A panel of judges was recently appointed to select the winner of the Wang Gungwu Prize for the best article in Asian Studies Review (ASR) for 2025. The panel has now decided on the winner.

The President of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA), Associate Professor David Hundt, announced that the winner is Dr Hannah Gould (The University of Melbourne).

Dr Hannah Gould’s article, ‘Becoming a Bone Buddha: Fragmenting and Remaking Death Rites in Contemporary Japan’, was selected for the Prize. According to the judges, it is “beautifully written, elegantly weaving theory with ethnography,” and offers “a unique account of a new posthumous rite that speaks to deep changes in contemporary Japanese society.” One judge described it as “a fascinating read,” showing how, “in increasingly secular, socially atomised times,” people turn to “the collective care of the remains of the dead.” The panel also praised it as “an exceptional article” and “a thoughtful, original, and deeply compelling contribution” that fills “a significant gap in the literature.”

The winning article was published in Volume 49, Issue 3 of ASR (Nov 2024). It can be downloaded for free on the journal’s website, along with previous winners of the Prize, at this link.

The Prize is named in honour of Professor Wang Gungwu, the distinguished historian who has made significant contributions to scholarship on Asia, not only in Australia but also in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Professor Wang was also instrumental in the formation of the ASAA in 1976 and served as its president.

The Wang Gungwu Prize is valued at $1,500.

On behalf of the ASAA, Associate Professor David Hundt warmly congratulated the winner on her excellent article and expressed thanks to the members of the 2025 judging committee: Professor Brenda Yeoh (National University of Singapore), Dr Laura Dales (The University of Western Australia) and Associate Professor Eva Nisa (The Australian National University).