HTTP: / AJ IAS. LEIDENUNIV.NL VISIT OUR WORLD WIDE WEB THE x S S u f / 9 9 9 ;|0 ° /nstit ute for 5, 2300 RA LEIDEN. THE N E T H E R L A N D S, T E L E P H O N E: + 31-71-527 22 27. TELEFAX: +31-71-527 41 62, E-MAIL: 11 AS N E WS@ RU LLET. Lei d e n U niwNL^ O. BOX 95 1 P eople deport ■Programme ■Call for lAgenda Publication Vacancy ■Short News ■ P a p e r s ► W w- ? GENERAL NEWS SOUTH ASIA EAST ASIA Pink Pages The main theme of Dr Tjeerd de Graaf received Ashin Das Gupta (1922-1998) 11 AS an honorary doctorate was a fine historian with an P-. the 6th European Conference The Programme for for accomplishing some unique international reputation, Is on Agricultural and Rural Europe-Asia Research Linkages projects. He financed an exceptional teacher, a beautiful Development in China will be forms an intellectual partnership the reconstruction of linguistic stylist of written and spoken ‘the factors that will shape China’s between scholars in databases from the archives of Bengali and English, and a perfect rural society in the 21st century' the Social Sciences and Humanities the Puskinskij Dom, Russian gentleman with a keen sense of is the main theme. A call for papers in Asia and Europe. Academy of Sciences in humour. He specialized in Indian focusing on the social, economic, St. Petersburg. Moreover he supplied maritime trade and merchants and and political transformations 41 stressed the human aspect of For centuries the Iban of West of rural China, and particularly departments in St. Petersburg with CLARA NEWS computers for the technical history. - (p.i8) Kalimantan, Indonesia, have made the interplay between government, The IIAS-IISG programme CLARA processing of the recorded materials. seasonal use of the extensive lakes, local organizations, and reports about the seminar Cecilia Odé reports. - [p.6) The Bhutanese Citizenship Act today designated as Danau market forces. - (p.32) of 1985 indirectly declared Sentarum Wildlife Reserve. They ‘Labour Relations in Asia and the southern Bhutanese face challenges such as over-fishing, 3 10 33 Europe: Exchanging experiences (Lhotshampas) ‘non-nationals’. loss of access to lake resources, and and perspectives’. Bhutanese refugees are now no conflict between ethnic groups. longer prepared to suffer in silence. Reed L. Wadley studies the Iban’s ASIAN ART Also: X, They continue to hold various natural resource use in native and Two CLARA visiting fellowships. demonstrations in Nepal and India colonial histories, which may The rapid turnover of styles among 46 and campaign in Bhutan through provide lessons for conservation and PRC artists reflects their sudden CNWS NEWS media or any other means they development in the area. - (p.25) exposure to Western art, whereas can find. An article by Taiwanese artists were always The Research School CNWS Rajesh Giri. -(p.19) The Universities Historical Research familiar with the history of Western promotes research in Asian, Centre, a centre for research on oil painting. The exhibition ‘Inside African, and Amerindian Studies. 1 7 0 22 Myanmar history, has an active Out: New Chinese Art’ shows work News on the Advanced Master’s ongoing programme of collecting by 58 Chinese artists living in Programme. A scientific and cultural documentary and non­ the People’s Republic of China, but 49 Dutch/Asian/South African project INSULAR S.W. ASIA documentary, adding constantly also in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and ALLIANCE NEWS has been developed to preserve and to an unrivalled collection on overseas. The GATE Foundation study the mutual heritage that Four hundred years ago the Dutch Myanmar history in Myanmar and reports. - (p.37) IIAS-NIAS Strategic Alliance the Netherlands share with under the command of Admiral other languages. The Centre also invites applications for countries in Asia and with South Wybrandt van Warwijck landed on conducts research, and publishes a Nordic-Netherlands Africa. The extensive trading the island of Mauritius. He named books, journals, and papers on Research Fellow. network of the East India Company the island Mauritius after Prince Myanmar history. - (p.27) has left us with a wealth of archival Maurits ofOrange-Nassau. ESF ASIA COMMITTEE materials, but these documents are To commemorate this event, 25 © 30 only worth preserving if they are the International Institute for Asian An update on activities of appreciated to be of value for Studies and the University Highlights of current and forth­ the ESF Asia Committee. explaining a society’s past. - (p.to) of Mauritius organized a seminar coming exhibitions of Asian Art. on globalization in the South- 0WÊÊ VACANCIES 3 © 14 f West Indian Ocean. - (p.23) 34 o 37 Vacancies in Asia, Europe, ", P hQ 24 and the United States. CENTRAL ASIA : i' The Tibetan epic ‘King Gesar’, AGENDA the longest epic in the world, is still Iri The International alive among the Tibetan people. - It has been handed down for Conference Agenda. generations and the oral tradition is still very much alive today. ik I Yang Enhong interviewed * INDEX forty singers, -(p. 16) . 4 5 **'■ \ Index of the HAS Newsletter 18 15 O - FROM PAINT IT RED / EXHIBITION OF CHINESE PROPAGANDA POSTERS 19491999, GRONINGER MUSEUM, THE NETHERLANDS EDITORIAL PAGE research, to come up with answers to a wide range of issues that are important for European Society, such IIAS as employment, health, environment, communica­ E ditorial The International Institute for Asian tions and mobility’ (see http://europa.eu.int/comm/ Studies is a post-doctoral institute jointly established in 1993 by the Royal ■ By WIM STOKHOF dgt 2/fp5/conference. html). Consequently, when going through the key-ac­ Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Director of the IIAS (KNAW), the Vrije Universiteit van **tuta for tions list of FP5 it is obvious that, in spite of the en­ Amsterdam (VUA), the University of deavours of the European Science Foundation (e s f ) Amsterdam (UvA) and Leiden University r I f he inaugurating of the Asia-Europe meeting (RUL). It is mainly financed by the Ministry HAS NEWSLETTER N ?l8 and other respectable institutions, the programme February 1999 I (asem) in 1996 was, to my mind, a very time- of Education, Culture and Sciences. 52 pages JL ly and essential action. It was Singapore, in a does not offer any room for research in the human sciences and very few opportunities for work in the The main objective of the IIAS is to quick reaction to the somewhat uninspired and bu­ encourage Asian Studies in the Humanities social sciences. A lost opportunity! On a more posi­ EDITORIAL OFFICE reaucratic document produced by the European and Social Sciences (the alpha and gamma sciences: ranging from linguistics and Visiting address; Nonnensteeg 1*3, Leiden tive note, we welcome the announcement of the Commission called ‘Towards a New Asia Strategy’ anthropology to political science, law, Mailing address: IIAS, P.O. Box 9515, First European Community Framework Programme (1994), that launched the idea of a first get-together environmental and developmental studies) 2300 RA LEIDEN, The Netherlands in Support of Culture. The challenge, of course, is and to promote national and international Telephone: +31-71-527 22 27 of eu countries and asean members and observers. scientific co-operation in these fields. T elefax: +31-71-527 41 6z how to convince the managers of this programme The initiative came just at the right time: absorbed One of the tasks undertaken by the IIAS E-Mail: [email protected] that the rich and diverse pools of knowledge on is to play an active role in the gathering, WWW Homepage: http://iias.leidenuniv.nl in its own integration processes and in developing a strategy towards its eastern neighbours, the Europe­ ‘non-European’ culture is part and parcel of our own co-ordination and dissemination of cultural heritage and identity. information on Asian Studies.The Institute EDITORIAL STAFF an Union had simply neglected its relations with plays a facilitating role by bringing (inter-) Perhaps the eu would benefit by shifting its per­ national parties together. Situated in Managing Editor - Elzeline van der Hoek Asia for a long time. In the meantime the European a small country of which the political Central Asia Editor - Ingrid Nooijens spective in research-related matters away from a Commission had gradually become aware of the un­ influence is rather limited, the Institute South Asia Editor - Netty Bonouvrié purely economic-based approach. Should the main asean has opted for the flexible role of Insular Southwest Asia Editor - Sandra Evers precedented economic developments in the objective of eu research indeed remain focused on intermediator on an international level. Southeast Asia Editor - Dick van der Meij region and of the growing strategic role asean in­ East Asia Editor (China) - Ingrid d’Hooghe helping European companies, while the focus in Eu­ Furthermore, in keeping with the tradition tended to play in that part of the world. For example in the Netherlands of transferring goods East Asia Editor (Japan) - Margarita Winkel ropean society as a whole remains secondary? Asian Culture Editor - The Gate Foundation in 1993 the asean Regional Forum (are) was initiat­ and ideas, the HAS serves as a I have the impression that the issues listed by clearinghouse for knowledge and English Editor - Rosemary Robson ed. The arf was meant to become a multilateral se­ DGX11 - such as employment, health, the environ­ information. curity framework for the Asia Pacific. This entails activities such as providing ment, communications, and mobility are not re­ CORRESPONDENTS information services: constructing an international network: setting up Ann Beard (AAS, Ann Arbor) stricted to European society: they are of a global sig­ Undeniably at the first ASEM in Bangkok quite a international co-operative projects and Victor A.