2020 May 18 Academy & Civil Society Activists Academy

2020 May 18 Academy

The May 18 Academy (hereinafter referred to as the Academy) is an educational program for human rights activists all over the world. It started under the name of Gwangju Asia Human Rights School in 2004, and has provided lectures on democracy, human rights, and peace. By 2019, more than 300 human rights activists from 50 countries participated. Through the Academy, they strengthened their expertise and built transnational solidarity.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Academy will be held online this year. Greeting the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, the theme of the Academy will be "How the May 18 Democratic Uprising Contributed to Democratization in South Korea" It includes lectures on the May 18 Democratic Uprising and pro-democracy movements both in Korea and Asia and will be shared with international participants.]

The Academy consists of nine lectures examining the process of the May 18 Democratic Uprising and its impact on Korean society on an individual, societal, and cultural level. The Academy will also create a space to reinterpret the meaning of the May 18 Democratic Uprising, and will discuss historical reckoning and transitional justice. By doing so, it intends to deliver a message of solidarity to comrades in Asia and future generations.

Lecture Information

Number	Lecturer (Affiliation)	Lecture Title
1	Surya Deva (Professor, City University of Hong Kong)	Human Rights in Asia: Challenges and the Way Forward
2	Kwangsu Lee (Professor, Busan University of Foreign Studies)	The May 18 Democratic Uprising and Democratization Movement in Asia
3	Jean Ahn (Professor, Chonnam National University)	The May 18 Democratic Uprising, State Violence, and Women
4	Tim Shorrock (Investigative Journalist)	The Importance of Historical Documents in Activism
5	Gyonggu Shin (Director, Gwangju International Center),Marcy Tanter (Professor, Tarleton State University)	The Impact of the May 18 Democratic Uprising on Korean Culture and Arts
6	Myunghee Kim (Professor, Gyeongsang National University)	Trauma Rehabilitation of the May 18 Democratic Uprising
7	Sangbong Kim (Professor, Chonnam National University)	The May 18 Democratic Uprising: Philosophical Perspectives
8	Micheal George Hayes (Program Director and Chair, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University)	An Introduction to Transitional Justice
9	Yongju Choi (Head of the Investigation Section 1, May 18 Truth Investigation Committee)	How Has the Korean Civil Society Reckoned with a Legacy of State Violence?

2020 Civil Society Activists Academy

2020 Civil Society Activists Academy is a program aimed at enhancing human rights sensibility and reinforcing the capacity of human rights defenders by providing on-site training opportunities to domestic civil society activists. To reach these goals, participants will be engaged in attending lectures, participating in discussions, and taking field trips both in and outside Korea under the theme of "The History of Democratization and Human Rights Issues in Asian Countries".

This year it will be held online due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Lectures will be on the histories of the struggles for democracy and human rights in Nepal, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Palestine.

Lecture Information

	Lecturer	Lecture Title
Nepal	Tika P. Dhasal(Political Scientist)	Democratization in Nepal: Collective Action for Political Transitions
Vietnam	Jinseok Cho(Director, Nawauri)	The Process and History of Vietnam's Democratization
Sri Lanka	Michael Roberts(Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Adelaide)	The Democratization of Sri Lanka
Indonesia	Hyungjoon Kim(Professor, Department of Cultural Anthropology, Kangwon National University)	Indonesia's Democracy
Cambodia	Deth Sok Udom(Professor, Department of International Relations, Paragon International University)	A History of Cambodia's Democracy
Palestine	Heesoo Lee(Chair Professor, Sungkonghoe University / Director, The Center for Islamic Studies)	Democratization Movement and History of Democracy in Palestine