[ecrea] Looking After Europe - Rethinking theory, culture and politics in the ‘Asian century’

*Looking after Europe*

*Rethinking theory, culture and politics in the ‘Asian century’*

*Facts:* A seminar organised by the International Institute for Asian 
Studies (IIAS) together with the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis 
(ASCA).

Amsterdam, Friday 27 May and Saturday 28 May 2011

Convenors: Jeroen de Kloet (Mediastudies, University of Amsterdam) and 
Yiu Fai Chow (Humanities Programme, Hong Kong Baptist University)

*Speakers*: Ien Ang, Rey Chow, Chris Goto-Jones, Ariel Heryanto, Koichi 
Iwabuchi, Jae Ho Kang, Jeroen de Kloet, Giselinde Kuipers, Kwai Cheung 
Lo, Andrea Riemenschnitter, Xu Zhiyuan

*Focus: *In recent years there has been much talk, both in popular as 
well as academic discourse, about the alleged rise of Asia. Whereas the 
19th century is claimed to be the European century, and the 20th century 
as belonging to the U.S., the 21st century is often billed as the Asian 
century. Notwithstanding the dangers of such totalizing narratives, the 
alleged shifting geopolitical power balances do require critical 
theorizations that dare to walk the tightrope of building on “Western” 
theory while trying to avoid Eurocentrism. We hence take the title of 
the seminar as double edged. We aim to look after Europe, in the sense 
of being concerned with what Europe, and more in general, “Western 
theory,” has to offer in this conjuncture. We want to take care of 
Europe as, so we think, Europe is not well. We also aim to look after 
Europe, in the concomitant sense of looking at a world after Europe, and 
seek what trajectories outside of Europe are possible, desirable and 
feasible. How to look after Europe? This seminar aspires to think 
through possible tactics to look after Europe on three different levels, 
namely, in terms of theory, of cultural production and, finally, in 
terms of politics. The papers probe into connecting these three levels 
of inquiry, taking “Asia” as its point of reference.

*More details: *For the detailed programme, as well as to register 
yourself, please go to: 
http://iias.nl/events/looking-after-europe-rethinking-theory-culture-and-politics-asian-century