Bulletin Supplement Aug 1969

V. The Seminars The Asian scholars and administrators played a very active role during the two weeks Workshop. They participated enthusiastically in the six seminars, which were grouped into two on the following topics: Group 1 The Relevance of the Humanistic Dialogue in the Academic Programme A . The Humanities B. The Social Sciences C. The Natura l Sciences Group 2 D. The Role of the Student E. The Role of the Teacher F. Innovation and Experimentation Six outstanding scholars had been invited to be leaders of the seminars: A . The Humanities Prof. Slametmuljana Professor of Malay Studies, Nanyang University, Singapore. B. The Social Sciences Prof. Hla Myint Professor of Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science. C. The Natural Sciences Dr. Wah K im Ong Lecturer in Chemistry, University of Singapore. D. The Role of the Student Mr. Kentaro Shiozuk i Secretary for University Teachers Work in Asia, Japan. E. The Role of the Teacher Prof. Cesar A. Majul Dean of Arts and Sciences, The University of the P h i l i p p i n e s . F. Innovation and Experimentation Prof. Hahn-Been Lee Dean of Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University. VI. The Lectures Three lectures were given during the second week, followed by discussions after each lecture. The University in Relationship to Traditional Culture (an outline) By Prof. Wang Gungwu Professor of Far Eastern History Australian National University, Canberra. The Conventional Dichotomy: The Western University in Asia It is frequently argued that the modern university is a product of western traditional culture and that culture was in turn modified by the university. Therefore, a close and meaningful relations exists in the West between the university and traditional culture and there is never really a great gap between the culture the society wants to have transmitted and the values which the university stands for. Even the rate of changes and progress was always regulated by the interaction between the university and vital sectors of the community. If the society changed too slowly, the university has often led the way; if the university was slow to respond to new social needs, the society sometimes shook it up and prodded it along. I n Asia, the traditional university did exist, but it was mainly set up to study, enrich and glorify traditional culture. It has now been replaced by the modern university which was modelled mainly on the university in the West in order to help the Asian countries to modernise. Thus by definition the modem university is a challenge to the traditions which are standing in the way of modernisation. Traditional culture tends therefore to be seen as totally opposed to progress, incompatible with science and technology, and therefore something more or less obsolete. The Logical Alternatives It is possible to imagine several different positions for universities to take with traditional culture. Firstly, complete rejection of traditional values. This position is based on the idea of the university as a functional institution, not different in kind from technical institutions, only bigger, better and of a higher standard. I t can exist under at least two very different sets of conditions: (a) when the society itself rejects traditional culture and is in the grip of revolution; (b) when the society believes that traditional culture is a matter for the home, the — 8 —