In 2010, a group of twenty students and ten faculty members from The Department of East Asian Studies and the Department of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem went for a two-week study tour of Mongolia, designed to further strengthen the study of the Mongols and Central Asia at the University. The delegation was led by Prof. Michal Biran of our department and Prof. Reuven Amitai – the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. The trip began with two full days in the capital of Ulaan Baatar, where various historical spots were visited. During the tour, the delegation was officially hosted at the National University of Mongolia (N.U.M.) in Ulaan Baatar, where they signed agreement of cooperation with the Hebrew University, followed by a joint conference with researchers from the N.U.M. The Hebrew University is one of the foremost centers in the world for the study of the Mongol Empire, the largest land empire in history, founded in the early 13th century by Genghis Khan. For more information click here.
"Between China and the Islamic World", is a traveling seminar in Xinjiang (新疆), China, led by of Prof. Michal Biran, Prof. Yuri Pines and Prof. Gideon Shelach from the Department of Asian Studies. Xinjiang, the autonomous region in western – south of the People's Republic of China, is one of the most fascinating regions in Asia, historically and culturally. For thousands of years, the region has been an intersection between cultures, civilizations and different religions and has a strategic significance to China today. The tour includes historic, ethnographic, political, geographic and economic perspectives. The tour also include meetings with academics from Xinjiang, visiting museums and research institutes, and touring the markets, the mountain and dessert roads. For more information click here.
Temples and Stages, our first traveling class to India, took place in February 2015. Guided by Prof. David Shulman and Prof. Yigal Bronner, a group of 24 students, conducted an in-depth tour of India’s southern peninsula, and experienced its traditional and current aspects. The course was divided to three main parts. The first was in and around Chennai (Madras), the second part was dedicated to the Kaveri delta, the core of South Indian civilization, and the third part was Kochi’s colonial city, the country of spices and coconuts. Throughout the course, the students experienced the metropolis, culture, temples, music and the museums of India. We returned to Jerusalem euphoric and with an appetite for more. For more information click here.
Designated for outstanding students of Japan at The Hebrew University, the seminar includes meetings in Jerusalem and traveling to Japan during the summer vacation guided by Dr. Nissim Otmazgin. During the seminar, we will discuss the history, culture, society and religion in Japan. Throughout the seminar, the students will have intensive reading about Japan and take part in discussions and guest lectures. The students will be given research travel grants to Japan for two weeks. In Japan, we will visit sites relevant to these fields of study: history and historical memory, Shinto, Buddhism, contemporary society and popular culture. We will also visit universities and meet with local students and researchers. For more information click here.