Report on the Bhutan Seminar Series 2025 (Jun. & Jul.2025)

2025年7月31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. A total of 15 sessions are scheduled for FY2025.

3rd Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2025 (2025.6.13)

The 3rd Bhutan Seminar of the 2025 academic year took place online on Friday, June 13, 2025. The fourth session (64th overall) explored climate change in Bhutan through Al Jazeera's documentary ‘101 EAST’. Before viewing the footage, commentator Professor Hirayama provided feedback on responses (comments, requests, questions) from the previous seminar's questionnaire. Following the screening, a lively Q&A session took place.

About 45 people attended this seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “The footage was recent, and since the commentator was aware of the current situation, I was able to understand Bhutan's present state.” “The commentator (Mr. Takahashi)'s very balanced commentary cleared up the vague sense of unease I had felt from the theme and the structure of the footage.” “Through Lecturer Hirayama's pre-viewing explanation and Mr. Takahashi's post-viewing commentary, I gained an understanding of the footage's background and critical perspectives. Mr. Takahashi's approach to understanding Bhutanese society through vegetation, elevation, and precipitation was particularly instructive. ”

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4th Seminar in the Bhutan Seminar Series 2025 (2025.7.4)

The 4th seminar of FY2025 took place on Friday 4th July. The 64nd seminar overall, it featured Chinese YouTube videos showcasing festivals and townscapes in the capital city of Thimphu. After watching the videos, commentator Lecturer Hirayama gave a brief summary of the scenes and interviews. This was followed by a lively Q&A session and an exchange of opinions with the participants.

About 50 people attended this seminar. Here are some of the participants’ comments: “As Lecturer Hirayama initially pointed out, the strong presence of Chinese Inspector Lei in the video might be controversial... but this time, the seminar was challenging in its attempt to ‘view Bhutan from a Chinese perspective,’ which was interesting.” “Watching this video, I found it very interesting to see the differences in perspective and demeanor between Indian and Chinese YouTubers (though I'm sure there are individual differences, of course) .” “It was meaningful that time was set aside to review the previous seminar's survey results and address the questions and requests raised.”

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