The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No. 89: From the Sociology of the ‘Social’ to the Sociology of the ‘Cultural’ in Conceptions of Southeast Asia: A ‘State-of-the-Art’ Essay by Victor T. King. Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: […]
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The Institute of Asian Studies
The Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is a research institute dedicated to producing and disseminating cutting-edge knowledge about the (1) regionalism and internationalisation, (2) urbanisation, sustainability and precarity and (3) people, environment and culture of the Asian region. With a core staff and affiliated researchers producing multidisciplinary scholarship, and located at the heart of Asia on the beautiful and ecologically diverse island of Borneo, the IAS serves Brunei as well as the global community in elevating our understanding of this dynamic region of the world.
News & Events
IAS Researcher Participates in Southeast Asia Forum in Guangzhou
Senior Assistant Professor and Director of the Institute of Asian Studies Koh Sin Yee was an invited speaker at the “Southeast Asia Forum” 2025 International Conference, held on 15-16 November 2025 in Guangzhou. The conference was organised by the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, South China Normal University. Dr. Koh presented a paper entitled “Mainland […]
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Working Paper on Mobility, Inequality, and Identity among the Lun Bawang in the Sarawak-North Kalimantan Borderland
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No. 88: Mobility, Inequality, and Identity among the Lun Bawang in the Sarawak-North Kalimantan Borderland by Chun Sheng Goh. Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: In the Heart of Borneo, the Lun […]
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Seminar on Life in the Details: Contributions to a Sociology of the Everyday in Contemporary Brunei
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “Liberal Assumptions in the Analysis of Democracy in Indonesia” by Dr Paul J. Carnegie, IAS, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
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Seminar on Liberal Assumptions in the Analysis of Democracy in Indonesia
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “Liberal Assumptions in the Analysis of Democracy in Indonesia” by Dr Rommel A. Curaming, History and International Studies Programme, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
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Seminar on Exploring Labour Migration through Gender: West Kalimantan Chinese Workers in Brunei Darussalam
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “Exploring Labour Migration through Gender: West Kalimantan Chinese Workers in Brunei Darussalam” by Westly Lo, Institute of Asian Studies.
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The staff of IAS consists of researchers in the Institute and research fellows from across the University. While the main focus of the IAS staff is on conducting research and publishing, IAS researchers also regularly teach modules for such majors as Anthropology & Sociology and History & International Relations in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), as well as supervise graduate students in IAS, and both graduate and undergraduate students studying in programs in other faculties.
Scholarship
The core mission of the IAS staff is to engage in research and to publish.
These are some recent representative publications.
B. Jetin (2018). “Production Networks of the Asian Automobile Industry: Regional or Global?”. International Journal of Automobile Technology and Management, 18 (4), pp. 302-328. DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2018.097346
Franco, F.M. and Minggu, M.J. (2019). “When the Seeds Sprout, the Hornbills Hatch: Understanding the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Ibans of Brunei Darussalam on Hornbills”. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 15 (46). DOI: 10.1186/s13002-019-0325-0
Victor T. King (2019). “Truth’s Fool: Derek Freeman and the War over Cultural Anthropology”, International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 15 (1), pp. 183-197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.13063
Paul J. Carnegie (2019). “National Imaginary, Ethnic Plurality, and State Formation in Indonesia,” in Ratuva S. (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Ethnicity. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0242-8_165-2
Chang-Yau Hoon and Esther Kuntjara (2019). “The Politics of Mandarin Fever in Contemporary Indonesia: Resinicization, Economic Impetus, and China’s Soft Power”, Asian Survey, 59(3): 573-594. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/as.2019.59.3.573
Liam C. Kelley (2020). “The Centrality of ‘Fringe History’: Diaspora, The Internet and a New Version of Vietnamese Prehistory,” International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 16 (1): 71–104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21315/ijaps2020.16.1.3
Seminar Series
To exchange ideas with other members of the University community and the public, the IAS holds a regular seminar series.
Working Paper Series
The Institute also maintains a working paper series to highlight and disseminate the cutting-edge work of IAS researchers, UBD faculty, and other scholars working in and on the region.
Book Series
The Institute maintains a book series with academic publisher Springer on “Asia in Transition.”
Video Interviews
The Institute creates video interviews with IAS staff members, IAS research associates, UBD lecturers who research about Asia, and visitors to IAS who share their knowledge on topics ranging from the Belt and Road Initiative to Hornbills in Brunei.
Conferences
The Institute maintains productive relations with numerous international scholars and scholarly organizations.
Global Engagement
The Institute maintains productive relations with numerous international scholars and scholarly organizations.
