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September 2-6, 2003
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The Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP), a joint project of the East-West Center and the University of Hawai‘i, is sponsoring a series of thematically-linked, Asia-focused, faculty development seminars. Aimed at those faculty teaching the undergraduate humanities curriculum, the series presents an historically and culturally situated, values-focused examination of the role of authority in Asia's diverse negotiations of local, national, regional, and global community.

The purpose of this series of workshops is: to examine critically the values that have historically guided the negotiation of identity, both practical and ideal, in different Asian contexts; to consider how these values play into the conception and exercise of authority; and to assess their contemporary relevance in a rapidly globalizing world.

Beginning with the premise that cultures are continuously improvised patterns of value and conduct, this series of seminars will explore the ways in which Asian cultures of authority establish the conditions of communal continuity. That is, the workshops in the series will investigate the role of authority in both canonizing and challenging apparent constants in the ongoing play of values and conduct that compose a given culture.

Not infrequently, authority is associated with authoritarianism and hence with uncritical, often coerced, compliance with "elite" dogmas. But the exercise of authority can also be seen in the sensitively appropriate translation of an existing constellation of values and customs into novel and changing contexts-a personalization of tradition uniquely suited to prevailing circumstances. Authority in this sense is allied with authoring and hence with initiative, openness, and creativity. It is precisely the ambiguities surrounding authority that make it so appropriate as a thematic focus for studying the ways different Asian societies have negotiated the contrary demands of change and constancy. Because the role of authority is equally pronounced in Western societies, this theme opens fertile ground for comparative studies of culture within the frame of existing undergraduate courses.

The four workshops in the planned series are designed to take complementary approaches to the organizing theme of the series, with each workshop focusing on different academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences and contributing to an overall understanding of the place of authority in Asian cultural contexts.

Workshops One and Two examine authority in Asia in terms of its construction and representation, focusing on the relationship between authority and order, between the authoritative and the heroic, and between authorship and the pragmatics of contributing to communal flourishing and endurance. Targeted disciplines include: philosophy, religious studies, and psychology (Fall 2001, Central Washington University); and, art history, theatre and dance, and literature (Spring 2002, Belmont University).

Workshops Three and Four investigate authority through comparative investigations of the institutional frameworks associated with rulership and governance, and through the ways in which cultures of authority implicate the subaltern and invite their own revision. Targeted disciplines for Workshop Three (Fall 2002, Eckerd College) and Workshop Four (Spring 2003, Johnson County Community College) include: history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and gender studies.