This research contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, among others:

Asia

From local expertise to knowledge of a continent

Engagement between Asia and Europe is increasing. If these continents want to build a lasting relationship, they need to understand each other better in the economic, socio-cultural, historical and legal arena. Researchers from Leiden have already contributed to the body of knowledge on past and present Asia for decades, making Leiden a leading centre of Asia Studies.

Understanding and improving relations and local situations

We trade with Asian countries, eat Asian food, watch Asian films, receive Asian tourists and even travel to Asia ourselves. We Europeans may not be aware of it, but we share many interests and concerns with Asians. For instance, national elections capture the public attention ‘there’ just as they do ‘here’. People often only notice the clashes between the two worlds: Europeans condemn the human rights situation in China or Singapore, and the Chinese and Singaporeans criticise what they see as unharnessed individualism or an absent sense of duty in Europe.

Researchers from various disciplines in Leiden acquire a profound knowledge about the Asian continent, knowledge that serves not only academia but also the world outside. Academics from Leiden regularly advise the government, NGOs and industry. They even advised King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima before they led a trade mission to China in 2015. Our academics also use their knowledge of such areas as law and governance to help the people of Asia improve their standards of living. To be able to do this, it is essential to have a good understanding of the politics, culture and economy of the region.

History as a basis for researching the present

In Leiden, research into Asia is rooted in a profound knowledge of Asian languages and cultures. Our academics have studied written and pictorial material from numerous Asian countries, with an emphasis on China, Indonesia and Japan, for as long as we can remember. Knowledge of language and history provides a solid foundation for research into modern issues. After all, it is only possible to comprehend a society today if you understand what people are saying and which developments the inhabitants of a region have been through over the centuries.

Leiden researchers also regularly conduct long-term fieldwork in the region in order to establish the local situations and relations and to understand what motivates people and how they deal with social change. These local situations can then be compared with other regions or levels: for instance, what is the relationship between a village administration and a city administration or central government? And finally: how does the situation in one Asian country relate to the situation in another?

Experts from Leiden in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Law join forces in their research on Asia. This enables them to acquire knowledge on broad themes: religion (what role does religious belief play in Asian societies?), culture (including language and visual art), migration (from and to Asia) and politics and citizenship (how do citizens relate to local and central government? How do Asian citizens define their identity?).

Leiden Asia Year
Leiden University Institute for Area Studies
Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies
Van Vollenhoven Institute for Law, Governance and Development
Leiden Asia Centre
Japanmuseum SieboldHuis Leiden
Museum for Ethnology Leiden
International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)

Themes

Experts

Prof.dr. N.K. Wickramasinghe Professor of Modern South Asian Studies Topics: colonialism and slavery, colonialism, imperialism and heritage, migration, modern south asian studies
Prof.dr. F.A. Schneider Professor Modern China Topics: china, chinese economy, chinese media, chinese studies, digital humanities, east-asia, languages and cultures of the world, political communication, traditional chinese political thought
Prof.dr. J.A. Silk Professor of Buddhist Studies Topics: buddhism
Prof.dr. H. Schulte Nordholt Professor emeritus Indonesian History Topics: area studies_, asian studies, balinese studies, indonesian politics, southeast asia
Prof.mr.dr. A.W. Bedner Professor Law and Society in Indonesia Topics: access to justice, courts and dispute resolution, indonesia, indonesian law and society, law, governance and development
Prof.dr. B. Arps Professor Indonesian and Javanese Language and Culture Topics: area studies, indonesian language and culture, javanese language and culture, southeast asia
Prof.dr. P.C. Bisschop Professor of Sanskrit and Ancient Cultures of South Asia Topics: ancient cultures of south asia, languages and cultures of the world, sanskrit
Prof.dr. M. van Crevel Professor of Chinese Language and Literature Topics: chinese studies
Prof.dr. K.J. Cwiertka Professor of Modern Japan Studies Topics: anthropology of colonialism and war, anthropology of food, consumption, east asian studies, globalisation, history of food, japanese studies, korean studies, material culture, modern japan
Prof.dr. D.E.F. Henley Professor of Contemporary Indonesia Studies Topics: area studies, indonesia, southeast asia
Prof.dr. F.N. Pieke Professor emeritus Modern China Studies Topics: chinese migration, chinese politics, chinese studies, immigrants in china
Prof.dr. R.P.E. Sybesma Professor of Chinese Linguistics
Prof.dr. I.B. Smits Professor of Arts and Cultures of Japan Topics: art and visual culture of japan, history o, japanese studies, literary studies
Prof.dr. A.T. Gerritsen Professor Asian Art
Dr. L.O. Black Associate Professor Topics: east asian studies, international relations, international relations of east asia
Dr. J. Wang University Lecturer Chinese Economy Topics: chinese economy, chinese studies, global governance, international political economy, international relations
Dr. J.D. London Associate professor Global Political Economy Topics: comparative political economy, east asia, global political economy, vietnam, welfare and inequality
Prof.dr. J.J.L. Gommans Professor of Colonial and Global History Topics: colonial history, cosmos malabaricus, global history, history of empires, south asian history
Prof.dr. J.F.J. Duindam Academic director/ Professor of Early Modern History Topics: comparative history, dynasties, early modern history, empires, european history, history of empires, monarchies, political dynasties, state formation
Dr. A.F. Schrikker Senior University Lecturer / Director of Research Topics: asian history, colonialism and slavery, disasters, dutch east india company, global history, heritage, imperialism, migration
Prof.dr. R.E. Breuker Hoogleraar Topics: azië, geschiedenis van centraal azië, koreaanse film, mensenrechten, noord-korea

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