Asian modernities and traditions
- The global prominence of East Asia and the rapidly developing economies of South and Southeast Asia render Asia a key case for the study of the impact of modernity.
Asia especially lends itself to multidisciplinary Area Studies, which combine disciplinary expertise with expertise in particular linguistic and cultural traditions. Moreover, the current global prominence of East Asia and the rapidly developing economies of South and Southeast Asia render both Asia as a whole and its sub-areas a key case for the study of the impact of modernity. Investigation into the interaction between modernity and tradition demands cross-regional, multidisciplinary co-operation, and cross-fertilisation of the humanities, the social sciences, and religious and legal studies. All these specialisms converge in the research area ‘Asian Traditions and Modernities’.
- With one of the longest-standing traditions in the world in the study of Asian linguistics, art, history, anthropology and law, and its concomitant library resources, Leiden University is eminently equipped for this task. It is one of the major centres in Europe for the study of Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and South Asian languages, cultures and sub-cultures, religions, policies and law systems, and as such is thoroughly embedded in international organisations. For instance, the Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Development has expert groups working on Indonesian and Chinese law and governance, and Indonesia has been a focus area in Leiden Anthropology for a long time. In 200 7 the Modern East Asia Research Centre (MEARC) was established, focusing on ideas and institutions in modern East Asia. The School of Asian Studies in the Faculty of Humanities helps bring together the various regions into a more coherent unit, which contributes to inter-faculty co-operation. In addition, Leiden is home to national research centres, such as the KITLV(Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies).
- Co-ordinators
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Jan Michiel Otto, Professor of Law and Governance in Developing Countries, Leiden Law School
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Chris S. Goto-Jones, Professor of Modern Japan Studies, Faculty of Humanities
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Patricia Spyer, Professor of Sociocultural Anthropology of contemporary Indonesia, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Participating Faculties
- Faculty of Humanities
- Leiden Law School
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Individual Grants Awarded
