The second Virtual Fieldwork Retreat of the Research Training Group GRK 2833 “East Asian Futures” took place on February 10, 2025 via Zoom and was hosted by the speaker Prof. Dr. Christine MOLL-MURATA.

Once again, the retreat brought together the same group of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers currently conducting fieldwork across East Asia. This time, the focus was on presenting the progress made during their fieldwork and how their time abroad has contributed to advancing their research. In addition to these updates, the doctoral researchers received valuable feedback from their respective supervisors and the Mercator Fellows Prof. Kaori HAYASHI, Prof. em. Brantly WOMACK and Prof. Lin-Chun WU, further enriching their ongoing academic work aimed at deepening the understanding of conceptions relating to the future in East Asia.

The retreat provided a platform for the researchers to reflect on their experiences, share challenges and successes and showcase how their work in the field has evolved. Many participants highlighted the importance of maintaining strong communication with their supervisors as well as their fellow researchers, enabling continuous collaboration despite being in different locations.

Overall, the retreat demonstrated the significant progress made by the doctoral researchers, even in the face of challenges, and reinforced the importance of staying connected as part of a larger academic network, including within the project.

This retreat thus represents a notable step in the researchers’ academic journeys, offering them a valuable opportunity to come together, learn from one another and align their projects with the broader goals of the Research Training Group.