The Centre's workplan for 2021
General
It is expected that at least the first half of 2021 will continue to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, and there also exist some lingering uncertainties for the fall which makes planning difficult. This work plan is thus very preliminary and subject to change depending on how the situation develops. Most of the teaching will need to be online during the spring semester as will research seminars and public lectures. Researchers’ ability to conduct fieldwork and participate in conferences will also be limited. Some of the events planned for 2020 are expected to take place in the fall of 2021. This includes a retreat for the Centre staff to be held in late August (pandemic permitting) to plan the fall and beyond.
The Centre will continue to reach out to students and staff at Lund University 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 and on other platforms. During the spring the Centre will continue to develop its national, European, and international networks. It will also develop a new strategic plan for the period 2021-2025.
Education
The Centre will continue its work to strengthen student recruitment through marketing on different platforms and in different contexts, for example through collaboration with the Foreign Policy Association. It will in particular focus on marketing its BA level courses to undergraduate students as well as market its two new MA level courses.
The Centre will continue its work to strengthen collaboration with partner institutes in East and South-East Asia for students who want to do fieldwork in the region.
The Centre will continue to develop and diversify its courses through adding one additional BA level course, on the society and politics of South-East Asia, during the fall. It thus currently offers four courses at the BA level. The Centre will discuss and plan for more BA level courses in 2022.
It is important for the Centre to get more funding for education/courses and it will therefore apply for additional funding (hås). It will also further develop its alumni network and organize a new alumni event in the fall.
Ph.D. education
The Centre currently has three Ph.D. students and aims to work towards getting funding for more Ph.D. students during the coming years. This includes applying to the faculty for a Ph.D. position for 2022 as well as investigating possibilities and applying for external funding for Ph.D. positions. The Centre plans to create networks and collaborations with other Asia Centres and institutions in order to organise events, exchanges and possibly summer schools for Ph.D. students, as well as continue to host visiting Ph.D. students.
Networking, visiting scholars, and collaborations
The Centre will continue with and strengthen its research seminar series where visiting scholars, staff and other scholars in Lund can present their research. It will also organise a network event to discuss research on East and South-East Asia at Lund University (postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic).
The Centre is also involved in strengthening the work of the Lund University Human Rights hub through for example funding the development of its new website.
The Centre will continue to develop its international network, including its membership of the NIAS NNC council and the European Alliance for Asian Studies.
Possibilities to use Erasmus for teacher exchange will also be explored. Further networking with selected Asian studies centres in both Europe and East and South-East Asia will be explored. Conditions permitting, visits to relevant institutions, for example in Singapore and Korea, will be undertaken to further explore collaboration. In addition, the Centre will work to develop closer ties with the Nordic Centre at Fudan University.
The Centre will continue to accept visiting scholars for shorter stays in order to further strengthen networking and collaboration.
Research
In light of the RQ20 evaluation further work to strengthen research and initiate individual and larger research projects will be discussed and new applications submitted during 2021. During 2020 the Centre nominated a candidate for a Wallenberg Academic fellowship, result will be announced in 2021, and similar initiatives will be undertaken during 2021.
Given the fact that the Centre currently has few externally funded research projects, and some projects are ending, it is crucial to submit further research applications and meetings to discuss these are planned.
Public events and visibility
The Centre will continue to organise open lectures on timely topics with invited scholars. During the spring this includes an event on the Milk Tea Alliance. The Centre is involved in a series of seminars on academic freedom with the Lund University chapter of Scholars at Risk during the spring semester. For the fall semester a lecture series on environmental issues are planned (funding pending) together with LUCSUS. In connection with this a photo competition will be organised.
The Centre plans a film festival on environmental issues and other events during ‘Kulturnatten’ in September (postponed due to the pandemic).
The Centre continues its cooperation with the Foreign Policy Association during 2021 with 1-2 events each semester.