Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives

08/27/2026

Two exhibitions open at Legacy Downtown on Sept. 16th. 👏👏👏

The first, DIS – displaced, dispersed, dispossessed - features artists from the Past Wrongs Future Choices (Landscapes of Injustice) Artists and Scholars in Residence program at the University of Victoria

Guest curated by Sherri Shinobu Kajiwara, Director/Curator at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

A concurrent exhibition curated by Kajiwara runs September 19, 2026 – February 27, 2027 at the Karasawa Gallery, Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre in Burnaby, BC. It presents Japanese Canadian artists reflecting on the enduring impact of the 1940s uprooting and dispossession, and its continuing influence on identity, memory, and artistic practice.

Image: ‘Repatriation’ to Japan, Slocan, British Columbia, c. 1946. Courtesy of the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre, Odamura Family Collection (1996.178.1.33.a-b).

06/15/2026

The Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI) and the UVic Faculty of Law warmly congratulate Dr. Nima Dorji on his appointment as Dean of Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law (JSW Law), UVic’s partner institution in Bhutan.
Dr. Dorji first joined UVic in 2017 as a doctoral scholar through the Queen Elizabeth Scholarships – Advanced Scholars program. In 2025, while serving as Vice Dean (Academic Affairs) at JSW Law, he successfully defended his dissertation, Happiness Theory of Constitutionalism: A Contextual Analysis of the Nature of Bhutan’s Constitutionalism.
Later that year, he returned to UVic to receive his PhD in Law and Society.
We wish Dr. Dorji every success in this new chapter and look forward to continued collaboration between our institutions.
Warmest congratulations from your alma mater, Nima!

05/21/2026

The second of two workshops focussing on Indigenous Laws and Transpacific trade took place last week at National D**g Hwa University (NDHU). The event was hosted by Awi Mona (Dean & Professor of Law, NDHU) who co-leads the project with Pooja Parmar (UVic Law and President’s Chair in Law & Indigeneity in a Global Context). The workshop was featured in the local news.
https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/capi/research/home/projects/indigenous-laws-and-trans-pacific-trade/index1.php

03/26/2026

Welcome to the conference information page for the 2026 Spring Conference of the American Ethnological Society.

03/17/2026

Join us this Friday at CAPI for a roundtable discussion on “Constitutions and Emergency Powers: Toward a New Research Agenda.” This conversation will explore how traditional emergency powers are being challenged by today’s interconnected crises including public health, climate change, financial instability, migration, and technological disruption.

Featuring leading scholars in constitutional and international law, this session will examine the risks of emergency power abuse and consider how constitutional frameworks may need to evolve to address the complex realities of modern governance.

📅 Friday, March 20
🕒 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM
📍 FRA A168a, CAPI Boardroom, University of Victoria

This event is open to the public, but seating is limited. Register to attend.
https://events.uvic.ca/capi/event/106203-constitutions-and-emergency-powers-toward-a-new-resea

03/13/2026

Coming up next week, a talk hosted in collaboration with our colleagues at Centre for Global Studies and Centre for Studies in Religion and Society (CSRS) - UVic.
On Tuesday, March 17 (10:30–11:30 AM PT), The Harold Coward India Research Fellow Shubham Arora will present “Sexual Pleasure as Thought: Erotics in Premodern South Asia.” His talk explores the rich intellectual tradition in South Asia that treated pleasure as a subject of serious reflection, examining how texts such as the Kāmasūtra engaged with questions of desire, relationships, social roles and human fulfillment.
Rather than viewing these works only as manuals of practice, this discussion highlights how they contributed to broader conversations about intimacy, emotion, and the principles of a well lived life across centuries.

Hybrid event
Fraser Building 152, University of Victoria or join via Zoom
Tuesday, March 17 | 10:30–11:30 AM PT
https://events.uvic.ca/capi/event/105963-sexual-pleasure-as-thought-erotics-in-premodern

03/12/2026

CAPI would like to thank everyone who joined us for our Annual Graduate Student Symposium on March 5th, 2026.

The event brought together graduate students conducting Asia-related research from across disciplines to share their work, exchange ideas, and engage in thoughtful discussion. Throughout the day, presenters delivered engaging talks on a wide range of topics connected to Asia. Each presentation was followed by Q&A sessions that provided thoughtful feedback, and new perspectives. The symposium created a space for students to refine their research, connect with peers and faculty, and strengthen academic networks.

We are grateful to all of the graduate student presenters for sharing their work and contributing to such a rich and inspiring dialogue. Thank you as well to the faculty members who chaired and facilitated the sessions. Events like the Graduate Student Symposium highlight the importance of creating spaces where emerging scholars can share ideas, receive constructive feedback, and build connections that support future research and collaboration.

We look forward to continuing to support graduate student research and welcoming new participants at next year’s symposium.

Photos by Sanikka Gupta

01/26/2026

A great recap of the Annual INSPIRE conference, led by Professor Daniela Damian, CAPI/ECS Chair in Inclusive Science, Technology and Engineering.

Step inside the fourth year of INSPIRE, featuring the dynamic 2025 Apprentice Garage Program and panel discussions among students and keynotes from Industry ...