Events

In collaboration with Centre for International Law (CIL), Centre on Asia and Globalization (CAG), Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), and Middle East Institute (MEI), National University of Singapore.

CHAIRPERSON

Assoc Prof Maitrii V. Aung-Thwin, Asia Research Institute, and Department of History, National University of Singapore

PROGRAM

ABSTRACT

Storytelling is an age-old art of communicating ideas. Persuasive stories are also powerful in that they present and narrate events in particular ways and often towards specific ends. Strategic narratives work through shaping understandings of the world, past, present and future. Geopolitical shifts, the climate crisis and rapid technological developments are among the factors that mean we are at an important juncture at which to examine the role of both established and emerging narratives in (re)building policy architectures in Asia.

This initiative brings together scholars from research institutes and centres across the two NUS campuses to consider how regional transformation is being narrated today. We seek to understand how key individuals and institutions across Asia use storytelling to both represent, pre-empt and bring about change. This involves probing the political and cultural work narratives do, and why certain stories of and about Asia and its regions have variously gained or lost currency over time. To this end, we have in mind how common policy nomenclature such as community, civilisation, development, connectivity, and crisis are being remapped and reframed in different ways.

Drawing on the different forms of regional expertise on the panel, our aim is to use narratives to interrogate how Asia’s future is unfolding and materialising in socially and politically consequential ways. Given narratives are often about creating new forms of value—cultural, political and economic—analytical insights can emerge from understanding the ongoing proliferation of stories about oceans, regions and cities, as well as about those national/civilisational histories and geographies that are continually being reimagined for public and expert audiences. We ask whether we are we seeing new narratives about regions and issues emerge in ways that will influence Singapore’s future engagements with countries and those institutions who strive to set the agenda.

Research institutes and centres across the NUS campuses hold the expertise to consider such issues from a variety of complementary perspectives. The roundtable discussion will facilitate the dialogue required to establish productive points of convergence. Given the broad scope of possibilities, the aim of the event will be to identify themes that mutually engage researchers working across different regions and topics with a view to building further research collaborations.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this in-person event has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to valerie.yeo@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the talk.