This talk reconsiders the values and resources in Asian traditions-particularly of China and India- that Max Weber found wanting in their capacity to achieve modernity. The foundations of sovereignty can no longer be sought in tunneled histories of nations we are recognizing that histories have always been circulatory, and the planet is a collective responsibility. The physical salvation of the world is becoming the transcendent goal of our times, transcending national sovereignty. Three global changes now define our condition: the rise of non-western powers, the crisis of environmental sustainability, and the loss of authoritative sources of transcendence-the ideals, principles and ethics once found in religions. The crisis of global modernity has been produced by human overreach that was founded upon a paradigm of national modernization. Prasenjit Duara Presentation Title: Sacred Ecologies: Sustainability and Transcendence in Contemporary Asia How can philosophy, history, literature and the arts, natural and social sciences, and the societal formations of East, Southeast, and South Asian Studies contribute to a “planetary realism” that both sustainably and more inclusively advances visions of an ecologically and ethically responsible humanity? The conference theme of Resilient Futures invites appreciative and critical reflection on the complexity of Asian perspectives and responses to current challenges, and how they open prospects for imagining global futures that are ecologically, economically, and culturally resilient-and also more humanely shared. The ever-evolving challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disruption, economic inequality, identity conflicts, post-truth media, and political turmoil are opportunities for creative and collaborative thinking that draws equally on historical understanding and contemporary conceptual and technological resources to question narratives and envision more resilient communities and more humane systems of global interdependence. The majority of the property’s 180 employees will be asked to stay on board, Palmer said.Resilient Futures: Using Asian Studies to Envision a More Humanely Shared World The first round of renovations is expected to be completed within the next 12 months. “Sequestration was detrimental, but the government shutdown was very fast and furious,” Katie Doherty, the property’s general manager, said in October following the 16-day shutdown. The property lost $1.5 million in business during the most recent government shutdown alone, Faims said. That business model backfired when the government began sharply cutting costs in recent years. By 2012, 65 percent of the property’s business was government-related. Since then, the 917-room hotel with 250,000 square feet of meeting space has carved out a niche catering to government agencies and nearby contractors. Originally known as the Xerox Conference Center, the property first opened in 1974 as a training ground for the company’s employees. “This property was custom-built for training but some of the public spaces are a bit outdated,” Palmer said. Designers have begun reimagining the property’s dining areas, heating and air systems are in the process of being replaced, and purchase orders have been signed for a ballroom renovation, according to Philip Faims, director of sales and marketing for the National Conference Center. “We thought that we could identify opportunities to bring the conference center back to a level of profitability.”Īlready there are signs of change. Palmer, managing director of Stoneleigh Capital. “We believe that the land in Loudoun County is extremely valuable,” said Frank D. Terms of the deal and the value of the planned investment were not disclosed. The new owner, NCC PS Enterprises, is a joint venture between real estate investment firm PCCP and private equity investor Stoneleigh Capital. The new owners say they hope to revamp the training center’s common areas in hopes of attracting more business from the private sector to make up for dwindling government-related gatherings. The National Conference Center in Leesburg changed hands last week, following millions of dollars in losses stemming from cutbacks in federal meeting and travel budgets.
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