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    Malay Literature & Law: New Evidence from Pre-Islamic Times
    ( 2010-04-07T17:43:33Z) Kozok, Uli
    The Tanjung Tanah code of law, dating to the late 14th century, was issued by the Maharaja of Dharmasraya, the former capital of the Malayu kingdom. This manuscript, written in both Sanskrit and Malay in Pallavo-Nusantaric script on bark paper, was a few centuries later reissued by the Sultan of Jambi, but this time on paper and in Arabic-Malay script. The two manuscripts, both in the possession of the same family, not only give us interesting insights into the changes that the Malay language underwent from the 14th to the 18th century, but also teach us the impact of Islamic law on the legal system of a Sumatran Malay polity. Dr. Uli Kozok (MA, PhD Hamburg 1989,1994) is a Professor in Indonesian language and literature at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His research interests include the paleography of Island Southeast Asia, Sumatran philology, and the development of authentic teaching materials and computer-assisted language learning applications for the Indonesian language.
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    The Preservation of Shophouse Communities in Southern Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore
    ( 2010-04-07T17:43:04Z) Pimonsathean, Yongtanit "Mai"
    Presented by Dr. Yongtanit Pimonsathean, Faculty of Architecture and Planning – Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand Known as Southeast Asia’s ‘Straits Settlements,’ the shophouse communities in Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand share a uniquely architectural and ethnic characteristics as a consequence of European expeditions in the early 16th century. The area was tremendously developed in the late 18th century during the British colonial era, leaving the hybrid Asian-European architecture and culture to become one of the significant heritage places in Southeast Asia. As a counter-balance toward rapid development and urbanization, the preservation program of the remaining shophouses was first drawn and implemented in Singapore in the mid 1980s followed by those in Penang and Melaka in Malaysia and lastly in Phuket in the late 1990s. This presentation deals with historical background of the shophouse communities in the three countries and explains the origin of the so-called ‘Peranakan’ culture and architecture. The different preservation approaches among the three countries, resulting in different outcomes will also be discussed. Dr. Yongtanit Pimonsathean (“Mai”), a member of the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Thammasat University in Bangkok, earned his Doctor of Engineering in Urban Engineering from The University of Tokyo, Japan in 1993, and also completed a Diploma with Distinction in Urban Management from the Institute for Urban and Housing Studies (IHS) in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. From his base in Thailand, Dr. Pimonsathean has worked extensively on grassroots development planning and preservation projects in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. He is currently an executive member of UNESCO Asia-Pacific’s Asian Academy for Heritage Management (AAHM), and holds leading positions in national heritage organizations in Thailand. In 2008 he was awarded the outstanding preservation icon of the Association of Siamese Architects (ASA), and in 2009 he was honored with Thailand’s distinguished Princess Sirindhorn Award for outstanding architect. As a 2009 Thai Fulbright visiting scholar based at Heritage Preservation Program at Georgia State University, he is conducting a research on ‘promoting Private Efforts in Historic Preservation in the U.S.”
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    The Khmer Rouge Tribunal – Cambodia’s Search for Justice
    ( 2010-04-07T17:42:29Z) Hoven, Elisa
    During the Khmer Rouge Regime from 1975 to 1979, almost one quarter of the Cambodian population died. Thirty years after the events, an international tribunal is finally dealing with the crimes under former leader Pol Pot. The hybrid court with national and international judges, prosecutors and defense lawyers will try at least five of the most responsible perpetrators for torture, genocide and crimes against humanity. The short documentary “The Khmer Rouge Tribunal – Cambodia’s Search for Justice” gives an introduction to the historical and legal background of the proceedings. In interviews with two contemporary witnesses who survived the Pol Pot regime, the film addresses the major questions faced by the court today: Does a criminal trial still make sense – 30 years after the crimes were committed? Why is participation of the international community necessary? What impact do the proceedings have on the victims? After seeing the film, students are invited to discuss the challenges of international criminal law and its importance for Cambodia’s national reconciliation. Elisa Hoven was born in Berlin (Germany). She completed her law studies at the Free University of Berlin (Germany), the Radboud University Nijmegen (Netherlands) and the University of Cambridge (UK). She worked as a legal assistant at the Chair of Public and International Law under Professor Dr. Beate Rudolf (FU Berlin) and wrote her dissertation on the rule of law in international criminal proceedings. In 2007, she won the Berlin Science Society award with a paper on German constitutional law. The following year, she was awarded the Humboldt Forum Law Award for an essay on criminal prosecution of international terrorism. In cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem she co-organized and spoke at the Conference “Ethic and Human Rights in a Globalized World”. In 2009, she worked as a legal consultant to the Civil Parties at the Khmer-Rouge-Tribunal and published several essays on civil party participation in international criminal law. Supported by the German National Academic Foundation, she is currently doing research at the War Crimes Studies Center at the University of Berkeley.
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    Social Networking in Higher Education
    ( 2010-02-25T22:13:21Z) Gilliam, Ronald
    In the past five years social networking sites have drastically gained in popularity, but many users have yet to discover the true power behind effectual social networking. Surprisingly, few academics and educational administrators use free social networking sites despite the fact that online communities such as Facebook.com originated with an academic focus. This presentation aims to showcase various social networking technologies and how they may be applied in an academic setting. The Center for Southeast Asian Studies social networking tools―Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Vimeo―will be used as a guide for our exploration and we will discuss examples of good/bad social networking habits. In addition, advice will be given on various online sources to aid academics and educational administrators in adapting to new online methods of communication. Ronald Gilliam is currently a doctoral student in Asian theatre at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Graduate Degree Fellow of the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He previously received his MA from the Department of Performance Studies at New York University and his BA in Theatre and Chinese Language from Butler University. As a Graduate Assistant in the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Ronald is responsible for the continuing online development of the Center’s web presence(s). Since joining the center in Fall 2009, Ronald has redesigned the SEA website and incorporated numerous social networking strategies in order to create a dynamic community on the web. He freelances as a graphic designer and marketing consultant through Colordrop.
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    Images of Thai Women: Presented Through Female Antagonist in a Thai TV Drama Series
    ( 2009) Tantiniranat, Sutraphorn
    This is a study of images of Thai women presented in a Thai TV drama series shown in 2004 entitled “Saloeybaab”. Broadly, the study explores how the drama presents its female antagonist as well as the protagonist. Both characters fall into the binary opposition of the “bad” and the “good” woman stereotypes respectively. More specifically, the researcher discusses the purposes and the meanings of the presentations. Negative images of the female antagonist reflect that Thai society still values the notion of “kulasatri” or the “ideal” woman as can be seen from ideologies on women attached to the story. The attitudes towards Thai women reinforce the power structure of Thai patriarchal society where women have been controlled by social rules and norms through the process of socialization including the mass media. Sutraphorn Tantiniranat earned an M.A. in English from Chiang Mai University, Thailand. She has been teaching English at Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai Thailand. Her areas of interest are Foreign Language Teaching and Women Studies. She is currently a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at the Thai Language Program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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    Dancing in Shadows: Lessons from the Cambodian Tragedy for Today
    ( 2009) Widyono, Benny
    Benny Widyono will discuss his five years of international service in Cambodia from 1992 to 1997, first as a member of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and later as the UN Secretary-Generalÿs Representative in Cambodia. From his perspective as part of UNTAC's top administration, he observed the mission's ultimate failure. Prior to UNTAC, Dr Widyono was stationed at the UN headquarters in New York where he witnessed the Cold War manipulations of the Cambodian tragedy by the big powers. Cambodia's experience with the United Nations shows that the latter's capability to solve world problems continues to be distorted by the dominance by the five powers who won World War II sixty four years ago. Dr. Benny Widyono, an Indonesian, served as a United Nations civil servant in Bangkok, Santiago, New York and Cambodia between 1963 and 1997. In 1992-93 he served as UNTAC's Provincial Director of Siem Reap; subsequently in 1994-97 he served as the UN Secretary-General's Political Representative to the Royal Government of Cambodia. His recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations was written while he was a visiting scholar at Cornell University. Dr Widyono holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas and is currently a professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut at Stamford, CT.
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    Justice for Cambodia
    ( 2009) Widyono, Benny
    In February 2009, the long awaited trial of remaining Khmer Rouge leaders began in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In this talk, Professor Benny Widyono will analyze why these trials against the Khmer Rouge, who killed 1.7 million Cambodians during their reign of terror between 1975 and 1979, were delayed for thirty years. The answer to this question, Widyono will argue, can be found within the international political dynamics of the cold war, Hence, instead of putting the Khmer Rouge on trial after they were driven from power by the Vietnamese army in January 1979, the United Nations, instigated by the United States and China, continued to recognize the genocidal Khmer Rouge as the legitimate government of Cambodia for another eleven years. In his analysis, Prof. Widyono will draw heavily from his recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations in Cambodia, his personal chronicle of five years in Cambodia during the peace process (1992-97). He will end on a cautiously optimistic note that the trials, though late, herald a long awaited process of healing and national reconciliation. Dr. Benny Widyono, an Indonesian, served as a United Nations civil servant in Bangkok, Santiago, New York and Cambodia between 1963 and 1997. In 1992-93 he served as UNTAC's Provincial Director of Siem Reap; subsequently in 1994-97 he served as the UN Secretary-General's Political Representative to the Royal Government of Cambodia. His recently published book, Dancing in Shadows: Sihanouk, the Khmer Rouge and the United Nations, was written while he was a visiting scholar at Cornell University. Dr Widyono holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Texas and is currently a professor of Economics at the University of Connecticut at Stamford, CT
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    Vietnamese Ethnobotany: New Understandings of Refugees, the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and the Iron Triangle
    ( 2009) Nguyen, My Lien Thi
    Hearing the words “refugees,” “the Ho Chi Minh Trail,” or “the Iron Triangle” in the context of Vietnam may create a miasma of images for a listener, perhaps evoking the terrible depictions of war on American television news. Rarely, however, are those phrases understood fully in relation to the history of Vietnam. This presentation about three research projects in Vietnam will create new images and a better understanding of those words – and further cultivate that understanding through an exploration of ethnobotany and conservation in that country. The discussant, My Lien Thi Nguyen, received a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Nguyen has conducted ethnobotanical research in her hometown of Bien Hoa, Vietnam, as well as in collaboration with Vietnamese scientists in the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam. Her presentation will introduce three of these projects and the scientists.