CAPI Asia Forum 2024

By Hibah Jaffry and Katie Dey 

On Friday, October 4, the Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI) hosted a vibrant and engaging forum at the University of Victoria (UVic), bringing together faculty, visiting scholars and graduate students from across disciplines to explore research on the Asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific region. The event was designed to encourage the exchange of ideas, foster connections within the UVic community, and to spark collaborations related to this dynamic part of the world.

Rahima Toufan presentingRahima Toufan (Law) presenting

The forum featured an innovative and interactive structure that kept participants engaged throughout the day. The presentations followed a 5 x 5 format, where speakers were given five minutes to present their research using only five slides. This rapid-fire approach allowed for a diverse range of topics to be covered in a short amount of time, showcasing the depth and breadth of Asia-Pacific research happening across campus. Research areas included business, law, economy, language, history, culture, biomedical science, health and education.

Amit SharmaAmit Sharma (Business)

Participants also took part in a fun trivia activity, testing their knowledge of the Asia-Pacific/Indo-Pacific region. The competition was fierce, and a touch of friendly rivalry was added to the proceedings with a prize incentive. Attendees also participated in a lively discussion about Asia in the news, ranking news articles and sharing insights and analysis on current events shaping the region.

“It was wonderful to meet the many different colleagues working on Asia related research and it was quite heartening to be part of this community. I felt so welcomed…” Fred Chou, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies

Asia Trivia The trivia teams in discussion

A highlight of the day was the keynote speech by Canada's Ambassador to China, Jennifer May, who brought her expertise and diplomatic experience to the forum. Her thought-provoking address on opportunities and challenges in Canada-China relations was followed by an interactive Q&A session.

Ambassador MayAmbassador May

“I think this was one of the best events I attended on campus; It struck a right balance in terms of size, work and play, meeting old acquaintances and new people.” Emmanuel Herique, Professor Emeritus, French.

By providing a platform for faculty and graduate students to share their work and meet each other, CAPI’s forum helped to raise awareness of Asia-related research taking place across campus, and foster connections between researchers. Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to bringing the UVic community together again next year around the topic of Asia.

table discussionFrom left: Midori Ogasawara (Sociology), Daromir Rudnyckyj (Anthropology), Fred Chou (Educational Psychology) and Han Le (Visiting scholar, CAPI)

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