Asian studies center

Research on Asian countries has a beautiful and long tradition in Poland, marked by such names as Benedykt Polak, Michał Boym, Benedykt Dybowski, Wacław Sieroszewski, Kazimierz Grochowski. Unfortunately, this field of research has never developed to the extent it deserves, as evidenced by the difficult fate of Oriental philological studies at Polish universities. And although in the last decade the study of Asia has become increasingly popular among university lecturers and students, unfortunately, it still has the status of a side academic activity and is unable to meet the needs, which grow from year to year, to know and understand the political, economic, technological, artistic, civilizational role of Asian countries today. Individual researchers and academic units scattered across different universities and departments operate in their specialized topics and academic disciplines, with no common forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences, and sometimes not even knowing of each other's existence.

Hence the idea to establish a Center for Asian Studies, as a place of meeting and scientific disputation, where the potential of individual talents, knowledge, skills and experiences gained by individual scholars and research teams within their home academic units will be able to reveal themselves. A place where representatives of all sciences, from the humanities to engineering and technology, will be able not only to present their achievements, but also to take part in joint research projects, whether initiated spontaneously by scholars and scientists, or commissioned by representatives of business or state and local administration. The venue will solicit external funding for scientific research, take care of the promotion of research results, and popularize knowledge of Asian countries among the public.

The Center for Asian Studies is intended to be a think-tank, a non-governmental organization, bringing together all those interested in research on Asian countries from Wroclaw, the Lower Silesia region, as well as the neighboring regions of Opole, Lubuskie and Southern Wielkopolska. The center is being established in cooperation between academia and the Central European Chamber of Commerce, with entrepreneurs involved in Asian countries' investments in Poland and Polish investments in Asian countries, as well as bilateral trade. The Center for Asian Studies intends to seek the patronage of state, local and academic authorities. It will cooperate with social associations and scientific societies, as well as with academic units conducting Asian studies in the broadest sense or offering Asia-related classes in other fields of study.

We would like to combine the launch of the Center for Asian Studies with the organization of a conference in Wroclaw: "Lower Silesia - Poland - Asia. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow", planned for 30.06-1.07.2021 (we will make every effort to hold this conference live, with all sanitary measures in force at that time). The conference will have the character of an academic-business forum, during which those conducting scientific research will be able to present their scientific achievements (in the form of a lecture or poster presentation), representatives of public administration - the advantages and needs of our region and the country as a whole, and business practitioners - the opportunities offered and the needs of their enterprises.

Anyone whose research in any way relates to Asia, from paleontologists to logisticians, is invited to attend the conference. Due to the vastness and diversity of the countries of the Asian continent, the conference will hold individual regional forums in addition to the plenary session: China Forum, Korea Forum, Japan Forum, Southeast Asia (Singapore) Forum, India Forum, Central Asia and Mongolia Forum, West Asia Forum, Arab Countries Forum, Transcaucasia Forum.

We hope that the conference "Lower Silesia - Poland - Asia. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow" will be a successful inauguration of the Center for Asian Studies. In its further activities, we anticipate the continuation of the Forums established on the occasion of the conference. After all, the Center for Asian Studies is intended to be both a place for global studies of Asia and a place for the exchange of ideas among specialists interested in a particular Asian country or region.