Assistant Professor Chun Sheng Goh recently published two journal articles on Borneo’s borderlands. (1) “Confronting the Spectres of Borneo’s Borderlands: A Hauntological Analysis of Cinematic Representations and Ethnography” in Journal of Borderlands Studies. Abstract Borderlands are haunted – not only by literal tales of spectres, but by the haunted histories, phantom sovereignty, invisible populations, and […]
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The Institute of Asian Studies
The Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is committed to advancing research, fostering scholarly productivity, and stimulating intellectual exchange on Borneo and Southeast Asia at the crossroads of East and South Asia. Through its book series, seminars, working papers, workshops, and events, IAS brings together scholars and graduate students from the region and beyond to cultivate interdisciplinary dialogue and collaborative inquiry. It offers a dynamic hub for scholars and students alike to engage Southeast Asia’s rich historical, socio-cultural, and ethno-linguistic diversity, while critically addressing the region’s most pressing contemporary political, economic, and environmental challenges.
News & Events
IAS Researcher Delivered Public Lecture at Pusat Sejarah Brunei
Assistant Professor Dr Goh Chun Sheng delivered a public lecture at “Projek Borneo Pulau Bersejarah Kali Ke-2 – Ceramah Sejarah Borneo Siri Ke-14”, held on 27 June 2026 at Pusat Sejarah Brunei, organised by Pusat Pengkajian Borneo (penBORNEO).
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Working Paper on Beyond Translation: Liu Zhi’s “Five Watches of the Moon” and Islamic Literature in Early Qing China
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No. 91: Beyond Translation: Liu Zhi’s “Five Watches of the Moon” and Islamic Literature in Early Qing China by Lee Cheuk Yin, Visiting Professor at IAS, UBD. Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper […]
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Seminar on The Art of Quiet Activism: Navigating “Civic Subjecthood” in A Southeast Asian Kingdom
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “The Art of Quiet Activism: Navigating “Civic Subjecthood” in A Southeast Asian Kingdom” by Dr. Mu’izz Abdul Khalid, Southeast Asian Studies, Universiti Malaya.
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Seminar on The Likely Very Strong 2026/27 EL Nino: Anticipating Hotter, Drier Conditions and Associated Impacts and Risks in Brunei Darussalam and Borneo
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “The Likely Very Strong 2026/27 EL Nino: Anticipating Hotter, Drier Conditions and Associated Impacts and Risks in Brunei Darussalam and Borneo” by Prof. Fredolin Tangang, FASS, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
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Seminar on Innovation in Climate Policy in Cities and the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “Innovation in Climate Policy in Cities and the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities” by Prof. Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira, FGV EAESP & University of Manchester
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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.
Carnegie, P. J. (2025). Contours of Precarity: A Perspective on Vulnerability and Insecurity in Southeast Asia. Pacific Affairs, 98(1): 103-120
Tritto, A., & Huang, R. L. (2025). Chinese Foreign Direct Investment in Myanmar: Investment Realization and Effects. In The Effects of Chinese FDI in Southeast Asia (pp. 141-165). Routledge.
Ho, H.M.Y. (2025). Contested homes in speculative futurities in Anglophone Bruneian fiction. Science Fiction Studies, 52(1), 95-114.
Koh, S.Y., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2025). Post-2020 mainland Chinese student mobility to Malaysia: Trends and drivers. Asian Population Studies, 21(1), 33–45.
Mannion, N. L. M., Gaulton, R., Jamil, M. E., Pfeifer, M., Slik, J. W. F., Willis, S. G., & Franco, F. M. (2025). Hunting motivations, behaviour and forest access: Characterising wildlife hunting practices in a multi-ethnic, forested landscape of Brunei Darussalam, Southeast Asia. People and Nature, 00, 1–13.
Koh, S. Y. (2026). Enduring and emergent challenges to post/decolonising migration studies. In Migration Studies and the Decolonial Challenge (pp. 38-55). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Carnegie, P.J. (2026). Studying the Politics of Precarity in Southeast Asia. Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. 59(1): 1-16.
Goh, C.S. (2026). Living beyond borders: The ambivalence of the Murut identities in Sabah and North Kalimantan. In Negotiating Belonging in Borneo: Narratives of Ambivalence ( X-X). Springer.
Goh, C.S. (2026). Negotiating Identity and Inequality: Internal Migration and Cross-Border Connections of the Lun Bawang in the Heart of Borneo. Asian Geographer. In Press.
Routray, S. (2026). Articulations: Production and social reproduction in an industrial neighborhood of Delhi. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 0308518X261437524.
Tritto, A. (2026). Statism and state activism in response to China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Indonesia and Malaysia’s approaches to developing the EV sector. Competition & Change, 30(1), 219-243.
Ho, H.M.Y. (2025). Breaking the silence: (Re)presenting mental health challenges in contemporary anglophone Malaysian and Bruneian fiction. In Decolonising comparative literature: Reading across Southeast Asian literatures (pp. 155-170). Springer.
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.
