Asian Studies Commons^™

The Limits To Freedom To Contract: Supreme Court Case Summary: Leiman, Ricardo V Noble Resources Ltd, Jia Xin Tan

Singapore Law Journal (Lexicon)

In line with the principle of freedom to contract, the courts will give effect to the intention of the parties in creating their contract, and also hold them to their duty to perform their primary obligations under such contract. However, where the contracting parties agree to vest certain decision-making powers to a specific (non-judicial) entity, to what extent may a court review the exercise of powers by such entity?

Exploring Taiwanese Creative Arts Therapists' Professional Identity After Returning Home From Studying Abroad, Rhona Jung Jung Chang

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study aimed to document Taiwanese creative arts therapists' career experiences after studying abroad and returning home, and how they perceive their professional identity as creative arts therapists in Taiwan. This qualitative study explores the experience of eight female professional Taiwanese creative arts therapists, including two art therapists, two dance/movement therapists, two drama therapists, and two music therapists. Interviews were conducted, and the participants were asked about their personal experience of art-making, the practice of creative arts therapies in Taiwan, and the understanding and awareness of their professional identity.

Data from this study was gathered by the interviews' transcripts and …

Building Quality? Migration, Suzhi, And Subaltern Masculinity In The Shanghai Construction Industry, Leif Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This doctoral dissertation providesa novel perspective on the everyday lives of construction workers in urban China, demonstrating the underpinnings of urban infrastructure and citizenship policy in affective and gendered relations surrounding the construction industry. Drawing on 18 months of ethnographic fieldwork in Shanghai, China, this dissertation makes a series of three related arguments: First, focusing on the role that migrant labor plays in the construction of urban infrastructure in Shanghai, I argue that the physical existence of infrastructure itself is inextricably tied to systems that govern rural-urban migration across China. Second, building from the Chinese concept of suzhi as both …

Acid Attacks In India: A Socio-Legal Report, Vidhik Kumar

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

India has the highest number of acid attacks globally every year, and despite the actions taken by the Indian Government and the Supreme Court of India, the crime is on the rise. This increase can be attributed to the patriarchal ideology that is prevalent in India and to India’s inadequate legal system, which does not deliver efficient remedies to the victims. This article will discuss the prevalence of acid attacks in India, motives behind the attacks, consequences on victims, and shortcomings in measures adopted to prevent the crime and provide justice to victims.

‘Mingren Are The Respectable Ones’: An Analysis Of Everyday Engagements With Contemporary Celebrity Culture In China, Min Xu, Stijn Reijnders, Sangkyun (Sean) Kim

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

To investigate the values and social norms underpinning celebrity culture, it is crucial to study everyday uses of celebrity culture. Yet, studies in this area have been limited thus far, especially in non-Western contexts. This exploratory study focuses on the ways how young and middle-aged adults in everyday life in urban China discuss and value media celebrities. The results show that respondents have a rather similar way of valuing celebrity: celebrities need to have strong work ethics and showcase social responsibility; only then do they ‘earn’ their right to be considered ‘famous’. We conclude that these values are closely related …

A ‘Hermit Kingdom’ No Longer? Kim Jong-Un’S Two Years Of Diplomatic Summits And What North Korean Media Can Tell Us About Them, Jaimie Ding

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the English-language output of the Korean Central News Agency, the main news agency of North Korea. I conduct an analysis of the KCNA news coverage of a series of diplomatic summits that North Korean leader Ki Jong-un holds with Chinese president Xi Jin-ping, South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and U.S. president Donald Trump from 2018-2019. For this analysis, I coded for certain phrases and rhetoric and examined the content of each article to look at how news coverage of these summits reflects North Korea’s foreign policy goals and stances toward the respective countries. I found several recurring …

North Korea: How Fear Is Used To Control A Nation, Ashley Clisby

Capstone Showcase

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, more commonly known as North Korea, is most commonly known for its possession and testing of nuclear weapons and threatening to use these weapons of mass destruction. Less commonly talked about are the human rights violations that are being experienced by the citizens of North Korea. Most, if not all, of the information regarding North Korean human rights that have been reported on comes from individuals who have escaped the Kim regime. There is very limited information traveling in and out of North Korea that is not heavily monitored by the government. These individuals …

Gaming And Culture: How Videogames Can Affect Global Players' Preception And Understanding Of Japan's History And Culture, Garrett Davies

Capstone Showcase

Video game developers have the ability to create synthetic worlds. These are places where players have the ability to immerse themselves within a culture presented to them by the creators. This allows a global audience to participate in the expression and learning of culture but that may come at a cost. Focusing on Japan, I want to dive into how culture is presenting within video games, why it is presented in such ways, and what that means for players' perception of the country through play.

The Human—Long-Tailed Macaque (Macaca Fascicularis) Interface At Don Chao Poo Forest, Phana, Thailand, Ashton M. Asbury

All Master's Theses

When provisioned food is available, human-macaque coexistence may result in altered macaque behaviors and the possibility of bidirectional disease transmission through interspecies contact. Don Chao Poo forest in Thailand is a conservation site where ~ 1,000 long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) live and interact with people, which includes being provisioned by volunteers and visitors. Phana macaques are habituated to human presence as a result of their frequent interactions with people. I tested whether 1) men and women are equally likely to have contact interactions with macaques, 2) adult and immature macaques are equally likely to have contact interactions with …

Imagining An Asian American Superhero Of North Korean Origin: A Design Fiction, Seo-Young J. Chu

Publications and Research

My talk, a thought-experimental blend of literary criticism and speculative "design fiction," will introduce you to an Asian American superhero of North Korean origin. In this science-fictional superhero, whom I have tentatively named "구름"/"☁️"/"Ku-reum," Korea's elusive realities coalesce into legible form. More specifically, they become available for narrative experience and relatable to us as an anthropomorphic character, a person with whom we might identify, come face-to-face, sympathize, interact dynamically, and have a conversation. Ku-reum is designed to reflect Korea's complex past and hopes for the future. Existing beyond division systems, Ku-reum uses the non-binary pronouns "one"/"they." Neither "South" nor "North," …

Afghan Decision-Making In A Development Context, Daniel Stent

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

Numerous theories exist showing the relationship between stress and decision-making strategies. Conflict Theory, as expressed by Mann et al. (1997) explains that when facing a major decision, individuals will respond to the stress of that decision by using one of four decision-making strategies: vigilance, buckpassing, procrastination, and hypervigilance. In matching Conflict Theory with the cultural scales proposed by Hofstede (2001), the decision-making strategies of buckpassing and procrastination are preferred by individuals from collectivist cultures in contrast to people from individualistic cultures. The current study used Mann’s Melbourne Decision-Making Questionnaire in the context of Afghanistan. This research is pertinent given the …

Rethinking China Trade Policy: Lessons Learned And Options Ahead, Henry S. Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Looking back at the China trade policy of the Trump administration, the biggest lesson is that unilateralism simply doesn’t work, at least not against a major power like China. Despite the tumultuous two-and-half-year trade war and the Phase 1 deal hailed as an “unprecedented” deal promising “a more balanced trade relationship and a more level playing field for American workers and companies,” there has been little progress on the issues U.S. businesses and the Trump administration objected to in China’s trade and economic policies. It is not only the U.S. government that needs a more viable approach. Many companies would …

On The Influence Of Incentive Mechanisms For China’S Current Mixed Ownership Reform On Corporate Performance, Hui Yong Ren

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Since the Central Economic Work Conference set the mixed ownership reform as where China’s state-owned enterprises (SOE) can make breakthroughs on reforms in early 2017, enterprises at all levels, from central to local state-owned, have continuously introduced new measures and new deployments involving the reform. The mixed ownership reform (hereinafter referred to as the “mixed reform”) introduces flexible market response mechanisms and innovative management systems from private enterprises into state-owned enterprises to enhance the market awareness of state-owned enterprises, to increase their own competitiveness, vitality and creativity. It aims to build a system that conforms to modern corporate governance and …

[Introduction To] Paradoxes Of Care: Children And Global Medical Aid In Egypt., Rania Kassab Sweis

Bookshelf

Each year, billions of dollars are spent on global humanitarian health initiatives. These efforts are intended to care for suffering bodies, especially those of distressed children living in poverty. But as global medical aid can often overlook the local economic and political systems that cause bodily suffering, it can also unintentionally prolong the very conditions that hurt children and undermine local aid givers. Investigating medical humanitarian encounters in Egypt, Paradoxes of Care illustrates how child aid recipients and local aid experts grapple with global aid's shortcomings and its paradoxical outcomes.

Rania Kassab Sweis examines how some of the world's largest …

Agro-Environmental Approaches To The Moderation Of Outmigration From Northeast Thailand, Megan Perron

CMC Senior Theses

Thailand’s increasing migration rates out of the country’s poorest region over the past few decades have resulted in a range of issues for both migrants and relatives of the migrants who choose to remain at home. A combination of rapid urban growth in Bangkok and a declining agricultural sector in the Northeast, driven by climate change and unsustainable farming practices, is driving rural-to-urban migration that subjects them to harsh working conditions and social marginalization. To attract migration back to Isaan, the implementation of Climate-Smart Agriculture in the near term and eventually, Regenerative Agriculture, will likely build climate resilience in the …

The Sri Lanka-China-India Triangle: A Regional Power Transition, Nandeeni Patel

CMC Senior Theses

In 2016, China became the largest importer of Sri Lanka goods and services, surpassing India. Since then, the Chinese government has signed significant trade, development, and security deals with the island nation. This thesis argues that Sri Lanka's domestic politics, centered around its decades-long civil war and consequent human rights concerns, have served as the crux of its triangular relations with two regional powers: India and China. The human rights issue, in tandem with Sri Lanka's agency as a small state, has drawn Sri Lanka to China. The China-Sri Lanka relationship and has now expanded to developing security and development …

Mahatma Gandhi And His Involvement In The Indian Independence Movement, Jihyeong Park

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay………………………………..1

II. Primary Documents and Headnotes………...19

III. Textbook Critique……………………………...29

IV. New Textbook Entry…………………………..33

V. Bibliography………………………………….....37

S’Poreans Are Feeling Betrayed Because Of Tracetogether. The Government Needs To Restore Trust, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The authorities previously assured citizens that the TT data "will only be used for contact tracing", but subsequently indicated that the data may be used for criminal investigations. TT is the vital tool in our fight against the pandemic as it helps with contact tracing. It is in the government's interest to ensure optimal usage of TT. Some are now feeling that the government has "betrayed" their trust, so public confidence in using TraceTogether must be restored.

Impact Of Body Image On Middle-Aged Thai Men’S Self-Esteem And Job Performance, Chachadapa Vichitrananda

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Body image issues are generally associated with a person’s dissatisfactions toward their body. Body image dissatisfaction can adversely affect a person’s mental and physical well-being, self-esteem, and behavior. Previous studies on men’s body image issues have focused on younger men, their desire for muscularity and mostly used quantitative research methodology. There is a gap in the literature regarding the effects of body image dissatisfaction on middle-aged men’s self-esteem and job performance using the qualitative research method. This study aimed to investigate body image perceptions of middle-aged men in Thailand aged 35-50 years to determine how their body image perceptions affect …

Rosenberg Institute For East Asian Studies At Suffolk University Annual Report For 2020-2021, Rosenberg Institute

Rosenberg Institute Annual Reports

These reports summarize the activities of the Rosenberg Institute during the academic year, including information related to public programming, visiting scholars, cooperation with the Asian Studies program at Suffolk College of Arts & Sciences, promotion of Suffolk's Asia-related activities, community outreach, and funding. Most reports also contain photographs of scholars, staff, and events.

The Comparative Study Of U.S.-China Soft Power Diplomacy To Asean, Hui Ma

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This paper addresses the following question: “How have China and the U.S. Used soft power diplomacy differently in ASEAN countries in recent times?” Soft power has been a key topic of global interest for more than thirty years. Joseph Nye has defined soft power as “the ability [of states] to obtain preferred outcomes by attraction rather than coercion or payment.”[1] It is something embodied in a country's "cultural values, social system, development model, way of life, and ideology" and an important component of a country's comprehensive national power. A key way to generate “attraction” is through culture, especially cultural diplomacy. …

Chinese Media's Stance On Thailand's 2014 Coup D'État By Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Han Shih

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Due to political unstableness, Thailand has faced coup d’état for more than 20 times since 1932 Revolution. After the political system has been changed to constitutional monarchy, Thailand’s citizens expected to live within democratic system. However, what they have experienced after 1932 is purely repetitive coups. In the scope of the most recent coup in 2014, initiated by General Prayut Chan-o-Cha, this paper explores how Chinese state-owned/pro-state medias, including China’s Global Times, Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, Taiwan’s Central News Agency & Singapore’s Straits Times, reported on Thailand’s 2014 coup. From the viewpoint of ownership and news reportage, this …

The Cultural Assimilation Of The Hakka Communities In Southeast Asia : The Case Of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia And Bangkok, Thailand, Douglas Philip Labadin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Since migrating from China, the Hakka communities have continued to spread all around the world, especially in the Southeast Asian region. This research puts focus on the cultural assimilation of the Hakka communities in Malaysia and Thailand, with special reference to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The aspects of culture here is referring to the festivals and ceremonies, religion and worship, the Hakka association, the use of the Hakka dialect, the Hakka cuisines and delicacies, as well as the art and culture that remains until today. The aim is to compare the similarities and differences of the Hakka communities in these …

Vietnam-India Security Relations: Extrapolating India’S Potential Role In The Maintenance Of Balance Of Power In Aasen, Felix Jonas Jantz

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The thesis examines why and how Vietnam-India security relations have deepened significantly in reaction to the shifting geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific. As Vietnam has to date been the ASEAN state that has engaged most deeply with India’s potential to be a regional security partner, the thesis focusses on ascertaining the factors that have led these two countries to develop a deeper security relationship than other states in the region. Following the analysis of the big geopolitical shifts that drive the two partners’ willingness to cooperate more deeply, the progression of bilateral security arrangements is analyzed, both in terms of …

Public Perception On Privacy And Acceptance Of Contact Tracing Application For Controlling The Spread Of Covid-19 In Quang Ninh, Vietnam, Hung Gia Do

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Since personal data has become valuable resources in the digital age, the concern of people on privacy turns to be more sensitive and significant among Vietnamese young adults. However, when the government introduced contact tracing application (Bluezone) in April 2020 to trace the movement of people with the aim in controlling the spread of COVID-19, the public attitude changed significantly. As time goes by, many comments on social networks and reviews on the Bluezone app had shown positive attitudes when people gradually accepted Bluezone and recommended others to download the app on their phone. With a case study in Quang …

Sino-Burmese Overland Trade Under Dual-Overlordship System In Qing Dynasty With Special Focus On Tea Trade In Sipsong Panna, Jingli Bai

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Overland trade had played a significant role in the interactions among China, Southeast Asia and South Asia for centuries. Though maritime trading raised in fifteenth century overwhelmingly attracts more attention from scholars, overland route was far from inconsiderable. Continental commercial intercourse essentially affected the demography, politics and also modernization process of Southern China and mainland Southeast Asia to a large range. During 17th to early 20th century, represented by several Shan states, Sino-Burmese frontier trade reached another peak. Enormous commodities carried by caravans shuttled on Tai leaders’ domains. By tributing to both China and Myanmar courts, Tai leaders received recognition …

Rohingya Refugee Assimilation In Bangladesh : A Case Study Of Cox’S Bazar, Safen Roy

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Refugees and forced migration are recurrent tragedies in today's world. Despite the efforts of international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to address the global refugee crisis, there are obstacles to overcome and a negative attitude toward refugees among host nations. In most situations involving developing countries, host towns struggle to manage their populations and the influx of refugees. This thesis aims to look at the Rohingya refugee surge in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is a developing country reliant on international assistance to deal with the Rohingya influx in 2017. With the influx of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, this paper demonstrates that the …

Taiwan As A Norm Entrepreneur : Advocating People-Centred Values In Southeast Asia, Ssu-Yu Chou

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This research looks at the relations between Taiwan and Southeast Asia under President Tsai Ing-wen's first term (2016-2020) as her administration launched the people-centred New Southbound policy by analysing Taiwan's political discourse and interviewing shareholders in the policy projects. It argues that Taiwan acts as a norm entrepreneur framing its initiative and persuading targeted countries to join hands in development matters for people's well-being in the region. In turn, the people-centred rebranding is expected to justify and normalise cooperation at non- and semi-governmental levels with Taiwan without violating the one-China policy since the policy mainly aims to forge socio-economic partnerships. …

Bribes And Merits: Exchange Mechanisms In Thai Society, Enrico Bargnani

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Animist beliefs continue to play an important role for Thai people in the 21st century, forged by sacred yet intermittent interactions in everyday life. The appeal of spirits’ power, and perhaps the fear of them, appears to offer benefits with a worldly-focus that sometimes exceeds or at least complement the more other-worldly scope of Theravada Buddhism. Joining animism and Buddhism, seems to be the idea of an exchange taking place with something to be given and something to be received. Scholars have long debated on the matter of Thai faith, formulating various academic theories to account for the co-existence of …

Governing Science And Technology Under The International Economic Order: Regulatory Divergence And Convergence In The Age Of Megaregionals By Shin-Yi Peng, Han-Wei Liu And Ching-Fu Lin, Henry S. Gao, Weihuan Zhou

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Trade and technology have a long history of interdependence. It was the trade along the ancient silk road that helped to spread the technologies of China – such as paper-making, gun power, compass, and moveable type printing – to Europe. These technologies helped to launch the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Great Discoveries, which in turn set in motion globalization as we know today. As we enter the third decade of the twenty-first century, the role of science and technology grows even stronger in international trade. For example, the advancement of information and communications technology (ICT) has greatly facilitated the …