André Laliberté, political science professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal, will give a talk titled "The Role of Taiwanese Humanistic Buddhist Relief in Chinese Local Politics: An Informal Diplomacy?" in a colloquium sponsored by the York Centre for Asian Studies, from 3 to 5:30pm today in room 305 York Lanes.
Laliberté received his PhD at the University of British Columbia in 1999 and has written chapters and articles on aspects of democratic consolidation in Taiwan and the activities of Buddhist organizations for the European Journal for East Asian Studies, the American Asian Review, Études internationales, Pacific Affairs, and Perspectives chinoises. His latest book is The Politics of Buddhist Organizations in Taiwan, 1989-2003: Safeguarding the Faith, Building a Pure Land, Helping the Poor (Routledge Curzon, 2004). He is currently directing a research team looking into the inclusion of philanthropic associations in local governments' welfare policies in rural China.