Assistant Professor Sanjeev Routray of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) has recently published an article on aspects of the informal economy in Delhi, India.Entitled “Timepass’ and ‘Setting’: The Meanings, Relationships, and Politics of Urban Informal Work in Delhi” and published in Urban Studies, the abstract of the article is as follows:The engagement of people in extremely low-wage work in major cities of the Global South and their withdrawal from labour-organising activities arise from several factors. Among these is the hegemonic meaning construction of work as ‘timepass’ or leisure and as an opportunity for…

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei.Edited by Ooi Keat Gin (Professor, Academy of Brunei Studies, UBD and Honorary Professor, School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia) and Victor T. King (Distinguished Professor of Borneo Studies, Institute of Asian Studies), this volume presents an overview of significant themes, issues, and challenges pertinent to Brunei Darussalam in the twenty-first century.Multidisciplinary in coverage, the contributions cover topics relating to philology, history, religion, language and literature, geography, international relations, economics, politics and sociocultural traditions. The back-cover description of the…

Victor T. King, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD), has recently contributed to a special section in the journal, Suvannabhumi, on COVID-19 and Southeast Asia.In addition to writing an introduction to the special section, Dr. King also has an article entitled “Covid-19 and Transitions: Case Material from Southeast Asia,” in which he examines the question of whether the pandemic has created a “new normal” or if the availability of vaccines is leading to a return to the old normal with some modest adjustments.This special section also includes an article by…