Article
Asian Studies
Annabel Teh Gallop
Summary: The study examines how the writing traditions of the Malay world of maritime South East Asia have been influenced by different colonial experiences, particularly focusing on the impact of these legacies on the collecting histories of Qur'an manuscripts from the Philippines. By analyzing the artistic and codicological features of these manuscripts, the study explores both the commonalities and regional distinctions of Qur'an manuscripts from Mindanao in comparison to other parts of South East Asia.
SOUTH EAST ASIA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Karolina Kluczewska, Oleg Korneev
Summary: This article explores the development of emigration policy in Tajikistan since 1991, highlighting the complexity of policy processes and the involvement of various domestic actors. It analyzes shifts in policy-making, assistance to labor migrants, the impact of Russia as the main host country, and the role of international organizations in global migration governance. The article argues that Tajikistan's emigration policy has transitioned from laissez-faire to proactive, messy, and reactive phases, illustrating the state's sometimes contradictory approaches towards labor migrants.
ASIAN STUDIES REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Amirhossein Zadyousefi
Summary: There are two different interpretations of Avicenna's theory of God's knowledge of particulars. The Neglected Interpretation uses metaphysical entities as proxies to explain God's knowledge, while the other interpretation does not require this. Post-Avicennian thinkers like Suhrawardi and Tusi objected to Avicenna's theory and can be classified under the Neglected Interpretation. However, this interpretation has been overlooked in secondary English literature. This paper presents a reconstructed version of this interpretation.
Article
Asian Studies
Bony Schachter
Summary: This article discusses the book "Divine Hermitage" presented by the Prince of Ning Zhu Quan to Emperor Yongle, and argues that the accompanying Epistle should be interpreted as a political act. It examines the materiality, context, and purpose of the letter, demonstrating that it serves as a means for Zhu Quan to assert his alleged competence as an imperial preceptor. In doing so, it also reevaluates the relevance of Daoism in Ming political culture.
Article
Area Studies
John D. Wong
Summary: The current political crisis in Hong Kong is marked by unprecedented social unrest, reminiscent of the riots in 1966-67. The British colonial regime gained legitimacy through socioeconomic development, leading to prosperity and stability in the city. However, as political uncertainty loomed in the 1980s, demands for democracy and freedom emerged. This article emphasizes the ongoing contention over the legitimacy of governance in Hong Kong since the end of British rule, suggesting that denying the earnestness of political and socioeconomic assertions would be counterproductive for both the governing authorities and the protesters.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Pan Wang
Summary: The article delves into China's rising single economy through a case study of the date-renting industry, showcasing its significance in Chinese society. It examines the concept of the single economy, research methods, theoretical discussions, and the impact on the Chinese market. The increasing convergence of emotions and capitalism in the single economy is highlighted, reflecting a unique phenomenon shaped by demographic shifts and a booming market economy in China.
ASIAN STUDIES REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Jana Fedtke, Mohammed Ibahrine, Yuting Wang
Summary: This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 narratives on China's soft power. By analyzing non-fictional and fictional narratives, the article highlights the role of TV shows and other media in shaping China's image and enhancing its global influence.
ASIAN STUDIES-AZIJSKE STUDIJE
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
James Wilson
Summary: This article explores how the arrival of western European crusaders and settlers in northern Syria impacted regional diplomacy regarding the ransom of political prisoners and tributary relationships. The establishment of the crusader states led to an increase in both the rate of prisoners being ransomed and the financial sums involved. The article reassesses various agreements between rulers of Antioch and Aleppo, aiming to contextualize key features of northern Syrian diplomacy within regional norms.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Ulug Kuzuoglu
Summary: This article rethinks the history of Chinese script reforms and proposes a new genealogy for the Chinese Latin Alphabet (CLA). It situates the CLA within a technologically and ideologically contrived Sino-Soviet space and reveals the intimate links between the CLA and the Unified New Turkic Alphabet (UNTA).
JOURNAL OF ASIAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Ivan Lidarev, Harsh Pant
Summary: The article discusses the influence of geopolitics on India's maritime governance policy. It argues that India's involvement in maritime governance is primarily shaped by geopolitics, particularly its efforts to counter China's influence in the Indian Ocean Region and pursue leadership in the region. However, this focus on geopolitics hinders India's ability to effectively address substantive maritime governance issues.
CONTEMPORARY SOUTH ASIA
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Philip Slavin
Summary: This study analyzes the long-term population dynamics in Chaghadaid-era Central Asia, with a focus on growth, decline, sex- and age-composition. Based on a unique dataset of epitaphs from two graveyards, the study reveals rapid population growth between circa 1270 and 1330, followed by a major plague outbreak in 1338-1339 that caused a significant decline in the population. The study also finds that the local population was heavily male-dominated.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Area Studies
Adam Chen-Dedman
Summary: This essay examines the influential work of Leftist 'sex liberation' scholars in Taiwan in the 1990s, and their political rift with the mainstream Taiwanese LGBT rights movement. It argues that the split over same-sex marriage has evolved into a contentious politics of Chinese versus Taiwanese national identity, called 'tongzhi sovereignty'. The essay also problematizes the use of Jasbir Puar's concept of homonationalism in scholarship about Taiwan, as it is seen as biased and obscures a pro-unification agenda.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TAIWAN STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Area Studies
Po-Han Lee, Ying-Chao Kao
Summary: This study examines the racism allegations against Taiwan made by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first African Director-General of the WHO, and proposes the concept of "health apartheid" to analyze Taiwan's exclusion in relation to global racial politics, imperial logics of global health, and state-centrism of international institutions. The study argues that the allegations against Taiwan were used to divert attention from the systemic racism within the WHO during the competition between Chinese and American hegemonies. The findings highlight the exacerbation of health apartheid against unrecognized nations like Taiwan during the pandemic, when global solidarity is crucial.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TAIWAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Area Studies
Alessandra Ferrer
Summary: This paper compares language education policies in Taiwan and Mainland China, examining the different meanings of multiculturalism in these political contexts. Despite significant differences in the deployment of multicultural rhetoric, both regions continue to prioritize Mandarin as a central language.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TAIWAN STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Steven M. Vose
Summary: The narratives in the text depict the relationship between Jain monk Jinaprabhasuri and Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq, showcasing the sultan's protection of the Jain community. While attempting to delineate the proper relationship between Jain monastic leaders and Muslim rulers, these narratives also offer an alternative view of the Tughluq sultans compared to modern historical representations. The texts require historians to theorize this 'memory' in order to understand them as historical sources.
JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Davey K. Tomlinson
Summary: This paper examines Jnanasrimitra's defense of manifestation as the criterion of ultimate existence. The author discusses the distinction between manifestation and determination, as well as the view that manifestation only occurs in a single moment of conscious awareness. The paper also addresses the problem of how mutually opposed parts manifest in the same unitary moment of awareness, and explores the buddhological consequences of this solution.
JOURNAL OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Kai Shmushko
Summary: This article is a case study of a lay Buddhist community that uses a business model called living hall to facilitate Tibetan Buddhist practice among its members. The article explores the origins and implementation of the living hall model, as well as its interaction with the discourse on Buddhism in China. It sheds light on the dynamics between religion and state control in China, as well as the role of entrepreneurs and materiality in lay Tibetan Buddhism.
REVIEW OF RELIGION AND CHINESE SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
History
Yongtao Du
Summary: The late imperial political elites in China maintained a balance between polity and locality, with a strong sense of local identity. Despite the decline of the tianxia concept, the relationship between locality and polity, as well as the elite local identity, persisted. The study also suggests that the crisis of the polity and the emergence of the nation-state brought the notion of locality to the forefront, especially during the Republican era.
JOURNAL OF CHINESE HISTORY
(2023)
Article
Area Studies
Diotima Chattoraj
Summary: This article examines the sense of home among internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Sri Lanka's Northern Tamil communities who settled in Colombo, showing how fragmented memories of their earlier home and different approaches towards return shape their feelings of being an 'insider' or 'outsider' in Colombo.
SOUTH ASIA RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Asian Studies
Mara A. Leichtman
Summary: Direct Aid is Kuwait's largest charity focused on Africa, which carefully mediates between Gulf donor wishes, aid recipient needs, Kuwaiti and African government regulations, and various development priorities. It aims to create self-sufficient communities through its unique model of religious and development work. By adapting its projects to local Muslim-minority and Muslim-majority settings in Tanzania and Senegal, Direct Aid explores the cultural and religious impact of Gulf funding in East and West Africa.
