12.06.2019 - 16:44

AREA Ruhr Guest Lecture Series

Jörn Dosch: Is Asia still Unique? The Continent’s Relevance for Theory-building in Social Sciences  |  Wed, June 12, 2019, 4–6 pm  | Campus Duisburg, Geibelstr. 41, SG 183

Jörn Dosch is Professor for International Politics and Developemt Cooperation at the University of Rostock. His research focus is on East and South East Asia

Abstract
For the past three decades Asia has been one of the most important empirical hunting grounds for theory-building in political science, international relations, political economy and development studies. The “developmental state”, modernisation theory, the concept of collective social orders (“Asian Values”), the idea of illiberal or defect democracies are key inputs to the discourse on nationalism and nation-building, and the notion of soft regionalism all originated against the backdrop of observed phenomena in Asia. But what has happened to these and other Asia-centric approaches in social sciences? Are they still relevant? Or has Asia become a “normal region” that lost its unique and specific relevance as a prime empirical case for academic theorising and the construction of counter-models which challenge Eurocentric worldviews?



Interested participants are welcome to attend, but please register in advance with
kerstin.lukner@area-ruhr.de