Garry describes himself as primarily a political economist whose work is informed by political theory. It was only during his doctoral research, and something by accident, that his work developed an empirical focus on Asia. What began as a thesis that intended to learn how Australian firms were relocating production to (Southeast) Asia sparked an interest in political leadership and the role of the state in the economic life of Southeast Asia. Garry spent most of his career working at Murdoch University in Perth, which was long regarded as one of Australia’s best centres for Asian Studies. Garry discusses how the Asia Research Centre (ARC) was instrumental to bringing together scholars from across Australia and the region, including colleagues he worked with closely on some of his most important works. The ASAA conference has been a valuable element of Garry’s life as a scholar, allowing him to meet collaborators, learn about the best new work in his field, and strategise with colleagues at other institutions. The field – and academia – has changed a lot since Garry’s career began, with one of the bigger adverse shifts being funding schemes that are less open to new ideas in the humanities and social sciences. Garry suggests that we focus more on quality and collaboration, rather than quantity and competition, as we look towards the future.

Watch Garry’s interview below or on the ASAA’s youtube channel here. See the other interviews in the series here.