George Hicks made a significant contribution to the understanding of the polities, societies and economies of Asia for most of his 89 years before passing away on 16th of November 2025. His complementary roles as an independent scholar, media commentator, and a philanthropist centred on exposing and challenging authoritarianism while defending and promoting social justice, […]
In Memory of George Hicks Read More »
Japanese studies and Asian Studies in Australia has lost a very special person in the field. Professor Carol Hayes passed away on 16 October 2022. She had been serving the Japanese Studies Association of Australia as an Executive Member since 2015 and a member of the Asian Studies Association of Australia for many years, serving
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When I last met him, in his stylish bamboo-walled house in Salatiga in April last year, I thanked him for what he had done for me. Arief looked puzzled. “You taught me politics,” I said. Then he smiled. My hair had grown white. His body, eleven years older than mine, was wasted by Parkinsons. We
Arief Budiman (1941-2020): liberated intellectual in authoritarian times Read More »
Emeritus Professor Nicholas Tarling 1931–2017 Anthony Reid remembers Nicholas Tarling, a man of many parts—but above all, the most prolific Southeast Asian historian of this or any age Nicholas Tarling died in the water on 13 May aged 86, continuing to do his regular beach laps in the chilly Hauraki Gulf in front of his
Improbable recruit became pioneer and leader in his field Read More »
Professor Desmond John Ball 20 May 1947–12 October 2016 Professor Des Ball had a profound influence on many of his students, as Cam Hawker recounts. Like many of his students, I first encountered Des in his books, namely A Suitable Piece of Real Estate, which dealt with joint Australian–American intelligence facilities, a subject which he
Travels with Des Ball Read More »
Obituary John David Legge AO (1921–2016) Emeritus Professor John Legge died on 4 February after a long life and a distinguished career as a scholar, teacher and academic leader. He was a pioneer in the teaching of the history of Asian countries in Australian universities. When he started teaching at the University of Western Australia
A model for a scholarly life Read More »
