The Newsletter
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Encouraging knowledge and enhancing the study of Asia iias.asia 81 The Newsletter Building the New Silk Road The Focus A collective and interdisciplinary analysis of social progress Building material knowledge through conservation in Indonesia Celebrating 25 years of the International Institute for Asian Studies 2 Contents From the Director In this edition 3 Second Africa-Asia Conference in of the Focus Dar es Salaam: Boundless Circulation of Knowledge 29-40 IIAS celebrates 25 years 4-5 A number of special activities have been planned for the upcoming year in honour of IIAS’s 25th anniversary. The Study 7 6- Imaginaries of Jurong Industrial Estate, Singapore A collective and Loh Kah Seng 8 The lingering corpse in the Chinese urban Qin Shao interdisciplinary 9 A besieged artist: Hal Wichers in the Netherlands Indies Louis Zweers analysis of social 10-11 China’s country music: China wind Milan Ismangil progress The Region 12-14 China Connections Olivier Bouin The recent decades have seen a decline in 15-17 News from Northeast Asia 18-19 News from Southeast Asia world poverty and an extension of democracy 20-23 News from Australia and the Pacific in many countries around the world. Nevertheless, many people have the feeling that this has also been a period of social setbacks, and there is a The Review general atmosphere of skepticism regarding the 524-2 New reviews on newbooks.asia possibility of long-term substantial social progress. 26-27 Selected reviews from newbooks.asia A new report compiled by the International Panel 28 New titles on newbooks.asia on Social Progress (IPSP) seeks to gain insights into what the current main risks and challenges The Focus are, and how institutions and policies can be 29 A collective and interdisciplinary analysis improved if the plagues of inequality, segregation, of social progress intolerance, exclusion and violence are to be fought. Guest editor: Olivier Bouin This Focus shares the message of hope found in 30 Rethinking Asia for the 21st Century the IPSP report: A better society is indeed possible, Ravi Kanbur its contours can be broadly described, and all we 31 Social justice and well-being: lessons for Asia Hiroshi Ono need is to gather forces toward realizing this vision. 32-33 Values and principles for social progress Henry S. Richardson 34-35 Economic growth, social progress and planetary welfare Purnamita Dasgupta 36-37 Public health and social progress Vivian Lin, Britta Baer and Kate Silburn 38-39 Sustainable social progress begins The Newsletter is a free periodical with education: current perspectives published by the International Institute on the Asia region In this issue for Asian Studies (IIAS). As well as From 13 October onwards IIAS will be Suman Verma serving as a forum for scholars to share celebrating its 25th year of existence. We aim 40 Religion and social flourishing in Asia to make this year a memorable one, starting Samia Huq research, commentary and opinion with with our Annual Lecture on 20 November 2018 colleagues in academia and beyond, and culminating in ICAS 11 (16-19 July 2019), which will return to the Netherlands, where The Newsletter is also a window into it had its first instalment in 1998 (page 4-5). The Network the Institute. Also cause for celebration is ‘200 years of Oriental Studies in Russia’ (page 51). 42-47 Reports On page 42, attention is given to scholarship 48 New Publication in Cambodia. Closer to home, on page 49, 49 Announcements he International Institute for Asian you may read about the new IIAS research 50 Digital Resources Studies (IIAS) is a global Humanities project ‘Building the New Silk Road: China’s Tand Social Sciences institute and a Belt and Road Initiative in context’. 51-52 Announcements knowledge exchange platform, based in Furthermore, included are two workshop 53 IIAS Fellowship Programme Leiden, the Netherlands, with programmes reports (pages 43-45), an article by Manpreet 54-55 IIAS Research, Networks and Initiatives that engage Asian and other international Janeja about her book Ethnographies of partners. IIAS takes a thematic and multi- Waiting: Doubt, Hope and Uncertainty sectoral approach to the study of Asia (page 48) and finally, two pieces on the and actively involves scholars and experts digital resources of the East Asia Resource The Portrait from different disciplines and regions in its Library in Slovenia and ‘Naval Kishore Press activities. Our current thematic research – digital’ in India (page 50). 56 Song of Spring: Pan Yu-Lin in Paris clusters are ‘Asian Heritages’, ‘Asian Cities’ IIAS research programmes, networks and Chantal Miller Gallery, Asia Society and ‘Global Asia’. other initiatives are described in brief on pages Hong Kong Center (ASHK) Information about the programmes and 54-55. Information about the IIAS Fellowship activities of IIAS can be found in the Network programme can be found on page 53 and pages of each issue of The Newsletter. on our latest announcements on page 52. The Newsletter No. 81 Autumn 2018 3 From the Director The Newsletter is a free periodical published by IIAS. As well as being a window into the institute, The Newsletter also links IIAS with the community of Asia scholars and the worldwide public interested in Asia and Asian studies. The Newsletter bridges the gap between specialist knowledge and public discourse, and continues to serve as a forum for scholars to share research, commentary and opinion with colleagues in academia and beyond. Postal address Second Africa-Asia PO Box 9500 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands Visitors Conference in Dar es Salaam Rapenburg 59 Leiden T +31 (0) 71-527 2227 Boundless Circulation of Knowledge [email protected] Colophon Philippe Peycam The Newsletter No. 81 Autumn 2018 Managing editor: he International Institute for Asian of engagement that inspires even beyond the immune to changes. These may be rooted in Sonja Zweegers Studies (IIAS) and the International spatiality of the two continents. deep-seated beliefs and mental – ideological – Guest editor for The Focus: TConvention of Asia Scholars (ICAS) were Another special feature of the conference in Dar constructions delineated by value systems often Olivier Bouin honoured to serve, once again, as one of the es Salaam was the number of universities, institutes imposed by institutions, national narratives, or the Regional editors: principle facilitators of the second edition and even academic journals that went out of their fragmentation of knowledge into disciplines. Terence Chong (ISEAS), of the international conference ‘Asia-Africa, way to support the event and its plurality by funding One kind of unfounded value judgement that the Ilhong Ko (SNUAC), A New Axis of Knowledge’ which took place people in need of assistance. Their collective effort successes of Accra 2015 and Dar es Salaam 2018 Cheryl M. Schmitz (NYU Shanghai), in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 20-22 September amounts to a clear rejection of the current logic swept away is the so-called African ‘disconnection’ Edwin Jurriëns, Ana Dragojlovic 2018. The other key partners in this endeavour that coerces institutions into competition with one from the larger spectrum of knowledge circulation and Andy Fuller (Asia Inst. of were our host, the University of Dar es Salaam another or that prioritizes narrow quantifiable and debates of the world. This derogative conception The University of Melbourne). The Review pages editor: (UDSM), and the Association for Asian Studies outputs against the act of providing open and free is equally held toward other supposedly peripheral Wai Cheung in Africa (A-ASIA). This partnership stems spaces of intellectual exchanges, one of the essential places like for instance South or Southeast Asia. from a continuing commitment of IIAS to missions of humanistic academia. Among them were Before the two African events, we the organisers, The Network pages editor: collaborations beyond boundaries of any Calicut University, University of Ghana, Shanghai were warned about the ‘risks’ we would face – the Sandra Dehue kinds, which must include academic, cultural, Academy of Social Sciences, Tokyo University of supposed lack of local academic and intellectual Digital issue editor: public and social actors, particularly those Foreign Studies, Henry Luce Foundation, Michigan infrastructures; the Ebola pandemic; the fact that Thomas Voorter from the two most populated and dynamic University, Réunion University, National University this event was unnecessarily taking place in Africa Graphic Design: ‘southern’ regions (or continents) of the of Singapore, Social Sciences Research Council, (instead of Europe), in Ghana or Tanzania (instead Paul Oram world: Africa and Asia. Leiden University, IIAS, Andrew Mellon Foundation, of South-Africa); that its focus should primarily be Lava the academic publisher Taylor and Francis, Itinerario on the continent’s exclusive relations with China, or Printing: As three years ago in Accra, the event in journal, and of course, University of Dar es Salaam. of global security or economic concerns, subjects for EPC, Belgium Dar es Salaam celebrated the existence of alternative There were other organisations whose members which institutional money from northern programs circuits of exchanges in which the usual ‘periphery’ worked hard to get their presidents, deans or abound. All these disparaging or reductionist became the dynamic agent or vector of new heads of department, often against tight financial comments, many rooted in an antiquated conception Submissions knowledge. Nearly 400 participants joined constraints, to sponsor or contribute to the cost of the world in which meanings and concerns should Issue #82: 15 November 2018 approximately 100 panels and roundtables held of a panel or a roundtable. I cannot name them all remain the primacy of a few (northern) centres Issue #83: 15 March 2019 of gravity were brushed aside in Accra in 2015 and Issue #84: 15 July 2019 at the UDSM Business School. The events were but I would like here to pay special homage to our preceded by two outstanding and very personal colleagues from University Gaston Berger (Senegal), in Dar es Salaam in 2018.