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ASPAC Conference 2010 June 18 – 20, 2010 | <strong>Portland</strong>, OR Derek Huls Redrawing Agriculture-Pastoral Boundaries: The Effects of P.R.C. Water and Agriculture Development Policies in Xunhua County China’s Northwest has historically existed as a unique borderland where various ethnic groups have lived in a relative economic symbiosis engaging in trade, commerce, and cultural exchange. The nature of the economic interactions, to a large degree were shaped by the landscape of Qinghai province; it has produced two distinct patterns of subsistence in this particular region, that of agriculture and that of pastoralism. Over the course of the twentieth century, however, this region has undergone significant transformation as a result of the advent of an agriculturalism which has changed not only to topography of the Northwest, but has affected the relationships among traditionally herding and agricultural communities. Chinese policies have historically favored agriculture, though it is particularly aggressive policies toward increasing food supplies, grain yield, and land cultivation under the People’s Republic of China (P.R.C.) that has upset the balance between these two groups. This paper analyzes water development projects and the reclamation of degraded land in Xunhua county in eastern Qinghai, and their effects on the dramatic increase of water usage. This, in turn, has had profound effects on the economic and social relationships among the Salar and Tibetan minority populations living in this region. Water resource projects are, quite understandably, seen in a very positive light but the Chinese government as a physical demonstration of China’s increasing success in infrastructure development. Nonetheless, our research has revealed that this development has been accompanied by several important ethnic and environmental issues that merit attention at the national level. The encouragement of agriculture has decreased trading between Salar Muslims and Tibetans, furthering the economic divide between the two groups, and contributing to increased water use and detrimental agricultural practices. It is our contention that the construction of these water projects disregarded Qinghai’s environmental conditions and ecological limits and continues to negatively impact the balance between nomadic people and agriculturalists. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Zafreen Jaffery Literacy, Community and Sustainability: Insights from a rural NGO school in Pakistan. In Pakistan, less than one third of all children complete primary education, those who are left out mostly reside in the rural areas (Kronstadt, 2004, The World Bank, 2008). Considerable evidence exist about the work of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in education in the developing world (Miller- Grandvaux, Welmond, Wolf, 2002) however, the documentation of NGOs' work for education in Pakistan and especially in rural Pakistan is quite limited. In this paper, I will discuss the findings of a case study based on the work of a rural NGO school in providing access to education for children in rural areas in Pakistan. This study uses data which was collected through a critical field based approach involving interviews, participant-observations and focus groups with the NGO administrator, staff and school teachers. The researcher spent time on site collecting field notes about the procedures and structures involved in managing the schools. The study found that the NGO school had generated community support through community mobilization and involvement. The NGO had also created its own methodology for literacy instruction, which produced adult literate women who were then hired as primary teachers. The accessibility and quality of instruction ensured student enrollment and retention. The preliminary research findings suggest that an NGO school using community mobilization is comparatively more sustainable in situations when resource-bound funds are exhausted. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Hye Kyong JEON A Study of the Clauses mae ni and made ni with Regard to time Limits in Modern Japanese The clauses mae ni and made ni are used to represent the time relation of two events in modern Japanese. The clause mae ni corresponds to 'before' and made ni to 'by' in English. Although the two clauses have some common useages, there also exist differences in the use of the two clauses. 16
ASPAC Conference 2010 June 18 – 20, 2010 | <strong>Portland</strong>, OR One representative common fact is that the two clauses are routinely utilized in the sense that the main clause occurs before the event of the subordinate clause is realized or completed. The notable difference may be explained by the possibility ofthe replacement of one clause the other. In other words, the clauses mae ni and made ni can replace each other in some cases and they should not replace each other in other cases. In this presentation the conditions for the permissible and impermissible replacement of the two clauses mae ni and made ni will be investigated with examples. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Jordan Johnson Looking Forward Toward an Idealized Past: Modern Thai Buddhist Approaches to Sustainability This paper will seek to examine the ways in which prominent members of the modern Thai Buddhist tradition have sought to articulate a path toward sustainable living that is rooted in Buddhist thought. Buddhism has a great deal to say on the subject of avoiding over-consumption, and several recent Thai Buddhist thinkers have sought to employ Buddhism as a tool around which to envision a path forward for Thailand that involves both sustainable development and the creation of a just society. Recently, “socially engaged Buddhists” in Thailand have been active in constructing a picture of the “original” intent of the Buddhist tradition that is in keeping with progressive contemporary values such as sustainability and the establishment of social and economic justice. This is particularly interesting insofar as the global conversation concerning a “return” to the original intent of religious traditions tends to focus on the phenomenon of conservative religious “fundamentalists,” but here we have an example of a movement that construes the “foundations” of the Buddhist tradition to be in keeping with modern, progressive social values. By examining the writings of influential members of the Thai tradition of “socially engaged Buddhism,” this paper will critically examine the phenomenon of Thai Buddhists constructing an idealized notion of “true” Buddhism – and of Thailand as a Buddhist nation par excellence – that fits with contemporary notions of the importance of just, sustainable living. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ann Kaneko Expanding Asian Studies: Looking at Cross-Cultural Identity in Two Films As a Japanese American filmmaker, filmmaking has been a way to explore parallel experiences and expand our knowledge of the Asian diaspora. I have made two feature-length documentaries that explore cross-cultural identity in different but similar contexts than my own. Both films have been great platforms for discussing these issues and have successfully made these stories accessible to educators and students-perhaps an important direction in re-energizing and finding intersection between Asian and Asian American Studies. Overstay looks at foreign migrant workers in Japan during the late 1990s and was prompted by my interest in re-examining this country's role as a host. Japan, largely perceived as a homogenous society and the place my grandparents left behind, was experiencing growing pains, dealing with the complex cultural, economic and political implications, stirred up by these "new-comers." The film looks at six young people from Pakistan, Iran, the Philippines and Peru; and, especially, the Peruvian woman, who uses a Nikkei ("of Japanese descent") pseudonym, raises questions about Japan's reliance on blood relations. Against the Grain: An Artist's Survival Guide to Peru looks at four political artists and resistance under expresident Alberto Fujimori. One of them is Japanese-Peruvian and struggles with language differences in his own family and the backlash associated with being of the same descent as a president who had fallen out of favor. Through this character, the film looks at the Peruvian Nikkei community and Fujimori's relationship to it, as I draw parallels to my own experiences as a Japanese-American artist. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Priya Kapoor Identity and Difference in Transnational Feminism: The South Asian Experience Transnational feminism is a paradigm that carefully acknowledges the contemporary free flowing movement of ideas, problematizing gender and sexuality at the intersection of nationhood, class, ethnicity and history. As 17
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ABSTRACTS - oia - Portland State University

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