Speakers and Events

In keeping with the educational mission of the university, the Pacific Basin Research Center sponsors campus conferences, occasional lecture series, and student seminars that extend and support its research activities.

Speaker events include the long-running Distinguished Speaker series, innovative panel events featuring SUA student discussants, panels by the PBRC Faculty Fellows, academic conferences and workshops, and other types of events.

Lecture Series

Since 2005, the PBRC has been hosting Distinguished Speaker series as well as invited lectures at the Soka University of America campus.

Jennifer Rudolph (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), “Integrating Liberal Arts and STEM to Tackle Wicked Problems.”

Dr. Ajay Verghese (University of California, Riverside), “Ancient Hatreds: Evidence from 12 Centuries of Hindu-Muslim Conflict in India.”

Dr. Michael Jerryson (Youngstown State University), ”Humanity’s Penchant for Violence: Patterns of Religious Expressions.

Richard Fox (Universität Heidelberg), ”How to Have Your Soul and Eat It Too: Moments of Translational Indeterminacy on the Indonesian Island of Bali.

Dan Caldwell (Pepperdine University), ”Warriors into Peacemakers.

José Luis León-Manríquez (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), “México, Asia, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Maxwell A. Cameron (University of British Columbia), “Constituent Power in Latin America.

Leo Chavez (University of California, Irvine), “Children of Immigrants, Belonging, and Citizenship.

Tom McLean (Arnold and Porter, LLP), “The Value of Foreign Direct Investment In Bringing Nations Together.”

Lynda Stone (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), “Education’s Hero? Icons, John Dewey, and Ethics.

Michael R. Curtis (Office of Sustainable Development Bureau of Africa), “Sub-Saharan Africa and the Bottom Billion.

Garry Brewer (Yale University), “The Business of the Environment: Trends and Challenges of Natural Resource Management.

Hilal Elver (University of California, Santa Barbara), “Water Barons vs. Water Warriors: New Water Wars.

Robert Tignor (Princeton University), “African Underdevelopment: Historical Perspectives.

Michael Ross (University of California, Los Angeles), “Oil Wealth as an Obstacle to Peace and Democracy.

Richard Falik (Princeton University), “A Vision of UN Reform: Global Challenge to Governments and Citizens.

Natalia S. Mirovitskaya (Duke University), “International Development and Poverty-Insecurity Nexus.

Masao Miyoshi (University of California, San Diego), “From Humanities to Ecology.

Pranab Bardhan (University of California, Berkeley), “The Rise of China and India: A Comparative Economic Assessment.”

Carlos Alberto Torres (University of California, Los Angeles), “The Globalization Question and Education.

Conferences

Below is a list of conferences and workshops that the PBRC has either held on the SUA campus or co-sponsored at other sites.

The 2018 Western Conference of the Association for Asian Studies (WCAAS).” Held at Soka University of America. 

Governance, Internal Migration, and Urbanization Workshop.” Jointly co-sponsored by the PBRC and the East-West Center. The workshop was held in Honolulu, Hawai’i. For the workshop issue paper, please click here.

Environmental Corporation-NGO Partnership Taskforce Conference.” Jointly co-sponsored by the PBRC and the Roberts Environmental Center.

Cultural Communications and Cultural Dissemination in the Asia-Pacific.” Jointly co-sponsored by the PBRC and the Asian Cultural Studies Research Institute at Kyungwon University.

Panels

Below is a list of panels that the PBRC has either held on the SUA campus or co-sponsored at other sites.

Armed Conflict and Political Violence”. Panel with Andrew Ivey, Mary Anne Mendoza, and R. Joseph Huddleston

“Grad Life: What to Expect in Life as a Graduate Student.” Conducted as a follow-up to “Armed Conflict and Political Violence.”

History Across Ocean Worlds”. A panel with Kris Alexanderson, Marc Matera, and David Igler

Social Resistance in Asia”. A panel with Aries Arugay, Ming Chee Ang, and Duyen Bui.