Report on the Bhutan Seminar Series 2022 (June & July 2022)

2023年4月15日更新

Beginning in FY2021, the Global Collaboration Center is hosting regional research-based seminars to (1) learn about the Kingdom of Bhutan, which is located in South Asia, and (2) examine development policies and the situation of the country and region in light of these issues. Each seminar includes a film screening, a brief commentary by the presenter, and a question-and-answer session. This year’s seminar is also an approved project of the “Japan-Southwest Asia Exchange Year 2022” by Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

5th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2022 (2022.6.18)

In this 5th seminar, we watched a documentary released by Deutsche Welle (DW), a German state-owned international broadcaster, on the recent “changes” in Bhutan. Mr. Hirayama, a lecturer at the Global Collaboration Center, gave an overview and essential aspects of the film before the screening. Mr. Hiroshi Takahashi, a researcher at the Japan Institute for Bhutan Studies, gave explanations and comments after watching the videos. After the seminar, the participants were free to engage in more in-depth information provision and discussion on the topic for one hour.

About 55 people attended the seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “I’m quite interested in the reform of Bhutan’s education system, especially monastic education, about which I have been struggling to understand certain aspects for long time. I felt that this documentary film revealed the problem of monastic education by gently portraying human emotions,” “I find the stories about the changing and unchanging aspects of Bhutan very informative.”

Image from the seminar
Commentary from the lecturer

6th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2022 (2022.7.4)

In this 6th seminar, we watched a documentary film by a Bhutanese director to understand the situation of women’s football in Bhutan, the southern region bordering India, and recent trends in sexual diversity. After the seminar, the participants were free to engage in more in-depth information provision and discussion on the evolution of Bhutan’s southern borders and its relationship with British India for one hour.

About 35 people attended the seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “It was interesting to know how current Bhutanese youth, especially girls, live,” “Does the government’s education policy provide answers and direction for children who want to start their own lives?” “The story on sexual diversity was very interesting.”

Description of Sarpang
Bhutan Women's National Football Team

7th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2022 (2022.7.16)

The theme of the 7th seminar was the textile and dyeing culture of Bhutan. After the screening, Ms. Yukiko Togo, Associate Professor of Faculty of Education, Oita University, and a winner of the 6th Michiyo Tsujimura Award of Ochanomizu University in February 2022, gave explanations and comments on the use of cochineal (lac) for dyeing and the ecology of the lac bug. A question-and-answer session and exchange of opinions followed.

About 45 people attended the seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “It was very interesting to see the whole process from primitive dyeing to the production of the garments,” “It was interesting to have an easy-to-understand explanation of the art of dyeing, something I was not familiar with.”

Description of Sherichhu
Description of Yadi