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From Kabul to Kyiv, Pakistan’s persistent diplomatic course
No full textOn February 23, Pakistan’s Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan arrived in Moscow for a two-days visit. According to open sources, the PM’s Russia trip was for a ‘exchange of views on major regional and international issues’1, aiming at a reset of bilateral ties and ‘expanding cooperation in the energy sector’. When opening the discussions, Imran Khan chose a remarkably peculiar statement. Referring to the then current situation, he said: ‘What a time I have come, so much excitement’. Putin’s “bullying” of the Ukraine reached at that very moment and once again a dramatic peak (after the illegal annexation of Ukrainian Crimea in 2014). Even before Khan’s departure to Moscow it was well-known that Russia is again taking unprovoked, coercive measures against Ukraine. For example, the unacceptable threatening of the Ukrainian government and its people by a massive build-up of forces along the country’s borders, or pushing the level of violations to the Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty to new heights. Making the situation worse, just a few hours after Khan’s dubious remark, Russia conducted a full-scale invasion of its neighbor, an independent European country. As such, it does not come by surprise that Khan’s appearance in Moscow raised criticisms. […
Facts Versus Falsehoods: Decoding the Gandhi-Bose Relationship
No full textIndian History vehemently celebrates two particular days of the Year: 26th January and 15th August. One is Republic Day, wherein the coveted Indian Constitution was enforced: the other is Independence Day (when the country was liberated from prolonged colonial rule). The literature surrounding the Indian National Struggle particularly focuses on a few selected leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and others. Although some texts and civil society groups categorically shift the focus on others who also have contributed to the movement, these ‘others’ have so far been overlooked and most likely forgotten due to the several private interests at stake. One such forgotten leader is Subhas Chandra Bose, often referred as Netaji by his followers. This article intends to highlight Bose’s role in Indian History and uncover his relationship with Gandhi, the Father of the Nation
The end for Khan?
No full textPakistan is witnessing a most severe political crisis, as the government is strongly challenged by both state and society. It is not the first time that Imran Khan, as Pakistan’s Prime Minister (PM), is facing severe criticisms; it is not the first time that a wide array of oppositional forces gather to demand his resignation. Short-lived and unstable governments, the army’s and secret service’s dominant role in the country’s decision-making, and a growing leverage by Islamist forces within the institutional-administrative structure are most noteworthy characteristics of Pakistan’s political arena. In fact, the ousting of successive ruling administrations ‘is as old as Pakistan itself’. According to observers, almost all political and religious parties were involved in the toppling of governments in the past. PM Khan, too, faces frequent pressure from the opposition, Islamist clerics, and other domestic socio-political actors. […
Fake News und Desinformation – der Wahlkampf als Kampf um die Wahrheit
No full textAm 9. Mai 2022 finden Präsidentschafts- und Parlamentswahlen auf den Philippinen statt und gerade auf Online-Plattformen wie Facebook und You-Tube ist ein Ringen um die Wahrheit zu beobachten. Desinformation – das bewusste Verbreiten irreführender und falscher Nachrichten, um Menschen zu täuschen – ist Teil des Wahlkampfs. Welche Gefahren in Falschmeldungen stecken und was Journalist:innen dagegen unternehmen, ist Thema dieses Blickwechsels
Bergbau in Indonesien: Der Preis des Wirtschaftswachstums
No full textWenn Sie ein Smartphone besitzen oder ein Elektroauto fahren, ist es wahrscheinlich, dass darin Erzminerale und Nickel aus Indonesien verbaut worden sind. Denn das südostasiatische Land ist reich an Rohstoffen, darunter Kohle, Kupfer, Gold, Zinn, Bauxit und Nickel. Diese Ressourcen machen Indonesien zu einem der größten Bergbauländer der Welt, dass seine Minerale in dutzende Länder rund um den Globus exportiert. Doch der Abbau hat auch Auswirkungen auf die lokale Bevölkerung und Umwelt
"Mantras: Sound, Materiality, and the Body": A Comprehensive Workshop Report
No full textDer hybride Workshop „ Mantras: Sound, Materiality, and the Body“ fand vom 12. bis 14. Mai 2022 am Institut für Südasien-, Tibet- und Buddhismuskunde (ISTB) der Universität Wien (Österreich) statt. Sein Ziel war, die Entwicklung der Mantra-Forschung als Fachgebiet zu fördern, indem Synergien zwischen Wissenschaftler*innen, die sich mit Mantras beschäftigen und dabei mit unterschiedlichen Materialien, Ansätzen und Rahmenbedingungen arbeiten, angeregt wurden. Der vorliegende Bericht soll die Inhalte und Ergebnisse des Workshops einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit zugänglich machen, indem er die einzelnen Beiträge zusammenfasst und Wege für die künftige Mantra-Forschung aufzeigt. Er soll jedoch nicht nur eine Momentaufnahme des Workshops liefern, sondern auch als Instrument zur Inspiration, Entwicklung und Verortung neuer Forschungsansätze in der Mantra-Forschung dienen
On the European Knowledge of Sanskrit
No full textLecture delivered in Hangchou Buddhist Academy (20.10.2018, revised January 2022
Genocide in Bangladesh - The politics of Disinformation
No full textFor the whole eleven years during which I have been actively engaged in South Asia, nothing touched me more than the Bangladeshi people’s struggle for memory, justice, and accountability regarding the Genocide perpetrated against Bangladesh by the Pakistani military authorities. This genocide, organised in tandem with Islamic fanatic organisations from both West and East Pakistan, was meant to destroy the Bengali identity by murdering elites, destroying religious diversity, and raping women. […
Indonesien auf der documenta fifteen: Von der Kunst, in Dialog zu treten
No full textViele Kunst- und Indonesien-Interessierte fieberten der
documenta fifteen entgegen. Als kurz nach der Eröffnung
der Ausstellung auf dem Banner People’s Justice der indonesischen Künstler:innengruppe Taring Padi eine Figur
entdeckt wurde, die sich antisemitischer Bildsprache bediente, rückte die Kunst jedoch in den Hintergrund. Die
documenta fifteen katapultierte sich in die Medien und
Politik. Die Empörung war groß. In diesem aufgeheizten
Klima wurden zwar immer wieder Rufe nach Dialog laut,
der aber bisher nicht oder nur ansatzweise geführt werden
konnte. Dabei liegt gerade hierin eine Chance, voneinander
zu lernen und so globalen Problemen wie Antisemitismus,
kapitalistischer Ausbeutung sowie die Aufarbeitung und
Nachwirkungen des Kolonialismus gemeinsam zu begegnen.
Beiträge von Wulan Dirgantoro, Elly Kent, Kate Brown, Vanessa von Gliszcynski, Devandy Ario Putro, Christina Schott
The German Community in Siam between 1850 and 1917. A History of Transculturation and Integration
No full textThis research paper deals with the history of the German community in Bangkok from its emergence in the mid-19th century until 1917. It is divided into two parts: the first presents the development process of the German community; the second analyses the facts presented in the first part. The researcher draws on a variety of different sources, including Thai and German political files and documents, tombstones in the two cemeteries for Western foreigners in Bangkok, and interviews with descendants of the community living in Thailand. The first part of the paper (Chapters I-IV) shows how the German community in Siam formed and developed between 1850 and 1917 against the backdrop of global-local interplay of macro- and micro-historical factors. The German community developed in two phases. The first phase began with Siam's policy of opening up in 850 in response to the first wave of colonial expansion by European powers in continental Southeast Asia. The second phase of community development followed Siam’s modernisation on the Western model to counter the second colonial expansion from the 1880s onwards. The German-speaking cultural community in the first phase transformed into the national German community in the second phase. This research paper shows not only how the social structure of the community developed, but also how the process deepened in terms of occupation, and family circumstances in the residential society. The second part of the research paper (Chapter V) analyses the individual biographies of the German members of the community in the context of cultural transfer, transnational and transcultural developments. The research paper shows how members of European-German and Siamese communities interacted with each other, intermingled and finally formed new hybrid societies. The research paper points out that such a process of cultural transfer and transculturation took place beyond national borders, arguing that the history of the German community in Bangkok is also part of transnational history. Chapter VI provides a summary of the findings