Behind the Book Series by the Institute of Asian Research
Video interviews published via Asia Pacific Memo can be found on the Asia Pacific Memo Video Gallery
Feb 2011
Dr. Masao Nakamura - Changing Corporate Governance Practices in China and Japan: Adaptations of Anglo-American Practices
What is the book about? 1/4
Selective Adaptation in China and Japan 2/4
Real World Examples of Selective Adaptation 3/4
Corporate Governance in Japan 4/4
Dr. Christopher Rea - Humans, Beasts, and Ghosts: Stories and Essays
Who was Qian Zhongshu? 1/4
Humans, Beasts and Ghosts: Stories and Essays 2/4
The Comedic Style of Qian Zhongshu 3/4
On Qian Zhongshu's Essays 4/4
April 2010
Dr. Abdin Kusno - Appearances of Memory: Mnemonic Practices in Architecture and Urban Form in Indonesia
What is the main idea in Appearances of Memory? 1/4
Can you tell a book by its cover? 2/4
Why and for who? 3/4
What was the biggest surprise in writing the book? 4/4
Dr. Tsering Shakya - The Struggle for Tibet
Why did you write The Struggle for Tibet 1/4
Who is the target audience? 2/4
What is the key argument? 3/4
How does the book help dialogue between China and Tibet? 4/4
Dr. Julian Dierkes - Postwar History Education in Japan and the Germanys: Guilty Lessons
Why did you write Guilty Lessons? 1/5
Does "national character" help us understand Japanese reactions to its war memories? 2/5
What is the main argument? 3/5
Do nations deal with trauma the same way individuals do? 4/5
Was the three-country comparison central to your findings? 5/5
Other interviews by the Institute of Asian Research
May 2010
Dr. Yan Yunxiang, Department of Anthropology, UCLA, discusses contemporary China in a five-part interview at the Institute of Asian Research at UBC.
What does it mean to 'feel good' rather than to 'be good in China today?
What is the meaning of this quote by a Chinese official, 'The highest morality under heaven is to make my poor home town rich.
You describe a new morality in China today, is it unique?
You emphasize the development of "individualization vs. individualism in China today. What does this mean?
Did Chinese citizens respond with private charity or collective contributions in the wake of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake?
March 2010
Are there any new resources that will allow Canadian institutions to cooperate better and compete more effectively?
What steps should we take this year to strengthen our educational exchanges with India?
How are we doing in our efforts to establish higher education exchanges with our Indian colleagues?