Asiatica Association

We have just received the International Edition of the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture, vol. 26 / August 2016, which is published by the Institute of Confucian Philosophy and Culture, Academy of East Asian of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU - Seoul, Korea). It includes English and Korean papers.

Content: Articles; Appendix

Articles: LUO Ying, "The Jesuits' Latin Translations of the Zhongyong..", KIM Hak Ze, "Li Zhi's Religious Syncretism, or Sanjiao heyi..", GO Jaesuk, "Alternative Forms of Capitalism Supported by the Lunyu..", JIA Zhenzhen, "Time: A Unique Perspective on the Relationship between Heaven..", PARK So Jeong, " Philosophing Jigi of Donghak as an Experienced..", SHU Dhagang, "The Different Sets of Confucian Classics and the Ruzang Shuxue..", MA Jun, "Zhongdao (Middle Path) and Fortune in the Yijing..", LEE Hsing-Ling, "Kongzi's Approach to Social and Reclusive Lifestyles", TANG Minghui, "A Study of Chen Chun's Annotations of the Lunyu", CHOI Byeonggyu, "A Study of the Literary Value and Confucian Spirit of Inkstone". 

The Endangered Archives Programme at the British Library is now accepting grant applications for the next round of funding. Detailed information on the timetable, criteria, eligibility and application procedures is available on the Programme’s website. The deadline for receipt of preliminary grant applications is 4 November 2016.

The economy of Nepal sustained heavy knocks in two quick successions, initially by the earthquake and then by the border blockade. In an attempt to trace the blockade’s ramifications and provide a fresh pair of lenses to the discourse we have jointly come out with a study conducted through visits and interactions with people across the Terai-Madhes belt, and aimed at comprehending the depth and breadth of the impact on different key sectors of the economy. 

I am happy to announce that the Journal outh Asia Women Studies Vol. 15 N. 1 is out.

In this issue: Editorial Note: The Journal of South Asia Women Studies: Our First Twenty-one Years. Papers: Nepal 2013-14: Breaking the Political Impasse, by Enrica Garzilli;  The “Fallen” Females of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Broken Nest” and Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay’s “Blazing Home” Revisited, by Narasingha P. Sil; Two Wives for a Perfect Life: Nag'mati and Padmavati in Jayasi's Padmāvat as Symbols of the Integration of Bhoga and Yoga, by Giorgio Milanetti. Poem: Am I a problem?, by Bhumika Sharma.

The paper Nepal 2013-14: Breaking the Political Impasse by Enrica Garzilli, and the poem Am I a problem? by Bhumika Sharma are freely accessible.

Enjoy!

New book: Enrica Garzilli, Il Duce's Explorer. The Adventures of Giuseppe Tucci and Italian Policy in the Orient from Mussolini to Andreotti. With the Correspondence of Giulio Andreotti (Milan: Asiatica Association, Nov. 2015).

The book deals with the life and work of Giuseppe Tucci, the world famous Italian explorer, scholar, book collector, archaelogist, spy, and Mussolini's spokesperson in Asia. This book also reconstructs the Italian policy in Asia from Mussolini to Andreotti (1924-1984). 

Tucci was the central protagonist of Fascist cultural policy in Asia: from his first expeditions to the valleys of the Himalayas and the plains of the Ganges, to his diplomatic activity in Japan as Il Duce’s spokesman; from his encounters with scholars and leaders such as Gandhi, Tagore, the Dalai Lama, Subhas Chandra Bose, Mircea Eliade, Julius Evola and Giovanni Gentile – his great protector, along with Giulio Andreotti – to the archaeological excavations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in his later years, his is a human and intellectual adventure tied inextricably to the history of modern Italy, which Tucci himself helped to forge.

We tried to retrace his adventure in the pages of this book, where the pace of a thrilling narrative combines with the scientifc rigor of reconstructing the history of Fascist policy in Asia. A history based on eyewitness accounts and historical documents, including the original and unedited correspondence of Tucci and Andreotti, and the unpublished notes of Mussolini.

This volume is the first in a series of nine, which together represent an enlarged translation of the two-volume Italian book, L’esploratore del Duce: le avventure di Giuseppe Tucci e la politica italiana in Oriente da Mussolini a Andreotti. Con la corrispondenza di Giulio Andreotti (1st ed. not for distribution, Milano: Asiatica Association, Roma: Memori, January 29, 2012; 2nd rev. ed., Milano: Asiatica Association, Roma: Memori, August 13, 2012; 3rd rev. ed. Milano: Asiatica Association, April 14, 2014).

The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies (AJISS) has just published the AJISS-Commentary No. 217: "Prime Minister Abe’ s Statement on the 70th Anniversary of the End of WWII: The Case for Japan’ s Public Diplomacy" by Akio Watanabe, Vice-Chairman of the Research Institute for Peace and Security and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo.

This is the statement by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of August 14, 2015.

Commentary by Prof. Akio Watanabe:

• Underlying the Abe Statement is the hope for a future in which the issues now confronting Asia can be overcome in the spirit of conciliation and tolerance.
• The Statement gained the acceptance of many people for the profound remorse expressed toward the number of innocent people who helplessly suffered countless hardships due to Japan's actions, and for the prime minister's adherence to the sincerely pologetic stance taken by his predecessors.
• The ultimate assessment of the Abe Statement will depend on whether it inspires positive feedback.

The strong earthquake that shook Nepal on Saturday killing more than 1,900 people leaved thousands trapped in bricks or missing. No words to describe the pain, especially for those who have relatives or friends there (like me).

Google has just created two new tools to help Nepal - and the other hit countries: Crisis Response, a page to ensure the right information  and Person Finder, to find missin persons and to give information on missing persons. 

Thanks Google!

We have just received by snail mail the Songkyun Journal of East Asian Studies, vol. 14, no. 2 (Oct. 2014), a refereed multi-disciplinary publication on East Asian Studies in English published by the  Academy of East Asian Studies of Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, Korea.