Reflections on the Human Condition - Api-fellowships.org

of artists in Southeast Asia.
In terms of findings, the Workshop was told that to be
viable as a leading political ideology, Islam in Indonesia
must transform itself to suit a modernity that is rapidly
evolving. In terms of gender and sexuality, while
globalization has helped redefine sexual expressions,
sexual relationships still manifest imbalances in power
based on gender, social class and ethnicity. As regards
women artists, it was highlighted that they could provide
the artistic venue for the expression of the experience of
trauma and shame. In terms of art spaces, it was found
that various kinds of alternative art spaces exist in the
region but it is important to create networks for the
sharing of ideas. In terms of Asian animation, Asian
artists do strive to stamp their own cultural identity on
the animation industry.
The comments from the discussants and other
participants focused on several issues. It was argued that
the challenges Islam faces today actually arise from the
challenges of the modern world and modernity, thus
there is a need for engaging with modernity. It was also
raised whether pluralism and diversity in Islam namely
in Indonesia as highlighted in the papers is due to its
distance from Islam’s centre, viz. the Middle East, and
whether ‘normative Islam’ is country-specific. On the
question of religious deviationism, it was questioned
whether it was necessarily a reflection of dissent as
argued in one of the papers or due to ignorance. On
the issue of gender and sexuality, the comment was that
there was not much reference to gender in the public
sphere, e.g. women in public domain as compared to
men, since the emphasis was on sexuality (which is the
private sphere). One of the papers argued that art can be
‘transport station’ for women artists, if so, can men be
also ‘transport stations’? As for the animation industry,
there was a general inquiry as to what extent it can be
used as a medium to define Asian identity.
Session III was on “Changing Lifestyles and Health”.
It was chaired by API Executive Committee member
Ragayah Haj. Mat Zin, with Workshop Director
Abdul Rahman Embong and Khoo Khay Jin as
discussants—all from Malaysia. The presentations were
by Wan Abdul Manan Wan Muda from Malaysia
on “Globalization of Fatness: Cultural, Social, and
Economic Perception of Obesity in Southeast Asia”,
followed by Seiji Kageyama from Japan with his
paper on “Team Building and Simulation of HIV
Outbreak at a Sentinel Site in the Philippines”. Then
a paper on “Re-Negotiating the Social Contract:
Health Systems in Transition in East and Southeast
Asia ” was presented by Chan Chee Khoon, also from
435
Malaysia, followed by Ambar Yoganingrum from
Indonesia whose presentation was on “Research on
Medicinal Plants in Thailand between 1998-2002: The
Bibliometrics Approach”.
Among the issues raised were whether there is a
correlation between globalization and obesity, and
the challenges arising from changing lifestyles and the
growing trend towards the privatization of healthcare.
On pandemic diseases, there is a clear need for new
knowledge and forms of cooperation to combat emerging
infectious diseases effectively while on herbal medicine,
the advances and directions of research in this area were
important but the translation of these into policies that
could benefit and improve the health of the people is
crucial. At the same time, it is important to protect local
knowledge with regard to traditional medicine.
The findings emphasized in the papers are that
globalization is a determinant of global eating patterns
as it makes its influence felt through the global fast food
phenomena. It is also clear that the healthcare systems
in Japan, Thailand and the Philippines are affected by
privatization as well as by problems of keeping their
healthcare staff. At the same time, globalization has
made emerging infectious diseases pandemic, and that
the direction of research on medicinal plants in Thailand
is in line with the country’s policy of development in
this area.
In the comments, the discussants and other participants
while agreeing with the importance of the findings,
pointed out that there are problems relating to
conceptualization, methodology and data presentation
in the papers. It was emphasized that every paper need
to highlight the significant findings based on primary
data as that is the novel part of each project. At the same
time, implications of the findings, especially in relation
to policy and advocacy, should also be discussed.
Session IV on the sub-theme, “The State, Development,
and Globalization”, was chaired by Supang Chantavanich
(Thailand), with Koji Tanaka (Japan) and Abdul Halim
Ali (Malaysia) as discussants. In all, five papers were
presented. Rosalie Arcala Hall from the Philippines
began by presenting her paper on “Redefining the
Japanese Self Defence Forces: Lessons in Forging a
Global Identity”, followed by Zamroni from Indonesia
on “Free Trade in Asian Agriculture: An Economic
Perspective of Thailand”. The third paper was on “The
Indonesian Rail System and the Problems of Safety:
Comparison with and Lesson from Japan” presented by
Indri H. Susilowati, also from Indonesia. The fourth
paper was by Miho Sakuma from Japan on “Local
Ref lections on the Human Condition: Change, Conflict and Modernity
The Work of the 2004/2005 API Fellows