General Introduction

During the year the Centre will continue to focus on adapting to its new organizational role within the Faculties of Humanities and Theology and the History Department while at the same time strengthen interdisciplinary and cross-faculty collaboration in the fields of education and research. The Centre will reach out to students and staff at the faculties and ensure visibility of the Centre and its research, education, and events through participation in different events and publishing information about Centre events in the HT newsletter etc. The Centre will also continue to strengthen its national, European, and international networks.

Education

The Centre will continue its work to strengthen student recruitment through marketing, collaboration with the Foreign Policy Association, outreach to undergraduate students, and alumni networking and events. The Centre is continuing to develop and diversifying its course content through two additional BA level courses. Marketing activities include possible events in the UK and elsewhere. During the year particular attention will be paid to issues such as examination/grading and intercultural competence, and developing pedagogy.

The Centre will begin its Ph.D. programme in September and during the spring two Ph.D. students will be recruited. During the spring work to develop Ph.D. courses will take place and other preparation for the Ph.D. programme, including meetings and a workshop for members of the “handledarkollegium (supervision group).” During the spring five visiting international Ph.D. students from different disciplines and area studies will spend one month each at the Centre.

International Newtworking, Visisting Scholars, and Collaborations

The Centre will during 2019 continue to develop its international network including the European Alliance for Asian Studies where the Centre since 2018 is a member institution. The alliance is an important platform for collaborating with leading Asian centres in Europe with respect to education and research. Possibilities to use Erasmus for teacher exchange will also be explored. Further networking with selected Asian studies centres in Asia will be discussed. The director and lecturer on South-East Asia will visit relevant institutions in Singapore. In addition, the Centre will work to develop closer ties with the Nordic Centre at Fudan University and with Korean Universities. The Centre will invite visiting scholars for shorter stays in order to further strengthen collaboration.

Research

During the year, the research evaluation, RQ20, will enable the Centre to further reflect upon, strengthen and develop its research strengths with a view to develop a new research strategy. A number of new research projects started last year and several new applications will be submitted this year on topics ranging from AI to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

The Centre will arrange or co-arrange several smaller workshops on topics such academic freedom in authoritarian countries and politics in South-East Asia. In addition it will provide seed-money for the new project People’s Map of Global China. The Centre will also announce one or two short-term positions as part of its research initiating efforts.

The Centre will also formalize its research seminar series with visiting scholars and staff. It will also organise a network event showcasing research on East and South-East Asia at Lund University.

Public Events

The Centre will continue to organise open lectures on timely topics with invited scholars. It will also arrange film screenings, photo exhibitions and a film festival and other events during ‘Kulturnatten.’