”

Left: Wright signs a collaboration agreement with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. From left, Zhang Youyun, deputy director general in CASS's Bureau of International Cooperation; vice-president of CASS Professor Wu Yin; Wright and Gregory Chin.

, chair of the Department of Anthropology, agreed saying, “There are so many areas where we could work together.”

Chin, Dewitt and Lumsden, along with Bernie Frolic, director of the Asian Business & Management Program; Susan Henders, director of the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research; Faculty of Education Professor Qiang Zha; Haideh Moghissi, associate dean, external relations, for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies; and Professor , chair of the Department of Political Science, discussed some of their research interests with delegates from CASS to get a better understanding of their mutual goals.

The Chinese delegation from CASS included: Professor Wu Yin, vice-president; Professor Zhang Changdong, deputy director general in the General Office; Professor Wang Zheng, deputy director general of the Bureau of Scientific Research Management; Professor Hu Guocheng, research fellow in the Institute of American Studies; Professor Zhang Youyun, deputy director general of the Bureau of International Cooperation; and Li Bin, program officer in the Bureau of International Cooperation.

As Wright pointed out, the collaborative nature of the agreement will also be beneficial when it comes to securing funding from granting agencies, as the agencies are always looking for international partnerships. “And CASS is a very prestigious partner.” In addition, the partnership will also facilitate faculty exchanges.

“I hope the agreement will result in further concrete results and research collaborative projects,” says Wright. "It was agreed that the next step would be a meeting at CASS in Beijing during Dean trip next month when a task force of Martin Singer, Bernie Frolic and myself would convene with researchers from CASS to discuss the strategic direction."

Following the signing, the CASS delegates had a tour of the campus and lunch with 91��ɫ President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Professor Thomas Klassen: South Korea’s population targeted to be ‘most elderly’ by 2025

fmaquito — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:00:00 +0000

By 2050, the median age in Korea is projected to be 57 years, according to an article written by Thomas Klassen of 91��ɫ’s Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The article was published January 12, 2010 for , but was quoted in , some of which don't factor in the aging Korean population.

An excerpt from Klassen's original article follows:

South Korea (henceforth Korea) faces a challenge quite distinct from any other: the world’s most rapidly ageing population. The speed of population ageing in Korea is unprecedented in human history. From a population profile that resembled a pyramid (with many younger individuals and few older individuals) in 1990, the profile is now diamond-shaped (with a large middle-aged population). In another couple of decades, the country’s population will be an inverse pyramid: few young people and many older ones.

By 2050, the median age of the population of Korea is projected to be 57 years, making it the most elderly nation in the world. In contrast, at present, Japan has the oldest median age at 43 years, while Korea’s stands at 37years.

Population ageing is not unique to Korea. Many European nations, and Japan, have faced it. However, as Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Director-General of the World Health Organization, noted: “While the developed countries became rich before they became old, the developing countries will become old before they become rich.” That is the dilemma for Korea, and for other rapidly ageing nations such as China.

For Korea, things were never meant to turn out this way. Its government and people never aimed for the distinction of the world’s most rapidly ageing country. Indeed, Koreans were not supposed to stop have babies, especially since there was never a one-child policy as in China. Rather, as the economy grew and consumption increased over the past several decades, couples making their individual choices began to opt for fewer and fewer children. By the mid-1980s, the fertility rate (the average number of births per woman) dropped below the replacement rate of 2.1, and by the mid 1990s below 1.5. For nearly the past decade, it has not exceeded 1.3 giving Korea the distinction of having the lowest fertility of any country.

Klassen's complete article is available on .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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Video: Professor Ananya Mukherjee-Reed Talks to the Agenda about the G20 and emerging powers

fmaquito — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Professor Ananya Mukherjee-Reed in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies' Department of Political Science took part in a panel discussion on the status and responsibilities of the leaders of G20 countries and the emerging powers of India, Brazil and China on TVO’s “The Agenda” June 22. The clip runs almost 37 minutes. You can .

Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research awards six graduate scholarships to fuel innovative research projects

fmaquito — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:00:00 +0000

Six 91��ɫ students have won five awards for their research on Asia or Asian diaspora this year from the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research (YCAR).

Vanessa Lamb (right), a second-year doctoral candidate in geography, is the 2010 Vivienne Poy Asian Research Award recipient. Her research interests include the politics of the environment and development, feminist political ecology and critical science studies.

Lamb received her master's degree from the University of Wisconsin, where she researched and studied the interdisciplinary understandings of conservation. Prior to attending 91��ɫ, she worked for the Bangkok-based organization TERRA, a regional non-governmental organization (NGO) that works on environmental issues within the Mekong Region. As a doctoral student she has worked as part of the Challenges of Agrarian Transition in Southeast Asia project team.

The award funds will assist Lamb in her dissertation fieldwork during the 2010-2011 academic year. Her research looks at knowledge-making and claim-making practices around resources of the Nu-Salween River, which supports an estimated six million people in China, Burma and Thailand as a source of livelihood and food. She will conduct interviews with local residents, activists, engineers and others connected to a large hydroelectric development project along the river at the Thai-Burma border. Specifically, her research will consider how different knowledges produced about the river interact and influence decision-making processes around development.

The award is named for Canadian Senator Vivienne Poy. It assists a graduate student in fulfilling the fieldwork requirement for the Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies.

Ei Phyu Han (left) and Rae Mitchell are the 2010 YCAR Language Award recipients. Han, a doctoral candidate in geography, will study Thai, while Mitchell, a master's candidate in social & political thought, will use the funding to study Hindi in anticipation of her 2010 fieldwork in India.

Han is examining gender identity formation of Karen refugees from Burma along the Thai-Burma border to learn how it is influenced by different actors and power groups at multiple sites of displacement. Her research aims to demonstrate how identity is influenced by place and therefore shifts during the process of being displaced because it is continually being renegotiated. This research has the potential to help improve resettlement programs, and she hopes it can play a role in future Canadian refugee policy changes.

"Although I am now a Canadian citizen, I migrated to Canada at the age of six from Burma with my family in the aftermath of the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations in 1988," says Han. "I believe that this project is important not only for the ways that it can influence policy and resettlement program changes, and its engagement and contribution to academic knowledge, but also because it is integral to learning more about the growing humanitarian crisis in Burma."

She completed her coursework and set the foundations for her fieldwork in the summer of 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, by making contacts with NGOs and by taking Thai language courses. The YCAR Language Award will assist in the continuation of these studies. She will begin her fieldwork this month working with the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, Women's Education for Advancement & Employment and the Karen Youth Organization.

Right: Rae Mitchell

Mitchell's research interests include resistance, social movement theory, engaged Buddhism and social anarchism. Her current research focuses on Gandhian perspectives of the body, including the methods utilized by Gandhi to transform his body (and self) from British subject into revolutionary satyagrahi. She's also interested in the ways that Gandhian approaches to social and political transformation are being adapted and utilized by female members of the Mahila Shanti Sena (Women's Peace Force) in Northern India.

She will complete a four-week intensive Hindi language-training course at the Jaipur School of Hindi in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The school is run in affiliation with Shashvat Sansthan, a local NGO working for the welfare of Rajasthan’s tribal-indigenous communities. Mitchell will also be travelling with University of Toronto Professor Reva Joshee and Jill Carr-Harris, a development worker in India, throughout central India for three weeks in October to explore possible research collaboration on Ekta Parishad's struggle for land and forest rights for marginalized and indigenous peoples in India.

Mitchell holds a combined bachelor of arts (BA) in peace studies and anthropology with a minor in religious studies from McMaster University.

The YCAR Language Award was created to support graduate students in fulfilling the language requirement for the Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies and to facilitate awardees master's or doctoral-level research.

Ferdinand Dionisio Caballero (left), a master's candidate in social anthropology, is this year's recipient of the David Wurfel Award. The award will aid him in his fall archival fieldwork in the Philippines where he will focus on the entangled relations between the Catholic Church and the Filipino people.

The David Wurfel Award provides financial support to an honours undergraduate or master's graduate student who intends to conduct thesis research on the topic of Filipino history, culture or society.

Caballero's major research paper will be an anthropological inquiry on religion, colonial subjects, post-colonialism and history. More specifically, he is interested in exploring and understanding the dynamics of power relations between religious institutions and the people.

He holds a BA in anthropology with a specialization in ethnographic studies from Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.

The award was established in 2006 by Senior YCAR Research Associate David Wurfel. He wanted to contribute to the emergence of a new generation of Filipino leadership that is grounded in the country’s history, culture and public affairs. Wurfel is a Philippine specialist who received his PhD from Cornell University's Southeast Asia Program.

Heather Barnick (right) is the 2010 recipient of the Albert C.W. Chan Foundation Fellowship. A doctoral candidate in the Department of Social Anthropology at 91��ɫ, her current research interests are related to the anthropology of media, digital anthropology, and techno-science with a specific focus on the visual and material cultures of video games and massive multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

Last month, Barnick began ethnographic fieldwork in Shanghai, China, following the ways in which online role-playing games have become significant sites for the formations of new national and cultural imaginaries in mainland China. Her fieldwork is supported by the Albert C.W. Chan Fellowship and a Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada doctoral scholarship.

This research follows on the heels of a project initiated by China’s General Administration of Press & Publication (GAPP) to encourage the production of 100 domestically produced MMORPGs. The narratives and imagery integrated into games developed under GAPP’s initiative frequently make use of famous fictional stories, such as the Journey to the West, and historical battles, such as Genghis Khan’s exploits and the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Focusing on the perspectives of youth from Shanghai, Barnick’s research will examine how these adapted histories come to have new meanings for life in the present. The primary goal is to understand how notions of national and cultural belongings and identities are continuously formed, expressed and re-imagined by Shanghai youth through their participation in MMORPGs produced in China.

Barnick earned a BA in sociology and anthropology from the University of Prince Edward Island and a MA in social and cultural anthropology from Concordia University.

The Albert C.W. Chan Foundation Fellowship was established by the Albert C.W. Chan Foundation to encourage and assist 91��ɫ graduate students to conduct field research in East and/or Southeast Asia and was made possible through the support of the Albert C. W. Chan family.

Adnan Amin (left) was selected from a strong group of graduate and undergraduate applicants to represent 91��ɫ at the Global Initiatives Symposium in Taipei next month. This opportunity is provided by the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Amin's winning essay, “When East Meets West: A Personal Essay on Intersections of North American and East Asian Education”, reflected on his experiences as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher in Taiwan.

Last year, Amin graduated from 91��ɫ with an honours double major degree in English and history, completed his concurrent bachelor of education degree, and held a position as student senator for the Faculty of Education Students' Association. Amin has also held an international internship in the English Department of the Hong Kong Institute of Education and taught ESL in Taiwan. He is currently pursing his master of education degree at 91��ɫ.

Amin's research interests are in teaching and learning strategies, immigrant experiences, English language learning and digital media technology. He currently works as a school settlement worker in Toronto high schools where he helps newcomer students and families with settlement needs.

The Global Initiatives Symposium will be held at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan, from July 12 to 16. It will bring together emergent leaders from around the world to discuss critical global issues. The topic for 2010 is The Emergence of New Giants: Evolution or Revolution. Participants will also take part in several days of cultural tours in Taiwan following the symposium.

Amin’s opportunity to represent 91��ɫ at the symposium was made possible by the Taipei Economic & Cultural Office and the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).

For more information on any of the awards, visit the YCAR Web site.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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LA&PS series on why research matters to feature 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Program (KMb)

fmaquito — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It’s been a year of research-intensive events and activities in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies and one of the most notable initiatives has been the Research Matters series. It attempts to answer the question: “Why does research matter?” In particular, it focuses on the ways in which LA&PS researchers – both faculty and students – are using their skills and expertise to address timely community, cultural, social, economic and industry challenges.

Missed out on a Research Matters session? Videos and audio files are available online.

There are two more Research Matters sessions scheduled this year, open to the 91��ɫ community. The first, which will be held on March 24 from 10am to noon in 109 Atkinson Building, takes up the theme of knowledge mobilization. Michael Johnny, manager of 91��ɫ’s Unit, will provide general insights into what knowledge mobilization is and how it ties to LA&PS researchers. Professor from the School of Social Work will discuss his knowledge mobilization efforts in the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender research.

The second session will be held on April 19 from 10am to noon in 305 91��ɫ Lanes and will focus on human rights, international law and global health policy. Political science Professor Lesley Jacobs, director of the , will present in collaboration with four emerging 91��ɫ scholars: Hope Olumide Shamonda (PhD candidate in philosophy); (PhD candidate in philosophy); Ruby Dhand (PhD candidate in law); and Mariette Brennan (PhD candidate in law).

The series has also explored topics ranging from pandemic planning, indigenous research and China’s competitive advantage in the world market to the grammar of aid in international development, community engagement as methodological practice, and, most recently, the value of Canada’s North.

“One of the highlights of the year for me in the role of associate dean, research, has been the launch of this series,” says Professor Barbara Crow. “I’ve gained helpful insight into the individual and collaborative research undertakings of faculty and students, and enjoyed watching connections being made between academic research and what’s going on in our communities, our workplaces and our lives.”

To RSVP for either of the upcoming sessions, e-mail Lorraine Myrie at lmyrie@yorku.ca.

Republished with files courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Video: Interdisciplinary panel of researchers on China's distant past, present, and future

fmaquito — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Interest in China is strong, and scholars and students alike continue to be intrigued by the country, whether viewing it through the lens of the past two or 2,000 years. That intrigue proved evident on Thursday, Jan. 28, when a record 110 people crowded into a room in 91��ɫ Lanes for the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) monthly Research Matters event.

The focus of the event was on China, and attendees were anxious to get insight from researchers on the country's history, culture and rising international prominence. To watch the presentations online or click through an edited version of the speakers' onscreen presentations, visit the Research Matters Web site.

Martin Singer (right), dean of LA&PS and a historian of China, opened the session and recalled how his own fascination with China began when he was an undergraduate student. Despite some skepticism from family and friends about the career prospects of specializing in such an area, Singer went on to pursue graduate studies in Chinese history at the University of Michigan. Before Singer became a professor at Montreal's Sir George Williams University in 1972, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau surprised Canadians with his journey to China and the relations he established. The PM's visit was quickly followed by a visit by US President Richard Nixon. These high-level delegations clearly indicated that China's importance was rapidly increasing on a global scale.

Though China and Canada were just beginning to develop a mutual understanding of one another in the 1970s, Singer noted, "91��ɫ was a powerhouse of China-related activity at the time." He welcomed the continued commitment to sinology today, pointing to the tremendous wealth of expertise on China in LA&PS and across the University.

Joshua Fogel (right), Canada Research Chair in the History of Modern China in the Department of History, reached deep into the past to illuminate the historiography of a 2,000-year-old golden seal, originally given by Emperor Guangwu to an emissary from Japan in 57 CE – the first known material object exchanged between China and Japan. It was unearthed in 1784 in a Japanese farmer's field and, since then, there has been much debate about its true nature and the implications of the characters inscribed on it.

Some scholars believe that the seal is authentic and holds great significance, while others claim that it is an outright forgery. Fogel is writing a book on the debate, which he hopes will shed some light on the true meaning of the seal and its implications.

Professor Lee Li of the School of Administrative Studies discussed why Chinese companies seem to enjoy a competitive advantage in world markets. His research looks beyond the commonly held belief and superficial claim that China's economic dominance originates simply in its low-cost labour. If low-cost labour was the key to such success, Li argued, then why aren't other developing economies experiencing the same advantage?

Li asserted that the advantage Chinese companies enjoy results from a number of interconnected factors, including cost-leadership; a diverse bundle of valuable resources; efficient production methods; a robust, domestic market demand; strong cultural and related industries; and a focus on developing partnerships with Western companies that enable them to learn and adopt various manufacturing, management and research-and-development innovations.

Right: Professor Lee Li discusses his research into China's competitive edge on the global stage

The two speakers following Li talked about their research on China in a much more experiential way. Both professors have deep ties and have developed long-term relationships with the country and its people.

David Lumsden, chair and undergraduate program director in the Department of Anthropology, spoke about the contingent nature of the research enterprise, the serendipitous opportunities that have led to his projects and how he came to be a China scholar. Lumsden was the master of Bethune College from 1983 to 1989 and credits his initial interest in the country to fellow scholar Rod Stewart and visiting international students. In 2006, he embarked upon a two-year sabbatical at Southwest University in Chongqing, China, where he taught graduate students and conducted research on the impact of Chinese reforms on peasants and migrant workers flooding into cities. Lumsden received the Great Wall Friendship Award, China's highest award for foreigners, in 2008.

Left: Professor David Lumsden

The final speaker was Professor Bernie Frolic of the Department of Political Science, director of the Asian Business & Management Program in the 91��ɫ Centre for Asian Research and the Schulich School of Business. He also worked as first secretary, cultural, at the Canadian Embassy in China in the mid-1970s. Frolic discussed the subject of the book for which he is currently doing research: contemporary Canada-China relations. He detailed his difficulties in accessing information from government files and the restrictions placed on his ability to record what he had access to.

Left: Professor Bernie Frolic

Frolic noted the essentially consistent nature of Canada-China relations, regardless of political leadership in Ottawa, from the 1970s until 2005. Engagement between the two all but ended at this time and only recently have relations improved. One of the greatest challenges, he lamented, has been accessing information about the current government's relations with China. As a result, the best he could do with all of his research was to deliver an approximate depiction of relations. He noted, "I settled for an impressionistic painting rather than a photograph."

Republished courtesy of YFile – 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

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Video -- Schulich prof speaks to BNN: Is China's economic data reliable?

fmaquito — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Bernie Wolf, professor of economics and international business in the Schulich School of Business, spoke to BNN yesterday about China's economy, the reliability of its economic data, and whether their bubble's about to grow or burst. Wolf's interview runs approximately 13 minutes. Posted by Elizabeth Monier-Williams, research communications officer.

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