The Elliott School’s Sigur Center for Asian Studies and the Department of Anthropology are co-sponsoring at talk on Companionable Objects, Companionable Conscience: Reflections on Sunaryo’s Titik Nadir with Ken George, professor of anthropology and director of the School of Culture, History and Language at Australian National University.

When: Wednesday, February 26, 2014, 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
Where: The Elliott School of International Affairs. GW

Chung-wen Shih Conference Room, 1957 E Street, NW, Room 503
Washington, DC 20052

Although this is increasingly a time of transnational solidarities, an unwavering commitment to, or concern about the nation has been a longstanding and primary factor in the shaping of art works and biographical art writing in Indonesia. This talk explores the summons of the nation in the making of “companionable objects” and a “companionable conscience” in Indonesia’s art world. I focus in particular on an installation presented by the acclaimed Indonesian artist, Sunaryo, a 1998 work called Titik Nadir (“The Low Point”), put together as Soeharto’s regime fell apart. The evocative objects and iconoclastic gestures that made up Titik Nadir in some ways subverted or exceeded the “conscionable” and oblige us to reflect on what may be spent or lost in aligning one’s heart and art with the nation and a national art public.

RSVP at http://go.gwu.edu/titiknadir

The March 4 WAPA event features 2013 Praxis Award Winner Mark Edberg and Honorable Mention Recipient Laurie Schwede.

Date: Tuesday, 4 March 2014
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Sumner School, corner of 17th Street and M Street NW, Washington, D.C

The 2013 Praxis Award winner Mark Edberg, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and Health Services at George Washington University, will speak on his project,  “Using the Concept of Social Well-Being to Develop and Implement a Framework for UNICEF Planning and Evaluating Efforts to Achieve Rights and Development Goals for Children and Families.” Working in collaboration with UNICEF, Edberg used anthropological methods to research and develop holistic, social well-being tools for planning and monitoring projects for adolescents in one version and woman and children in another.

Also speaking will be Honorable Mention Laurie Schwede, Principal Researcher for the Center for Survey Measurement, U.S. Census Bureau, on her project, “Comparative Ethnographic Studies of Enumeration Methods and Coverage across Race/Ethnic Groups.” Schwede, Rodney Terry, and a team of 16 independent ethnographers and 12 Census staff worked on a 2010 Census evaluation. For the first time in a decennial census, ethnographers conducted field observation studies, systematically observing live census interviews and debriefing respondents to identify types and sources of possible coverage error. The goal was to identify characteristics of households, persons, and groups at risk of miscounts and reasons for possible miscounts, in order to improve enumeration methods and coverage research for the 2020 Census.

For more details on their work and other Praxis Awardees, see the WAPA Praxis web page at http://www.wapadc.org/2013PraxisAward.

Pre-meeting: Beacon Bar & Grill (one block north of Sumner School). The Beacon Bar & Grill is in the Beacon Hotel located at 1615 Rhode Island Ave NW (corner of Rhode Island and 17th St).

Directions from Metro Red Line Farragut North station: take either L St exit, walk one block east to 17th St, turn left and walk 3 blocks north (one block past Sumner School).

All are welcome.

More information: 2013 Praxis Award Winner Mark Edberg and Honorable Mention

Recipient Laurie Schwede

Hope to see you there,

Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists

When: Tuesday, February 25, 2014, 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Where: Voesar Conference Room, Suite 412
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E Street NW, Washington, DC

Recent public protests have once again turned international attention to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the site of the 1992-1995 war that left 2 million people displaced and more than 100,000 killed. Almost twenty years after the war, Bosnians across the country have taken to the streets to demand an end to corruption and the ineffective system of governance that have paralyzed the state and robbed its citizens of economic prosperity and a brighter future. The panel will examine the path that led to this crisis, what lies ahead for the postwar state, including its prospects for EU and NATO membership, and broader implications for the region.

Panelists:

• Nidzara Ahmetasević, reporter
• Slobodna Bosna (via Skype)
• Janusz Bugajski, senior associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Jasmin Mujanović, PhD candidate in political science at York University and visiting scholar, Harriman Institute, Columbia University
• Moderated by: Sarah Wagner, associate professor of anthropology, GW

Please RSVP at: http://tinyurl.com/BosniaIERES

Co-sponsored by the Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies of the Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University, Washington, DC, and the Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cost: No Charge

Register on WIN’s website>>

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The United Nations Human Rights Council in 2014: What’s New, What’s Old, and What to Expect in the Year Ahead

Hosted by the UNA-NCA and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the forum will give an intimate look into a variety of ongoing large-scale human rights crisis situations, and address the effectiveness of the Council in addressing these and other pressing issues.

When: Wednesday, February 19, 2014
6:00 – 8:00 pm

Where: American Foreign Service Association,
Main Conference Room
2101 E. Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

Speakers:

• Wesley Reisser, State Department International Organizations Bureau Human Rights Officer
• A. Edward Elmendorf, Former UNA-NCA President
• Ambassador Donald T. Bliss (retired), President, UNA-NCA, moderator

Registration Information:

$10 for members of the United Nations Association
$15 for non-members

Register>>

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Lecture: “Will China Replace the US in the Global Leadership Race?”

Dr. Roy Morey will be giving a luncheon presentation on the topic: “Will China Replace the US in the Global Leadership Race?” addressed in the epilogue of his latest book The United Nations at Work in Asia: An Envoy’s Account of Development in China, Vietnam, Thailand and the South Pacific.

When: Monday, February 24, 2014
12:00 – 1:00 pm

Where: United Nations Information Center (UNIC)
1775 K St Washington, DC 20240

Speaker: Dr. Roy Morey, author, (ret.) Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP headquarters in New York.

Register on our events page>>

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Remedies for Harm Caused by UN Peacekeepers in missions

When: Wednesday, February 26, 2014
12:00 – 2:00 pm

Where: American Society of International Law, Tillar House
2223 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20008

A discussion to examine allegations of misconduct by UN Peacekeepers in the context of the cholera epidemic in Haiti, and charges of sexual exploitation and corruption involving peacekeepers in other missions and other developments. Lunch will be provided.

Registration Information:

– ASIL members=Free

– Non-ASIL members=$15

– UNA-NCA, ABA, WFLS,and Students of ASIL Academic Partner Schools= Free with discount code “UNPART”

When: Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Reception: 6:30 PM
Discussion: 7:00 PM

Where: Elliott School of International Affairs, Room 113
1957 E Street NW

An interview with Michael Covitt, producer of the internationally renowned documentary film “333” and founder of the Malian Manuscript Foundation.

The Sabatier Film Group’s Documentary Film, “333,” designed to increase awareness and understanding of the Ancient Manuscripts of Mali throughout the World, has been completed. This portrayal emphasizes the fundamental approach of these Malian Manuscripts, i.e., the resolution of conflicts through dialogue, tolerance and forgiveness.

Questions? Contact CapitolArchaeologicalInstitute@gmail.com

Sponsored by the George Washington University Capitol Archaeological Institute in collaboration with The Africa Working Group at the Institute for Global and International Studies.

When: Thursday January 16, 2014
5:00 PM

Where: Lindner Family Commons,
1957 E St., NW, 6th floor
George Washington University
Washington DC 20015

Although the legal status of foreign residents in the UAE defines them as outsiders, Dr. Vora argues that Indians in Dubai are integral to the building and maintenance of Emirati state institutions, to national identity and citizenship, and to the functioning of Dubai’s liberalized and globalized market forms. While many Indians disavow belonging to Dubai they stake certain historical, cultural, and geographic claims to the city. Impossible Citizens examines the conflicting and multiple narratives and practices of belonging and citizenship experienced by Dubai’s Indian population, exploring the multiple logics of citizenship and governance that circulate within Dubai among its various residents, institutions, and spaces.

Dr. Neha Vora is Assistant Professor of anthropology at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Her research focuses on forms of citizenship, belonging, and exclusion within the contemporary Gulf Arab States. In particular, she explores how economic, political, and social changes in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar shape the daily experiences of the region’s diverse residents, particularly South Asian migrants, who comprise the majority of the population in both countries.

This event is sponsored the the Institute of Middle East Studies, Elliott School of International Affairs, GW.

Please RSVP here.