05/07/2026
This week, as part of “The 2026 ICTMD Chiang Mai Joint Symposium of the Study Groups on Applied Ethnomusicology, Indigenous Music & Dance and Performing Arts of South East Asia,” the Director of MIRAS, Prof. Olcay Muslu, who is the member of the symposium program committee takes part in a panel and sessions that carried considerable weight for those of us working at the intersection of culture and human resilience.
Holds over eight days from 2–8 July 2026 at Chiang Mai University, this joint symposium marked the first time in the history of ICTMD that three Study Groups; Performing Arts of Southeast Asia (PASEA, 8th symposium), Applied Ethnomusicology (AE, 10th symposium), and Indigenous Music & Dance (IMD, 3rd symposium) came together in a single gathering. With close to 250 submissions received and more than 170 scheduled presentations divided across 65 sessions, the programme drew over 200 scholars, artists, researchers, and practitioners from 23 countries worldwide. The symposium is co-hosted by Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts.
Titled “Music Interventions in Times of Trouble: Similarities and Differences Between Working in Sudden-onset and Gradual-onset Crises and Disasters,” the panel was chaired by Huib Schippers and brought together nine voices from four continents including Tony Seeger, Gillian Howell, Marcia Ostashewski, Svanibor Pettan, Tan Sooi Beng, and Olcay Muslu. Together, they assembled a wealth of insights and experiences that connected natural and (hu)manmade crises, sudden-onset and slow-onset crises.
At MIRAS, we carry these conversations with us not as academic exercises, but
as ongoing responsibilities.
MIRAS, Centre for Cultural Sustainability
Olcay Muslu