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The Third International Conference of Institutes & Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies, Singapore, 2005 on Maritime Asia and the Chinese Overseas (1405 - 2005)
Organized by Inter-Agency Committee on the Chinese Overseas Databank, Singapore and Ohio University Libraries, Athens, Ohio, USA
In Association with International Zhenghe Society, Singapore and
Friends of Admiral Zheng He, Singapore
Dates: 18-20 August 2005 (Thursday to Saturday)
Venue: Singapore
Distinguished Advisor: Prof. Wang Gungwu
Chinese overseas migration began many centuries ago. In the long process, Chinese contacts were established with the vast maritime world in Asia. This development in turn ushered in the world of maritime Chinese which spread from the Asia Pacific to the Indian Ocean littoral.
The Third International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies with the theme Maritime Asia and the Chinese Overseas (1405-2005), scheduled for the year 2005, coincides with the 600th anniversary of Admiral Zheng He's first of the seven voyages to the South Seas and the Indian Ocean. The Zheng He expeditions in the early fifteenth century contributed to the development of the Asian maritime world in which the Chinese diaspora was a key Asian component. The Europeans subsequently entered this maritime world and participated in its trade activities. All these developments contributed to many important aspects of interaction among the Asians themselves, including the Chinese, and between the Asians and the Europeans. There emerged, as a result, the convergence and mutual adaptations of the various civilizations.
The primary objective of the Third International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies is to explore the long process of these interactions and the role played by the Chinese overseas. It will trace both the early and modern developments in the various aspects.
The geographical areas, which the Conference will cover, include the Asia Pacific, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, India, the Middle East and East Africa.
Major plenary sessions are as follows:
- Zheng He voyages and their relevance to Maritime Asia and the Chinese overseas
- Assimilation
- Culture, Science and Religion
- Businesses, Trade and Entrepreneurship
- Education and Languages
- Political Participation
- Gender Issues
- Migration and Re-migration
- Documentation on Chinese Overseas (digital/website/Internet)
Call for papers and panels
Please submit your proposal with abstract by 30 September 2004.
Conference languages
English and Chinese
Finance
Participants are expected to seek their own financial support for their travel and accommodation expenses.
Accommodation
The organizing committee will provide information about accommodation possibilities in due course.
About the Organizers
(1) The Inter-Agency Committee on the Chinese Overseas Databank of Singapore comprises 13 institutional members. These are:
- Chinese Heritage Centre
- Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Library
- Nanyang Technological University Library
- Nanyang Technological University, Centre for Chinese Language & Culture
- National Archives of Singapore
- National Library Board of Singapore
- National University of Singapore, Chinese Library
- National University of Singapore, Department of Chinese Studies
- Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations
- Singapore History Museum
- Singapore Press Holdings, Information Resource Centre
- Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall
All the 13 institutions are members of the Singapore Conference Organizing Committee.
(2) Ohio University and Ohio University Libraries, Athens, Ohio, USA
Founded in 1804, Ohio University is among the oldest universities in the United States. It is one of the top 100 universities over its 3,000 peers in the United States. The University enrolls more than 27,000 students, including about 1,200 international students from 97 countries.
Ohio University Libraries enjoys high international reputation. It has made particular efforts to collect materials on Chinese Overseas in Southeast Asia and around the world. It launched the Overseas Chinese Documentation and Research Center in 1993. The missions of the Center are to collect, preserve, and make accessible the manuscripts and published resources by and on the Chinese Overseas. Ohio University Libraries also actively promotes international cooperation for Chinese Overseas studies. In March 2000, it initiated and organized the First International Conference of Institutes and Libraries for Chinese Overseas Studies that was held at Ohio University. In March 2003, it co-organised the Second International Conference in Hong Kong with the University Library System of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
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