IAPS Past Events 2018/19-2019/20

The Place of Music in a Platform Economy: Value Ecologies in the Contemporary Musical Industry

Speaker: Prof. Andrew Leyshon, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Nottingham

Abstract: This paper analyses the transformation of the musical economy over the past 20 years which marked a conjuncture in the music industry, as the impact of new software formats such as MP3 began to bring about disruptive and destructive competition to established business models based on sales of recorded music.  During the first decade of the 21st century, the music industry was revealed to be a ‘diverse economy’, as alternative forms of income generation came to the fore, most particularly in the form of live performance, but also through links to brands and promotional campaigns, which offset, but did not reverse to decline in revenues flowing to the musical economy lost through file sharing. However, more recently, through an engagement with the platform economy, the musical economy first stemmed and then began to reverse the decline in revenues brought about by the disruptive impact of open formats like MP3.  Through a consideration of the music industry’s engagement with platforms the paper critically examines both the promises but also the possible perils of the musical economy’s submission to the imperatives of a platform economy.

Date: 17 May 2019

The Chinese immigration regime at a crossroad: Trends, responses, opportunities and challenges

Speaker: Dr. Heidi Østbø Haugen, associate Professor at the Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages, University of Oslo

Abstract: China’s first comprehensive immigration policy, the Exit and Entry Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China, took effect in 2013. When China established an immigration bureau last year, this was the first time a single government unit was placed in charge of designing and implementing immigration policies. While the legal and institutional frameworks for managing immigration to China are becoming more similar to those of Western countries, China also faces some distinctive migration-related opportunities and challenges. The presentation will first examine how China’s immigration management has evolved and present some of the issues policy makers and practitioners currently contend with. The second half of the presentation draws upon the authors’ own fieldwork in Guangzhou and West Africa to discuss one of these issues: Irregular migrants in China and the barriers to exit these migrants encounter.

Date: 10 April 2019

Branding Sustainable Urbanization in Small Rentier States: A Comparison of Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Speaker: Prof. Martin de Jong, professorship at Erasmus School of Law (0.5 FTE) with the same position at Rotterdam School of Management (0.5 FTE)

Abstract: The richer states/cities in the southern part of the Persian Gulf, namely Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are well-known for their exuberant wealth, their hosting of path breaking signature buildings and sport events and their doubtful record on dealing with migrant workers. One can imagine that reducing the ecological footprint in world of demanding citizens living in desert areas is a tremendous difficulty these oil-rich emirates have to deal with in the face of global warming. How do they deal with their environmental challenge as sustainable urbanization, both as a branding activity to beef up their international image and in terms of policy initiatives aimed at 'true' delivery of sustainability? This is the topic Prof. Martin de Jong, professor and expert in eco city development at and scientific director of the Erasmus University Rotterdam research initiative Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity will address in a talk at UNNC.

Date: 07 Janaury 2019

Language, Culture and Intellectual Property Issues for Chinese Enterprises Planning to 'Step outside of China'

Speaker: Prof Stephen Selby, Adjunct Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and currently Director of IC Enterprise Management Company, Ltd

Abstract:

More and more Chinese enterprises are raising the standards of their 'Made in China' goods and services to a worldwide class. However, the Chinese local market is very different from overseas markets. Products which are dominant in local markets may have strong competitors in overseas markets, and some competing products and services cannot always be seen in advance.

China has its own regulatory regime; however, the objectives and methods of overseas regulators are often very different from those in China. Chinese enterprises often fail to anticipate the restrictions placed on them in foreign markets, with the result that they may have to re-think their strategies at a very late stage. Furthermore, without careful planning at an early stage, enterprises may find their access to markets blocked by intellectual property claims. Finally, cultural, religious and language issues have to be carefully considered before launching products and services into a foreign market.

Stephen Selby will analyse these issues and propose strategies that Chinese enterprises can use to prepare themselves to launch successfully into overseas markets and bring Made in China' successfully to the outside world.  

Date: 5 December 2018

Digital Silk Roads: a model for a community of shared future?

Speaker: Michael Keane, Professor of Chinese Media and Communications at Curtin University, Perth

Abstract: The Belt and Road Initiative (or BRI), describes the overland corridors that connect Western China with Europe via Central and South Asia. Initiated in 2013 by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the BRI idea also includes the maritime routes that link China’s southern provinces to Southeast Asia and beyond. The symbolic legacy of this ‘initiative’ is the Silk Roads, a concept that emerged in the modern era to account for pre-modern forms of long-distance connectivity, trade and cultural change across Eurasia.

In 2016, the term Digital Silk Roads was added to the policy development mix, heightening the stakes and to some extent mystifying the idea. Unsurprisingly, the Digital Silk Roads concept has received the support of China’s tech community. In order to understand, or perhaps demystify the thinking behind this latest iteration, I will examine it through three optics: connectivity, empire and civilisation.
 
Connectivity: China is connecting, and in many cases reconnecting with territories that are strategically important. Connecting means more than bridges, tunnels and highways; it includes fibre optic cable, telecommunication s and satellite networks.

Empire: Political scientists have engaged with China’s strategic ambitions in the South China Seas, and its aspirations in central Asia. However, it is possible to frame empire as something more intrinsic to Xi Jinping’s Chinese Dream. The key idea here is a Community of Shared Future (CSF), proposed by Xi Jinping in 2017 as a solution to the west-dominated narrative of development.
 
Civilisation: The idea of a civilizational state is proposed by Chinese intellectuals and is articulated by the British Marxist Martin Jacques as a more advanced ethical model than capitalism. Chinese civilisation, however, does nor register in many nation-states in the BRI.
 
In tying these three concepts together I will look at the rise of China as digital superpower.

Date: 7 November 2018

From dualism to duality? An evaluation and extension of practice-based media studies

Speaker: Dr. Gu Jie, associate professorand the head of the Department of Internet and New Media, in the Faculty of Journalism and Communication at Communication University of China

Abstract: For the past decade, a practice turn has been witnessed in quite a few research disciplines. In 2004, Nick Couldry first brought practice theories to media studies and formally argued that media should be also theorized as practice. However, practice theories have appeared in relatively few studies of media and communication. Moreover, most existing practice-based media studies are still conducted under the purview of methodological dualism without manifesting the essence of the duality of practice theories.

This talk first reviews the rationales of practice theories which are pioneered by Theodore Schatzki. Schatzki’s ensemble practice approach offers a better solution for bridging the gap between methodological individualism and holism. More importantly, this approach entails a set of concepts and parameters which operate at a relatively low level of abstraction. Second, this talk extends existing practice-based studies by detailing a research script that emphasises the individual side of social practices. The last section suggests that practice theories are valuable for media studies, especially in terms of studies on motivation, usage pattern and media institutions.

Date: 18 October 2018

The Laughing Buddha 

Speaker: John Morreall, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, College of William & Mary

Abstract: While tragedy is central in European art and literature, the tragic vision of life never caught on in China. This presentation contrasts the tragic vision with the comic vision of life, and explores the pro-comic elements in Confucianism, Daoism and Chinese Buddhism. These include pragmatism, mental flexibility, egalitarianism, and pacifism. 

Date: 27 September 2018

Laugh—For the Health of It

Speaker: John Morreall, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, the College of William & Mary; founder of the International Society for Humor Studies (ISHS).

Abstract: In the last 40 years, research has shown that laughter and humor have many physical, psychological, and social benefits. This illustrated talk explores some of them, including pain reduction, muscle relaxation, stimulation of the heart and lungs, boosting of the immune system, and stress reduction. It also shows how humor fosters mental flexibility and works as a social lubricant.

Date:26 September 2018

International Roundtable on Belt Road Initiative / Maritime Silk Road Initiative

Date: 21 September 2018

The role of foreign and international agencies in the promotion of human securities and resilience after disasters: The case of Leyte after super typhoon Haiyan

Speaker: Maria Ela L. Atienza, PhD, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman

Abstract: This paper looks at the roles played by foreign and international agencies in disaster risk reduction focusing on the Haiyan (local name Yolanda) case, particularly in three areas in Leyte (Palo, Tacloban City and Tanauan). Did they promote human security and resilience? Using the lens of human security and resilience as frameworks, the paper is based on data from literature review, key informant and household interviews, household surveys and focus group discussions conducted from 2015 to 2018. It will first look at the general guidelines to international aid in disaster risk reduction, response and management and the specific frameworks of aid guiding some of the prominent foreign and international aid agencies that participated in the post-disaster situation in Haiyan-areas. Second, it will look at the relationship of foreign and international agencies with national and local governments and the affected communities in the aftermath of the disaster. Are interventions in the area donor-driven or done in cooperation/coordination with other stakeholders, e.g. governments and communities? Third, the paper looks into the impacts of foreign and international aid agencies on human security and resilience, with focus on addressing vulnerability, poverty, and adaptation in the affected areas. Finally, there will be an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the interventions of foreign and international agencies. Lessons for future interventions in disaster preparedness and contexts will be drawn from the discussions. Hopefully, these lessons are also applicable to other developing countries that are increasingly vulnerable to calamities. 

Date: 18 September 2018