UPEI hosts 2024 international Korean and Asian Studies conference
The University of Prince Edward Island will host an international Korean and Asian Studies conference from June 27–28, 2024, in the Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building.
The conference, titled “Confucian Humanism: Korean, Comparative, Interdisciplinary, and Contemporary Perspectives,” is organized by UPEI’s Asian Studies and Korean Studies program in consultation with the North American Korean Philosophy Association, which is affiliated with the American Philosophical Association.
The opening ceremony will take place on June 27 at 9:00 am, starting with a reception and the performance of two traditional Korean songs by Sung Ha Shin-Bouey, Associate Professor of Music. Speakers will include Dr. Marva Sweeney-Nixon, Associate Vice-President Research at UPEI; Dr. Sharon Myers, Interim Dean of Arts; and the director of the Korean Studies Promotion Service, Academy of Korean Studies, and Dr. Edward Chung, UPEI Asian Studies and Korean Studies Project Director and the conference organizer.
During the conference, 18 prominent scholars from the United States, Korea, China, Taiwan (Republic of China), Netherlands, and Canada will present and discuss papers in six thought-provoking panels.
As well, there will be two keynote speeches. On June 27, Dr. Philip J. Ivanhoe, Professor, Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Georgetown University, Washington D.C., will give a keynote speech titled “Chinese and Korean Neo-Confucian Views on Not Transferring One’s Anger.” Presenters will give papers on and discuss “Korean Confucian Humanism 1: Metaphysical and Ethical Perspectives and Practical Implications”; “Korean Confucian Humanism 2: Moral Practice and Confucian Influence on Buddhist Thought and K. Alphabet”; and “Confucian Ideas, Virtue Politics, Ethics of AI, and Critique of Racism.”
On June 28, Dr. Chun-chieh Huang, Distinguished Chair Professor and former Dean (2008–2017), Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, will give a keynote speech titled “Mencius and Confucian Humanism: Korean and Global Perspectives.” Topics to be discussed during the panels include “Korean Confucian Ethics: Humanistic, Comparative, and Contemporary Perspectives”; “Korean Confucian Humanism, Feminine Ideal, and Feminist Perspective”; and “Korean Buddhism and Christianity and Western Thought in Interaction with Confucian Humanism.”
The closing address will be given on Friday afternoon by Dr. Halla Kim, Professor, Philosophy, Sogang University, Seoul, Korea; Vice-President, North American Korean Philosophical Association; and Vice-President, Korean Philosophical Association in Korea. Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President Academic and Research, UPEI, will conclude the conference with a thank you and farewell speech.
Everyone is invited. For information, visit https://www.upei.ca/programs/korean-studies/2024-korean-asian-studies-international-conference, or contact Dr. Edward Chung, Asian Studies and Korean Studies Project Director, at chung@upei.ca, 902-566-0324 (o), or Jill Blaquiere, administrative assistant of Asian Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and DSJS, at jnblaquiere@upei.ca, 902-566-0331.
The conference is supported by an international Lab Program for Korean Studies grant (AKS-2022-LAB-2230002) through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea, and the Korean Studies Promotion Service, the Academy of Korean Studies.
