Page 4 - 03/2022 PULSE@FASS e-Bulletin

Issue no. 3 | 2022

FASS Faculty Members selected
for 1st Indo Pacific Residency

The Indo Pacific Circle is a regionally owned knowledge By Dr. Vilashini Somiah
and networking platform that promotes and connects
thought leaders from the Indo Pacific region. This year, the
IPC, along with the US Consulate mission to Chennai,
hosted the first 5-day residency from July 22-28, 2022 in
Chennai, India. Selected to attend the weeklong event from
FASS were Dr Khoo Ying Hooi, Associate Professor Dr
Helena Varkkey, both from the International Relations
Department, and Dr Vilashini Somiah from the Gender from Indonesia and Thailand, spoke on migration and other
Studies Programme. socio-political concerns in the emerging human rights
discourses.
The residency aimed at exposing residents to workshops,
excursions and discussions to spark collaborative research. The residency also required members to work together on a
Select members presented their expert opinions on key proposal for a Special Issue on the Indo-Pacific Review
areas of concern such as migration, border security, the journal. Dr Vilashini Somiah together with her teammates
environment, and cyber technology. Dr Helena Vakkey from Sri Lanka, India and Thailand put forward one of three
presented her views on sustainable development in the winning proposals out of the ten presented. The proposal
palm oil industry in the panel on “The View from Southeast titled "Migration and the Quandary of “Inconvenient”
Asia: Harnessing emerging technologies for sustainability Borders in the Indo-Pacific '' came with an award of USD
cooperation in the Indo-Pacific”. In "The View from 5000 per group and the co-publication of the issue with a
Southeast Asia: Building Shared Values of Equity", Dr Khoo reputable international publisher. The next residency is
Ying Hooi and Dr Vilashini Somiah, along with panellists expected to take place in 2023 in Southeast Asia.

HBRC Public Lecture Buddhism:

The Way forward

Prof. Dr Amarjiva Lochan, Joint Dean, International By Dr. Lai Suat Yan
Relations, Delhi University, India, highlighted the challenges Chandra Bose Indian Cultural Centre (NSCBICC), Kuala
confronting Buddhism globally - from the need to Lumpur, on 26 August 2022. Datuk Prof Dr Danny Wong,
decolonize the way it is being studied academically to the Dean of the FASS, gave the welcoming speech. Dr Lai Suat
decline of Buddhism in Asia, for example in South Korea. Yan, Deputy Head of the HBRC and Senior Lecturer of the
The disrespect shown towards Buddhist icons by certain Gender Studies Program moderated the public lecture. The
segments of the entertainment and commercial public lecture was held in a hybrid mode with the physical
establishments in the West was also raised as an area of location at the CUBE, FASS. Other than Malaysians, it
concern. attracted audiences from the Asian region, namely,
Indonesia. There were around 45 participants with the
In other words, Prof Amarajiva challenged and dispelled the majority attending online.
myth that the portrayal of Hollywood celebrities such as
Richard Gere embracing Buddhism signalled a significant
growth in the popularity of the religion. The prospect for the
researchers to explore the interdisciplinary connections
between Buddhist studies and scientific research and
advancements were discussed. In addition, the
opportunities for postgraduate study and research as well
as financial support available in this field at the FASS were
shared.
Front Row from the left:
Dr Lai Suat Yan (Moderator / Deputy Head of HBRC), Venerable You
The event was co-organized by the Humanistic Buddhism Deng (Advisor of HBRC), Datuk Professor Dr Danny Wong (Dean of
Research Centre (HBRC), Faculty of Arts and Social FASS), Professor Amarjiva Lochan (Speaker / Joint Dean,
International Relations, Delhi University, India), Ms Ramya
Sciences (FASS), Universiti Malaya and the Netaji Subhash Hiriyannaiah (Director of NSCBICC, KL)
4 | Pulse @ FASS