Perspective Asia Lecture Series
Welcome to the Perspective Asia Lecture Series, a platform for scholars and experts from various fields to share their critical insights on the issues, emerging trends, and historical interconnections in the dynamic East and Southeast Asian region.
Join us this spring for a thought-provoking seminar series on critical Asian Studies issues. We begin with South Korea’s recent (and rare) invocation of martial law in December 2024, examining the country’s political crisis and its implications for democracy. Next, we explore China’s global rise in e-commerce, before delving into micro-level processes within broader changes, featuring lectures on everyday encounters with American and Japanese militarism in Okinawa and the livelihood strategies of small businesses in urban Seoul. Finally, we conclude with a lecture on the geopolitical dimensions of RMB internationalization.
Engage with expert insights, learn, and shape the conversation on Asia's complex challenges and their global impact.
Location: The open lectures usually take place in the Asia Library (Sölvegatan 18B, 223 62 Lund) or on Zoom
Schedule Spring Semester 2025
5 February 15:15-17:00, Asia Library
Martial Law in South Korea: Crisis, Resistance, and the Future of Democracy
Speakers:
Erik Mobrand, Professor in the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University, and docent in Asian studies and associated researcher in Sociology of Law, Lund University.
Hyejin Kim, senior lecturer in political science at the National University of Singapore, and researcher in Economic History at Lund University
Moderator: Youngeun Koo, Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University.
12 February 15:15-17:00, on Zoom
From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-commerce in China
Lizhi Liu, Assistant Professor, the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University
More information here
26 March 15:15-17:00, Asia Library
Welcome to the Sacrifice Zone(s): Fear and Militarism in Okinawa
Marius Palz, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Japanese Studies, University of Oxford
16 April 15:15-17:00, Asia Library
The Spectre of State Capitalism
Ilias Alami, Assistant Professor in the Political Economy of Development, University of Cambridge
7 May 15:15-17:00, Asia Library
Defending Livelihoods in the Speculative City: The Politics of Class and Solidarity for Tenant Shopkeepers in Urban Korea
Yewon Andrea Lee, Junior Professor at the Department of Korean Studies at University of Tübingen
12 May 15:15-17:00, Asia Library
Challenging Dollar Dominance? The Geopolitical Dimensions of RMB Internationalisation
Monique Taylor, Lecturer, Faculty of Social Sciences, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki
More information to come
