Time: Monday, April 7^th, 6:00-7:30 PM

Venue: LIB 1117

Speaker: Dr. Michel Chambon, Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore

Coordinator of ISAC, the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics

Abstract:

While most people still believe that the Philippines is the most Catholic country in 21st-century Asia, this talk revisits the current state of Catholicism in Asia, as well as ways to measure and analyze the evolution and footprint of Catholicism in Asia. Traveling through countries such as Indonesia, East Timor, Japan, and Sri Lanka, this talk aims to challenge outdated representations about Asian Catholicism and their underlying theories about religious change, secularization, and colonization. It will also demonstrate how the question of Asian Catholicism is not only crucial for understanding Asia, but also for understanding the Asian engagement with the Middle East and the West.

Speaker’s Bio:

Dr. Michel Chambon is a cultural anthropologist and a Catholic theologian specialized in the study of Chinese Christianity and Catholicism in Asia. Since 2003, he has lived and studied in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and Singapore. As a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore, he coordinates ISAC, the Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics.