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The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, UM

A dynamic hub of interdisciplinary research rooted in Macau, in service of academic excellence and the advancement of humanity.

08/05/2026

🏦 How did 14th-century China keep paper money afloat without gold or silver backing?

That was the question at the heart of Professor Kuroda Akinobu’s recent distinguished lecture at IAS. His answer? Institutional "note circuits." After the Yuan dynasty abolished note exchange in 1309, the state required salt vouchers to be bought exclusively with new, "clean" notes, creating continuous demand and a stratified system where fresh notes traded at a premium. This structure kept inflation at bay for over four decades. 📜

The Ming dynasty, by contrast, lacked such renewal mechanisms, and their paper currency collapsed. The takeaway? In pre-banking economies, credibility doesn’t come from trust alone, but from well-designed circulation circuits. A huge thank you to Professor Wang Di for moderating, and to Professor Lin Shaoyang for insightful commentary.

Inspiring cross-disciplinary dialogue between history, economics, and the social sciences! 👏

07/05/2026

“AI Is Here. Now what?” 🤖🎓

On 4 May 2026, IAS brought together scholars and students to tackle one big question:
👉 How do teachers teach and students learn in the age of AI?*

From academic integrity to digital literacy, educational equity to AI-assisted research, our interdisciplinary panel (Education, Philosophy, Engineering, Law, and beyond) didn’t hold back.

Two student reps also shared how they’re actually using AI for research and writing.

✅ 130+ attendees
✅ Real talk, real questions
✅ No easy answers—but all the right conversations

The future of learning isn’t AI vs. humans. It’s AI with humans.

28/04/2026

We're excited to share a video that captures the essence of IAS – our members, our mission, and our core values.

At IAS, being interdisciplinary isn't just a buzzword. It's how we tackle complex questions, bridge fields, and push boundaries. Our journal, South China Quarterly, reflects that commitment – bringing together rigorous scholarship and diverse perspectives.

🎬 Watch the video to meet our community, explore our values, and see why IAS is more than an institute.

23/04/2026

💵 Inconvertible Paper Currency in 14th-Century China: A Study of Currency Circuits

💰 How can a currency without metallic backing sustain its value?
More than 700 years ago, the Yuan dynasty was already confronting this question.
In 1309, the Yuan dynasty formally abolished the treasury for note exchange, transforming state-issued paper money into a de jure inconvertible currency.
🤯 Remarkably, these notes continued to circulate with relative stability for more than four decades, without triggering significant inflation.
How was this possible?

In this Distinguished Guest Lecture, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS), University of Macau, is honoured to welcome

🧑‍🏫 Professor Akinobu Kuroda
(Emeritus Professor at the University of Tokyo; Chair Professor of Department of History at Taiwan Normal University)

Drawing on the concept of currency circuits, Professor Kuroda will explore how institutional mechanisms such as the salt monopoly, regional circulation controls, and the stratification between new and old notes helped sustain demand for paper money and maintain monetary order.

This lecture also invites us to revisit a question that remains deeply relevant today:
Where does the value of money come from?

🎙 Moderator: Prof. Di Wang
(Associate Director of IAS, Chair Professor of Department of History, FAH, University of Macau)

💬 Discussant: Prof. Shaoyang Lin
(Head of Academic Programme and Publication of IAS, Distinguished Professor of Department of History, FAH, University of Macau)

Event Details
📅 Date: 5 May 2026 (Tue)
⏰ Time: 3:00–5:00 PM
📍 Venue: UM Library Auditorium (E2-G012)
🗣 Language: English

💬 Let’s talk in the comments:
If money has no material or metallic backing, where do you think its value comes from—institutions, trust, or something else?

08/04/2026

We are pleased to share insights from Professor Rostam J. Neuwirth, as we embarked on our sixth year at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Macau.

Having been a fellow since the institute's inception in 2019, Professor Neuwirth reflects on the enriching experiences he has encountered within this vibrant academic community.

In his video, he reminisces about the fruitful discussions and collaborations that have taken place over the years, from informal lunchtime meetings to international conferences. These exchanges have not only enhanced his research, particularly on the complexities of artificial intelligence, but have also underscored the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to tackling contemporary challenges.

We look forward to Professor Neuwirth’s continued contributions to the ongoing debates within IAS.

🎥 Watch his video to gain deeper insights into the invaluable work undertaken by our community!

25/03/2026

Driving Innovation in the New Era 💡

On 13 March, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) at the University of Macau hosted a guest lecture titled “China’s Innovation-Driven Development Strategy in the New Era.” 🏫

The lecture was delivered by Dr. Sun Fuquan 👨‍🎓, Grade II Research Fellow at the Ministry of Science and Technology and former Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development, and moderated by Professor Shui Bing, Vice Director of IAS and Professor in the Department of Global Legal Studies at the University of Macau.

Dr. Sun explored how innovation-driven development has become central to China’s modernization and high-quality growth. He emphasized the need to strengthen original innovation, tackle key technological bottlenecks, and deepen the link between technology and industry. The lecture also highlighted four priorities for the new era: core technology breakthroughs, stronger tech–industry integration, coordinated development in education, science and talent, and the advancement of Digital China. 🚀

The lecture offered valuable insights into China’s evolving innovation strategy and its implications for regional development.💪

23/03/2026

We were honored to host Professor Walter Schweidler (University of Eichstätt‑Ingolstadt) for the UM Distinguished Philosophers Lecture Series – 11, co‑organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities & Social Sciences and the Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies.

Professor Schweidler’s talk, “Slaves Within Ourselves: Political Legitimacy in the Context of Utilitarian Culture,” challenged us to rethink freedom, labor, and the price of the “good life” from Aristotle’s polis and schole to today’s wage labor and the traps of utilitarian self‑enslavement.

Thanks to moderator Prof. Hans‑Georg Moeller, discussants Prof. Ellen Zhang and Prof. Zhai Xiaobo, and everyone who joined the lively Q&A. Great turnout, rich dialogue, and a memorable bridge between classical and contemporary, East and West.

Looking forward to more knowledge exchange that spark critical thinking!

20/03/2026

What a thought-provoking afternoon at UM! On 13 March 2026 the UM Philosophy Forum Distinguished Scholars Series — 10, jointly hosted by IAS and the FAH’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies — welcomed Professor Qiuling Li (Renmin University of China) for a masterful lecture on “Means and Ends: A Re‑examination of Kant’s Copernican Revolution.”

Moderated by Professor Io Cheng Tong (Dean, Faculty of Law) with Professor Zhiwei Zhang as discussant, the session unpacked Kant’s move to make objects conform to cognition, the limits Kant imposed by confining a priori forms to possible experience, and the revolution’s partial success — illuminating but not fully liberating metaphysics from its historical impasse.

The talk sparked lively exchanges with faculty and students on topics from the scope of Kant’s Copernican turn to the relationship between his theoretical and practical philosophy.

A rich turnout and energetic discussion made this event a valuable contribution to ongoing philosophical inquiry at UM.

Grateful to Professor Li, our moderators and discussant, and everyone who joined — IAS remains committed to fostering high‑quality academic dialogue in the humanities.

11/03/2026

🌟 The Slave in Ourselves — Political Legitimation in a Utilitarian Culture 🌟

The Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) and the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau, cordially invite you to the UM Philosophy Forum Distinguished Scholars Series – 11.

🗓 Date: 16 March 2026 (Monday)
⏰ Time: 16:00 – 17:30
🗣 Language: English
📍 Venue: Cultural Building, E34-G011, University of Macau

Speaker:
Prof. Walter Schweidler — Chair Professor of Philosophy, University of Eichstaett‑Ingolstadt, Germany

Discussants:
Prof. Ellen Zhang — Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, FAH
Prof. Xiaobo Zhai — Assistant Dean, Associate Professor, FLL

Moderator:
Prof. Hans-Georg Moeller
Professor of Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, FAH

Drawing on the Aristotelian thesis that slavery belongs to human nature, Prof. Schweidler will explore why this claim remains systematically important for political philosophy today: historically, because the model polis was a slave-state shaping concepts of freedom and political legitimation; and philosophically, because citizenship is partly defined by experiences a “slave” cannot share.

Students attending on-site will receive 1 SP and 15 CS for “Knowledge Integration” in the Whole Person Development Award.

🔗 Register: https://umac.questionpro.com.au/t/ARuNlZSAwo

ℹ For enquiries: [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you for an engaging interdisciplinary discussion on freedom, citizenship, and political legitimacy.

04/03/2026

🌟 Kant’s Copernican Turn Revisited 🌟

We are pleased to invite you to the UM Philosophy Forum Distinguished Scholars Series – 10, jointly presented by the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) and the Department of Philosophy and Religion, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Macau.

🗓 Date: 13 March 2026 (Friday)
⏰ Time: 16:00 – 17:30
🗣 Language: Mandarin (Chinese)
📍 Venue: E21A–G049, Humanities & Social Sciences Building, University of Macau

Speaker:
Prof. Qiuling Li - Professor Emerita, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China; Chair Professor, School of Philosophy and Social Development, Shandong University.

Distinguished Discussant:
Prof. Zhiwei Zhang - Professor, School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China.

Moderator:
Prof. Io Cheng Tong - Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Macau.

This lecture, “Means and Ends — Rethinking Kant’s Copernican Revolution,” will examine Kant’s attempt to make metaphysics as secure as mathematics and the natural sciences by means of his “Copernican turn.” Prof. Li will revisit whether Kant’s teleological principle and his unification of nature and freedom ultimately deliver the kind of reliable metaphysics he sought—especially given the limits of a priori forms to the domain of possible experience.

🔗 Register now: https://umac.questionpro.com.au/t/ARuNlZR9u1

Don’t miss this chance to engage with leading scholarship on Kant, metaphysics, and the foundations of modern philosophy.

For enquiries: [email protected]

28/01/2026

On the afternoon of 26 January, the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) at the University of Macau successfully hosted its first guest lecture of the year, held in collaboration with the Department of History in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Professor Song Nianshen from Tsinghua University delivered a presentation entitled "The Metamorphosis of Shenyang’s Xita: A Journey Through Four Centuries." Using a mere 1.2-square-kilometre micro-space as his focal point, he unpacked the formative logic of modern China and its urban landscapes. The lecture was chaired by Professor Wang Di, Chair Professor of the Department of History of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Associate Director of IAS.

Professor Song traced Xita's multifaceted evolution over four centuries, from a Qing-dynasty religious centre, to a focal point of modern geopolitical contestation, and subsequently to a contemporary ethnic enclave and commercial district.

This exploration underscored the core premise that "small spaces can bear the weight of grand history," advocating for an understanding of macro-historical processes through the lens of ordinary people's everyday practices.

Address

3rd Floor, Cultural Building, University Of Macau, E34, Avenida Da Universidade
Macau
999078

Website

https://ias.um.edu.mo/

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