On 28 October, the AREA Ruhr office team welcomed the new cohort of doctoral students, MA students, and student assistants of the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” for an informal get-together. While enjoying tea, coffee, and cookies the doctoral and master students shortly introduced their research projects to their peers. Also, the AREA Ruhr office team gave insights into the various activities of the joint research and teaching alliance. Towards the end of the meeting, there was also time to chat and get to know each other better.
The Research Training Group “East Asian Futures” is a graduate programme funded by the German Research Council that, starting in 2023, aims to train doctoral researchers about conceptions relating to the future in East Asia. It is based at the Faculty of East Asian Studies of Ruhr University Bochum and at the Institute of East Asian Studies of the University of Duisburg-Essen. A second cohort of doctoral students picked up their research within the group in October 2025.