You are cordially invited to a special seminar by Dr. Abigail D. De Leon. The details are as follows.
Title: Intangible Assets Theory of Development: :
Towards Documenting Development in Community Choir Singing
Speaker: Dr. Abigail D. De Leon, Assistant Professor, University of Asia and the Pacific
Date: November 15th (Wed.) 2017, 14:00 – 15:30
Place: Tonan Tei (Room No. 201) on the 2nd floor of Inamori Foundation Memorial Building, CSEAS, Kyoto University
Moderator: Prof. Caroline Hau, CSEAS, Kyoto University
Abstract:
This study looked at community choir singing as a potential source of social capital and human capital, which a developing country such as the Philippines needs to see as an important resource for a more enriched development direction. The interest in this inquiry lies in the fact that the Philippines is home to many choirs—many of them community-based, nonprofessional, and yet winning in international choral Olympic competitions. Thus, the study mainly asks how active choir music engagement contributes to the development of individuals and communities at large? How, specifically does it do so in terms of generating development and reinforcement of human capital and social capital?
This research concludes with a theoretical proposal called Intangible Asset Theory of Development (IATD) in the process of exploring the perennial question of the connection between community choir singing and its impact on community development. This also complements existing studies that have already presented statistical and anecdotal evidence to this possible connection, by formulating a tool to qualitatively document data of actual intangible assets that are acquired or reinforced in the choir members that participate in this type of community activity.
About the speaker:
Abigail de Leon has been teaching with the Institute of Political Economy–now School of Law and Governance–of the University of Asia and the Pacific since 2001. Since 2013 she has held the responsibility of Directing graduate and undergraduate programs of Political Economy with Specialization in International Relations and Development. Together with this, she has found time to pursue her passion for music. At the crossroad of these two seeming opposite fields she decided to pursue her doctoral research along the lines of social and human capital development as observed in Philippine choirs, and therefore developing a theory which she has coined as “Intangible Asset Theory of Development” (IATD). She is currently finding opportunities to expand the theory’s application not only in creative spaces but in community and social action spaces at large.