South Asia Studies

Notwithstanding the consensus between European Union (EU) and ASEAN to upgrade inter-regional relations into a strategic partnership in December 2020, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2021 has painted a different picture on the ground. Far from attributing any significance to its newly upgraded strategic partner, the MSC’s agenda was largely concentrated on the transatlantic alliance

One effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been the development of significant diplomatic tensions between China, the world’s second largest economy, and various ’Western’ powers. In Australia, China-scepticism has resulted in Australian-born Chinese being targeted. A recent survey showed that eight in ten Asian Australians reported having been physically threatened or attacked in the

In the Philippines, it was reported that for school year 2020-2021 (“the pandemic school year”) around three (3) million learners opted not to enroll or continue their education at the basic education level. For context, this number is almost equal to the entire population of Quezon City (2.94 Million), a highly urbanized city in Metro

Earlier this month a fresh round of commentary kicked off regarding the failure of the long-term cultural and public policy project of fostering the sustained study of Asian languages in Australia. The latest expression of concern was sparked by reports that Australian universities, including La Trobe, Murdoch and Swinburne, were set to close some or

The recent decision by La Trobe and Murdoch Universities to discontinue the study of Hindi and Indonesia underlines the challenges that confront those teaching and researching Asia related themes. Further underlining the perception that Asian studies is in crisis are government  decisions  to  scrutinise  research collaboration with foreign – especially Chinese – universities, and the