This article studies the depiction of the global migration crisis of 2015 in Chinese artist/activist Ai Weiwei’s documentary film Human Flow, released in 2017, which documents the Rohingyas, Syrians, and Afghanis to name a few. The paper demonstrates the use of the art of documentary film as a means of activism. In this effort, the narrative of the film addresses issues that are also targeted by other migration activists and experts. This article compares the themes contained in the film with the themes present in the wider migration activism to determine where there is convergence. The article explores the insufficient/failed responses to the crisis and potential solutions, while also revisiting the concept of human rights, and the definition of the term ‘refugee.’ Human Flow is unique in its approach both as an art form and an activism tool in its depiction of the migration crisis. The author argues that refugees are facing the brunt of a “globalization of indifference,” a “barbed-wire mentality,” and a “crisis of solidarity” among the wealthy nations of the global north.
Full Text PDFThis article establishes a helpful guide to evaluate and understand China’s strategic behavior. It asserts that the current Chinese approaches to foreign and strategic engagements can be explained by probing into the ancient pre-Confucian texts, the literary traditions, the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China, the board game wei qi, and the fundamental cultural concepts of wu-wei, tao, and guanxi. These elements manifest the Chinese way of thinking and, thus, provide a sensible guide to assess Chinese foreign and strategic engagements. The proposition has broad ramifications on how the United States (as well as its allies in Asia) perceives and evaluates China, a prerequisite to preserve peace in Asia.
Full Text PDFThis article explores the myth and reality of Western claims that Russia had historically sought a blue water, or warm water, port in foreign countries. Russia’s desire to turn from its traditional Western- and Eurocentric strategy towards Southeast Asia was driven by four principal factors: Moscow’s quest for a warm water port, its thrust to counter the United States’ dominance in Southeast Asia, its policy to develop and deepen multilateral relations, and its desire to generate economic gain in strategic partnership with Southeast Asian states. Russia’s relationship with Southeast Asia spans the spectrum of defense, trade, and diplomatic engagements at the bilateral level with individual countries, and the multilateral level with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022 plunged Moscow’s relations with Southeast Asia—into uncertainty. While many of the original founding members of ASEAN have close links with the United States, Russia has emerged as the biggest arms supplier to other member states. Yet, Russia’s future engagement with the region is clouded in uncertainty over new obstacles of its own making.
Full Text PDFIn recent years, the Japanese visual entertainment industry, popularly known as anime, has been triumphant in establishing itself as a medium exploring philosophical themes, a far cry from the original perception of the industry as one catering to adolescent amusements. This paper is an exploration of the distinctive, often idiosyncratic presentation, of historical incidents through the medium of manga and anime. Through a study of Samurai Champloo, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and Millennium Actress, to name a few, this paper will delve into three different segments, emphasizing themes centered around historical anachronism, the experience of collective sorrow, the reinterpretation of personalities from Japanese political history alongside the employment of intense storytelling through surreal landscapes. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, for example, is a sensitive understanding of the psychology behind genocides which leave space for hope in the aftermath of human tragedy. A second element found in anime is historical anachronisms. The celebrated samurai class from Japanese feudal era often emerge as the protagonists of long-running anime series. It is amusing to find the samurai fueled by codes of bushido becoming victims of anachronism. Lastly, I have analyzed the shades of surrealism interwoven in Satoshi Kon’s biographical film Millennium Actress, which is an example of the contiguity between dreams and reality.
Full Text PDFThis essay offers a psychoanalytical critique of Assamese filmmaker Bhaskar Hazarika’s Aamis (2019). Through a narrative rich in food symbolism, the film examines individual female identity and repressed sexual desire in a conservative social order. The characters, as social subjects, embody the crisis of individuality restrained by cultural conventions. The present study recognizes the depiction of cannibalism in the film as a metaphor of excessive desire that leads to social transgression. The study locates the cannibalistic hunger of the female protagonist as a metaphor to articulate her repressed sexuality in conservative society. It argues that Aamis problematizes conventional gender roles by representing the male body as an object of desire while examining the fallacy of the empowered woman in contemporary society.
