UST hosts 5th regional conference on culture, religion; opens May 16

THE 5TH regional conference of the International Conference of the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religion (SSEASR) will be held at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) from May 16 to 19.

Sen. Edgardo Angara, chair of the Senate committee on Education, Arts and Culture, and chair of the committee on Science and Technology will deliver the keynote address on “Healing, Belief Systems, Cultures and Religions of South and Southeast Asia” while Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., UST rector, and Dr. Amarjiva Lochan, SSEASR president, will deliver the welcome remarks during the opening ceremonies.

SSEASR is an affiliate of the International Association of the History of Religions (IAHR) under the auspices of the UNESCO. This year’s gathering will bring together scholars, writers, artists, and the religious for a four-day conference. The 5th SSEASR Conference, held every two years, is committed to provide an academic platform to discuss the relationship between culture and healing.

Part of the activities are a preconference one-day tour to Laguna province for the San Isidro Labrador Festival, a cultural and religious event, on May 15, and a post-conference tour of Cebu and Bohol in the Visayas from May 20 to 22 for interested participants.

For more details, contact the 5th SSEASR Conference Secretariat through telefax at 731-3038, or SSEASRphilippines@yahoo.com and fpuy@mnl.ust.edu.ph, or visit www.sseasr.org.