The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) is pleased to share its latest newsletter.Please click here to read about the activities of the Institute and the staff at IAS.
Dr Nobumichi Teramura (IAS, UBD) and Professor Luke Nottage (Sydney Law School) recently contributed a research article to the Journal of International Economic Law (JIEL). In the Scopus index, the JIEL is a Q1 journal in 'Law' and 'Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous)' quartiles. The advance publication of the article is available here. This work was funded by Universiti Brunei Darussalam Research Grant UBD/RSCH/1.12/FICBF(b)/2022/021 and the University of Sydney Law School’s Legal Scholarship Support Scheme.Abstract: This article analyses two types of provisions relevant to corruption in Asian international investment agreements (IIAs): clauses requiring (host) states to enforce anti-corruption laws and clauses…
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 85: Urang versus Orang: The frequency of Bruneian students’ use of Standard and Brunei Malay by Ili Arina Zainal.Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: Despite the various research done about the languages and many linguistic aspects in Brunei Darussalam, little is known regarding the current frequency and perception towards the official language, Standard Malay, as the majority of Bruneians prefer to speak in English and Brunei Malay. This paper investigates how frequent students use Standard Malay within…
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a seminar on “Leading the Way in International Dispute Resolution: 10 Years of the Singapore International Commercial Court” by Assistant Professor Kwan Ho Lau (Singapore Management University)For more information, please see the flyer below.
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 84: Doing Fieldwork on Indonesian Chinese Migrant Workers in Brunei Darussalam by Westly Lo Siong Wei.Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: This paper makes the case for a more spontaneous approach to collecting data from the field in qualitative studies of labour migration rather than an overly planned one. It shows the benefit of this supplemental method in fine-grained investigations by illustrating how my own fieldwork in a circle of the Indonesian Chinese migrant workers transitioned from…
Senior Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies Koh Sin Yee participated in the consultation on ‘Navigating Health and Work Challenges: Impact of COVID-19 on Women Migrants and Effective Coping Strategies’ at Monash University Malaysia on 13 March 2025. The consultation is part of the Women RISE WISH Project: Women Migrants’ Health and Work after COVID-19. Dr Koh moderated the second panel which featured representatives from the embassies and high commissions of migrant-sending countries to Malaysia. Read the fuller write-up on the consultation.
IAS Researcher Participates in End-of-Project Workshop Senior Assistant Professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies Koh Sin Yee participated in the Women RISE End-of-Project Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on 3-5 February 2025. The research team presented preliminary findings from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)-funded project entitled “Women Migrants’ Health and Work after COVID-19: An Intersectional and Comparative Study in Malaysia and Thailand” (WISH).
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 83: Living with Landslide Risk in Penanjong, Tutong by Hjh Nur Hazirah Hj Awang Hamdani.Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: Landslides have been a concern for many residents in the Penanjong area of Tutong District. This is due largely to the proximity of their homes to the steep slope of sandstone ridges in the area. Affected residents have adapted to the condition as there is no landslide risk management for the area. The paper therefore aims…
The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 82: University Graduates and Online Food Entrepreneurship in Brunei Darussalam by Siti Nurfarina Hasriana and Dr Sin Yee Koh (IAS). Please see below for details. Download the Working Paper Abstract: This paper explores the experiences of degree graduates in Brunei who engaged in online food entrepreneurship – an emerging yet understudied area in relation to youth unemployment in the country. Through semi-structured interviews with 10 such entrepreneurs conducted in 2023-2024, this paper examines their motivations and challenges in choosing this career…
Assoc. Prof. Paul J. Carnegie recently published a paper in the renowned journal, Pacific Affairs on Contours of Precarity in Southeast Asia.Drawing on observations over several years, combined with a review of relevant literature and the use of illustrative examples, the paper details how and why the concept of precarity is particularly useful for understanding contemporary forms of jeopardy in Southeast Asia. This conceptual shift is arguably crucial for understanding and mitigating vulnerabilities. Rather than relying on limited frames of reference, a grounded and disaggregated precarity perspective can bring greater awareness to localized distress stemming from untrammelled accumulation, extractive activities,…