The second CGS International Workshop was held at ICU in the lingering heat of the Japanese summer from September 16 to 18. This year's sub-theme was "Gender Representation in Asia". We welcomed scholars and activists from all over Japan and many other Asian countries, including China, South Korea, the Phillipines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India.
The workshop was designed to explore the issue of gender representation from a variety of perspectives. Apart from academic discussions, the three-day programme also included an innovative "Forum Theatre" with audience involvement, as well as film screenings featuring talks and panel discussions with the directors. CGS actively encouraged student participation and endeavoured to make the accessible to everyone, not just academics. Our "Asian Film Showcase" of five films made in China, Korea and Vietnam, particularly attracted public interest and was attended by an audience of over 200 people, many of whom were members of the general public from neighbouring areas.
The reports and discussions revealed how rapid economic development in Asian countries has led to a conflict between old and new values. People in Asia are in a state of limbo between traditional cultural/ religious values and the materialistic values of modern hedonistic society. The so-called gender-free bashing in contemporary Japan can be seen as one example of this wavering of values. It is under such conditions that women artists throughout Asia are engaged in a struggle for fair expression and are creating an all-new value system. The workshop highlighted the common problems we share, which are so often camouflaged by differences in our history and culture.
Another goal of this workshop was to create a network of Asian gender researchers. Gender studies in each Asian country has their own particular concerns. Yet, in terms of interaction, we have all generally tended to look to the West rather than to each other. This workshop made us realize how little we know of our Asian neighbours. It also paved the way for the creation of a new kind of networking system by showing us the potential of information exchange and co-operation. We look forward to building on the relations established with the participants of the workshop in the near future.
We would like to thank all of you who helped to make the workshop a success. CGS will continue to plan new and interesting ways to attract people from all walks of life to gender issues. We truly appreciate your continuing support.
2005 International Workshop Coordinator : Natusmi Ikoma