THE RISE OF ASIA: HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE. What impacts, what risks and what opportunities for the rest of the world?

THE RISE OF ASIA : HISTORY AND PERSPECTIVE
What impacts, what risks and what opportunities for the rest of the world ?

International and multidisciplinary conference organised by GRIC (Group of Research on Identities and Cultures), University of Le Havre, France.
In partnership with CHAC (Centre of History of Contemporary Asia), the opening conference will take place at the University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, March 22, 2017.
The remaining conference will take place at the University of Le Havre, Le Havre, March 23-24, 2017.

That Asia has “risen” in the world economy since at least 1960, and especially since 2000, is a proposition that is widely accepted. But what does this mean ? And what explains it ? There is a wide range of answers to these questions, and they are somewhat contradictory. Some argue that Asia (or even China alone) has always been at the center of world economic activities, except for a brief period between 1800 and 1950. For these analysts, the recent “rise” is merely the reassertion of Asia’s “historic” or “natural” position. There are others who agree that what is happening now is the relocation of the “center” of the world economy to Asia. For them, this relocation of the center is simply the outcome of a process that has occurred several times before in the modern world system, and which is the result of the logic of how a capitalist system operates. (Immanuel Wallerstein, The Rise of Asia in the World Economy, GIS Réseau Asie - French Network for Asian Studies, September 2012)

In The Rise of Asia in the World Economy, Immanuel Wallerstein does not provide any perspective — political, economic, cultural or ecological — that may allow us to foresee whether the rise of Asia will lead the world — humanity as well as ecology — to the better or the worse. Neither does his paper explain how Asia is rising. Indeed, his short essay was certainly not intended to explain the rise of Asia at great length. However, its greatest merit is to stimulate debate and critical thinking. It definitely triggers exciting discussions related to the history of and the varying perspectives on the rise of Asia. Facing the expansion of Asian economic and cultural forces in Africa, America, Europe and other parts of the world, it is only natural that the international community and world citizens raise questions about the origin and condition of the rise of Asia, but also about its development, more specifically the impacts, risks and opportunities it may imply for the rest of the world.

The purpose of this conference is to assess and qualify the rise of Asia. The questions raised above may serve as topics of discussions for academics from a wide range of disciplines (area studies, cultural studies, ecology, economics, geography, history, humanities, languages, management, political and social sciences…), but also for practitioners working in diverse professional fields (business, civil society, education, enterprise, government, management, parliament, public policy, social and solidarity movements…) and geographical basis (Africa, North and South America, Australia, Asia, Europe, Pacific…). Those willing to participate in the conference as presenters are invited to send their abstract before February 2017. For the dates and instructions, see http://www.bandungspirit.org