Nov. 12, 2011 memorial event for independence of East Turkitan
Lecture Meeting by Dr. Sean R Roberts “Imagining Terrorism”

On Nov. 12, 1933 and 1944, Republic of East Turkistan declared independence. Even though these two republics were short-lived, they are still existing as ethnical symbol of Uyghur people under China’s suppression.
While Uyghur’s protest against Chinese government still goes on now, Chinese government justifies the suppression as all of actions are caused by Muslim terrorists. East Turkistan Islam Movement (ETIM) is an organization targeted in this justification.
In coming memorial event for independence of East Turkitan, Dr. Sean Roberts, associate professor of George Washington Univ. is invited to make a speech on “Imagining Terrorism: Myths and Realities about the Uyghur Terrorist Threat and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement”
We look forward to having your attendance.

Nov. 12, 2011 memorial event for independence of East Turkitan Lecture Meeting by Dr. Sean R Roberts leaflet 1 / 2

Date: Starting at 18:45, Sat. November 12, 2011

Venue: Central Building 4F, National Olympics Memorial Youth Center
（3-1. Yoyogi Kamizono-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo）

Lecture: Imagining Terrorism: Myths and Realities about the Uyghur Terrorist Threat and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement

Speaker: Dr. Sean R Roberts (the Director of the International Development Studies program, and the Associate Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs.)
*speaking in English and will be transrated into Japanese

Fee: 1,500 yen (Member of Japan Uyghur Association: 500 yen)

Talk to be given
In 2002, the United Nations and the United States recognized the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a little known Uyghur organization allegedly centered in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as a terrorist organization. Since that time, the Chinese government has continually suggested that this organization is a critical threat to the national security of the People’s Republic. Yet, there is little evidence that this organization has ever successfully carried out a sophisticated terrorist attack inside or outside of China. This talk examines how academics, pundits, and self-proclaimed “terrorism experts” have helped to create and perpetuate a narrative about the Uyghur terrorist threat without concrete evidence to back up their claims. The speaker also examines the facts available in providing his own informed opinion of the real nature of the ETIM and the extent of its threat to China and the larger world.

Speaker : Dr. Sean R Roberts
Dr. Sean R. Roberts is a cultural anthropologist who has been studying the Uyghurs of the Kazakhstan-China borderlands for approximately twenty years. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on the Uyghur people and is presently writing an ethnography of Uyghur community practices in Kazakhstan. In addition, he produced, filmed, and edited Waiting for Uighurstan, a documentary film on the cross-border interactions of the Uyghur people between Central Asia and China. He has also testified before congress regarding the alleged terrorist threat posed by the Uyghurs and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement. Presently, he is the Director of the International Development Studies program and an Associate Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School for International Affairs. He has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Southern California.

Dr. Sean Roberts, George Washington University