COHDA 2017

Welcome to the 4th International Conference on Human Development in Asia (COHDA 2017). This is an international, peer-reviewed weekend event. All sessions will be held at the KKR Hotel in Hiroshima, Japan on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30, 2017.

The aim of this event is to draw attention to both the progress and challenges facing an increasing globalized Asia. The economic, industrial and political developments among the nations that are located within the continent have brought about dramatic social change. Within a span of just over a century, Asia has been a major site of colonialism and decolonization, global warfare, political upheaval and regime change, the rise of new nations, ongoing ethnic and religious conflict, economic boom and recession, population explosion, cultural diasporas, viral epidemics, technological advancement, and severe environmental pollution and disasters.

While commentators and analysts have recognized the vast changes that have shaped the Asian continent, it is also crucial to understand the continuities that are maintained even in the face of such impetus for change. Apart from change, what constants still resist change? In addition, what factors contribute to such ongoing resilience? Although it may be argued that the forces of globalization and development have set in motion a number of positive changes in the ways we live our lives, this has also been counterbalanced by the continuities of inequality and suffering of many others. The tide of change often exists in a state of tension with the forces of continuity. Hence, in order for us to comprehend the forces of change, we must also engage other opposing forces.

At the same time, attempts to mediate the tension between change and continuity have given rise to growing diversities. Driven partly by the forces of migration within a global economic order often guided by transnational markets of production or consumption, new political and social-cultural fragmentations and intersections within nation-states in Asia have emerged. In the face of such developments, the implications of and challenges to efforts at sustainability are numerous. While it is increasingly recognized that sustainability entails dimensions far beyond the ecological sphere, the next step is to examine and understand the impact of change and continuity and the resultant diversities that are contained within.

With the theme of Change, Continuity and Diversity, the conference welcomes submissions of 250 words in English by Friday, March 10, 2017 on these areas:

Cultural Sustainability Economic Development Education and Education Technology Environment and Climate Change Human Rights, Diversity and Justice Media and Globalization Psychology, Behavior and Culture Public Policies and Global Issues Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Urban Planning and Development Other Areas (Please Specify)