The historical development of sinology in two Canadian universities: York University and the University of Guelph

PurposeThis paper gives a comparative analysis of the foundation of sinology in two Canadian universities. Despite not having diplomatic exchanges, Canada's new relationship with the People's Republic of China (PRC) ignited a China interest in the Canadian academe. Through York University and the University of Guelph (U of G)'s experiences, readers will learn the rewards and challenges that sinology brings to Canadian higher education.Design/methodology/approachThis paper offers an overview of the historical foundation of sinology in the Canadian academe. Who pushes through this process? What geopolitical developments triggered young and educated Canadians to learn about China? This paper assesses York and Guelph's process in introducing sinology by relying on university archival resources and personal interviews. Why was York University successful in its mission, which, in turn, made into a comprehensive East Asian Studies degree option in 1971? What obstacles did the U of G face that prohibited it from implementing China Studies successfully?FindingsAfter 1949, Canada took a friendlier relationship with the PRC than its neighbor in the south. As China–Canada relations unfolded, Canadian witnessed a dramatic state investment in higher education. The 1960s was a decade of unprecedented university expansion. In the process, sinology enjoyed its significant growth, and both York University and the U of G made their full use of this right timing. However, China Studies at the U of G did not take off. Besides its geolocation disadvantage, Guelph's top-down managerial style in the 1960s, which resulted in collegial disillusionment, was also a significant barrier to this program's success.Originality/valueBefore the Internet age, universities were the first venues for most Canadians to acquire their initial academic knowledge of China. After the Second World War, sinology became popular among students as China became one of the world's “Big Fives”. More Canadians became romanticized with Maoism while opposing America's containment policy. York and Guelph exemplified this trend in Canadian history. Contrary to popular belief, historian Jerome Chen did not establish York's China Studies. Likewise, an ex-US diplomat John Melby did not bring China into Guelph, sinology arrived due to individual scholastic initiatives. Visionaries saw envisioned China's importance in the future world community.

East asian studies in latin america and its potential contributions for an improved inter-regional business understanding

East Asia is today one of the most powerful regions worldwide in terms of innovation, economic and industrial growth. And as such, it has taken its business models, industrial processes, and technology to Latin America, notoriously increasing economic relations. However, Latin American countries have been mostly on the recipient side, perhaps because there is a limited understanding of their Asian counterparts. East Asian Studies provide important knowledge for Latin American specialists on economics and business, improving Latin American business theory, models, and economic relations between regions. Following Michel Foucault’s ideas about the archeological method to understand the context in which a discipline is born, this article follows documentary research and summarizes the similarities and differences between the economic contexts of these regions at the beginning of the Cold War and at the beginning of the 21st century to establish the relevance for understanding East Asian economic and business models. Then, it reconstructs the development of East Asian Studies as an academic area worldwide and its standing in Latin America, highlighting how the political and economic context has influenced its emergence and topics of research. Finally, it reflects on the contributions that can reciprocally be made between the East Asian studies in Latin America and a Latin American School of Business Thought.

Ethnic Disparities in Thrombotic and Bleeding Diatheses Revisited: A Systematic Review of Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction across the East and West

Background Ethnicity has been shown to play a role in disparate coagulative responses between East Asian and Caucasian patients undergoing nonmicrovascular surgery. In this study, we sought to further investigate this hematologic phenomenon between the two ethnic groups within the field of microsurgical breast reconstruction. Methods A systematic review examining the reported incidence of microvascular thrombosis and all-site bleeding among breast free flaps in East Asians and Westerners was performed. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test. Results Ten East Asian studies with 581 flaps and 99 Western studies with 30,767 flaps were included. A statistically significant higher rate of thrombotic complications was found in Westerners compared with East Asians (4.2 vs. 2.2%, p = 0.02). Conversely, bleeding events were more common in East Asians compared with Westerners (2.6 vs. 1.2%, p = 0.002). Conclusion There appears to be an ethnicity-based propensity for thrombosis in Westerners and, conversely, for bleeding in East Asians, as evident by the current systematic review of microvascular breast reconstruction data. It is therefore advisable to consider ethnicity in the comprehensive evaluation of patients undergoing microsurgical procedures.

History, Zomia, Closure

It is difficult to expound in any pithy fashion on the imprint that James C. Scott's work has had on writing history in the orbit of Asia. Where to start? From The Moral Economy of the Peasant all the way to Against the Grain, Scott's work has found receptive and fertile ground among his peers in Asian studies, who have often proudly pointed out to their non-Asianist colleagues that Scott is “one of their own.” This has certainly been true “internally” as well, in the ways that Southeast Asianists have spoken to their fellow professionals in the larger, allied subdisciplines of South and East Asian studies. It does not matter that Scott's books have touched on a wide variety of subjects: the central concerns with power, agency, space, and the essence of a shared humanity have all resonated with his professional interlocutors.

Orienti migranti: tra letteratura e traduzione

The book series, edited by Nicoletta Pesaro and sponsored by the Department of Asian and North African Studies, aims to give voice to a time-honoured branch of theoretical and practical research across the disciplines and research domains within the Department. The series aims to establish a platform for scholarly discussion and a space for international dialogue on the translation of Asian and North African languages. In doing so, the project aims to observe and verify the translingual and transcultural dynamics triggered by translation from and into said ‘languages-cultures’, as well as to identify and explore the deep cultural mechanisms and structures involved in interethnic behaviours and relationships. Translation is also a major research tool in the humanities. As a matter of fact, a hermeneutic potential in terms of cultural mediation is inherent in translation activities and in the reflection on translation: it is precisely this potential that allows scholars, in both their research and dissemination work, to bring to the surface the interethnic and intercultural dynamics regulating the relationships between civilisations, both diachronically and synchronically. The project is a continuation and a development of the research carried out in recent years by the former Department of East Asian Studies – now Department of Asian and North African Studies – of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice through a series of initiatives organised by the research group on the translation of Asian languages “Laboratorio sulla Traduzione delle Lingue orientali” (Laboratori sulle lingue orientali). Such activities involved periodical meetings on translation, whose objective was to introduce and discuss specific issues in translation from and into Asian languages, as well as several international events (workshops, conferences, and symposia).