Victor King – Institute Of Asian Studies

Victor T. KING

Professor of Borneo Studies
PhD (Hull), FRSA

Room: FASS 2.34

About

Victor T. King is Distinguished Professor, UBD-Institute of Asian Studies (2022-2024). Previously he was Eminent Visiting Professor (2012-2013), Distinguished Visiting Fellow (2014-2016) and Professor of Borneo Studies (2017-2022) in the Institute.

He is a sociologist-anthropologist, and is also Emeritus Professor in the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, University of Leeds (from 2010); He was Senior Editorial Advisor in the Research Centre for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Thailand for two book series totalling 42 volumes (2016-2021), where he also served as a Visiting Professor (2014) and Adjunct Professor (2015-2016). He was Visiting Professor at the Korea Institute for ASEAN Studies, Busan University of Foreign Studies, Republic of Korea (2021-2023) where he also served as Co-Editor then Chief Editor of the Institute’s journal Suvannabhumi: Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies up to 2024. He is also Editor of the Routledge Modern Anthropology of Southeast Asia series (from 2003).

Formerly he was Executive Director of the White Rose East Asia Centre in the Yorkshire Universities of Leeds and Sheffield (2006-2012). Prior to his move to Leeds (where he was a Visiting Professor in 2003-2005) he was Senior Lecturer in South-East Asian Sociology then Professor of South-East Asian Studies at the University of Hull (1988-2005) and during his 32-year career at Hull (Lecturer in South-East Asian Sociology (1973-1987) he served variously as Director of the Centre for South-East Asian Studies, Dean of the School of Social and Political Sciences, Director of the University Graduate School and Pro-Vice-Chancellor.

CV of Dr. Victor T. King

Research Interests

     • The rationale and definition of Area Studies and Southeast Asian Studies
     • The sociology and anthropology of tourism and heritage
     • UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia
     • Ethnicity and culture in Southeast Asia
     • The sociology, anthropology and history of Borneo
     • The anthropology of development

Select Publications

Edited and Co-Edited Volumes

Ooi Keat Gin and Victor T. King (2024). Handbook of Southeast Asian Studies: Pioneers and Critical Thinkers (Living Reference). Singapore: Singapore and Geneva: Springer Nature, Springerlink, Major references on Springerlink, link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-981-99-7276-0.

Ooi Keat Gin and Victor T. King (eds) (2022). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei. London and New York, Routledge, Routledge Handbook Series.

Victor T. King and Stephen C. Druce (eds) (2021). Origins, History and Social Structure in Brunei Darussalam. London and New York: Routledge.

Victor T. King and Stephen C. Druce (eds) (2021). Continuity and Change in Brunei Darussalam. London and New York: Routledge

Walter Leal Filho, Victor T. King and Ismar Borges de Limar (eds) (2020). Indigenous Amazonia: Regional Development and Territorial Dynamics: Contentious Issues. Springer Nature Switzerland AG: Springer International Publishing, The Latin American Studies Book series.

Hitchcock, Michael, Victor T. King and Michael Parnwell (eds) (2019). Tourism in South-East Asia. London and New York: Routledge, Routledge Library Editions: Business and Economics in Asia, Vol. 32, with a new Preface, first published 1993.

Harrison, David, Victor T. King and J. S. Eades (eds.) (2018). Tourism in East and Southeast Asia, 4-volume Reader. Critical Concepts in Asian Studies. London and New York: Routledge.

Borges de Lima, Ismar and Victor T. King (eds.) (2018). Tourism and Ethnodevelopment: Inclusion, Empowerment and Self-determination. London and New York: Routledge, Routledge Advances in Tourism and Anthropology.

King, Victor T., Zawawi Ibrahim and Noor Hasharina Hassan (eds) (2017). Borneo Studies in History, Society and Culture. UBD: IAS and Singapore: Springer,
Asia in Transition No. 4.

King, Victor T. (ed.) (2016). UNESCO in Southeast Asia: World Heritage Sites in Comparative Perspective. Copenhagen: NIAS Press.

Carnegie, Paul, Victor T. King and Zawawi Ibrahim (eds) (2016). Human Insecurities in Southeast Asia. UBD: IAS and Singapore: Springer, Asia in Transition No. 5.

Victor T. King (Senior Editorial Advisor) (2016-2021) Critical Perspectives on the Mekong Region and Consortium of Development Studies in Southeast Asia. Chiang Mai University: Chiang Mai University Press, Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, 42 volumes.

Journal Articles

Victor T. King and Wei Lee Chin (2024). Covid-19 and Post-Covid-19 Transitions: Case Study on the Lao PDR. Southeast Asia. A Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(2): 150-163.

Victor T. King (2023). Introduction. Special Topic on Globalization, Vietnam and ASEAN. Suvannabhumi. Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 15 (2): 7-15.

Victor T. King (2022). Introduction to the special section on COVID-19 and Southeast Asia, Suvannabhumi. Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 14(2): 7-17.

Victor T. King (2022). Covid-19 and Transitions: Case Material from Southeast Asia, Suvannabhumi. Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 14(2): 19-51.

Carnegie Paul, Victor T. King and Magne Knudsen (2021). Human Security, Marginality and Precariousness in Southeast Asia. International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 17(1): 1-28.

Victor T. King (2021) The Covid Pandemic and the Marginalized: Tourism as a Southeast Asian Case, in Perspectives, International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 17(2). https://ijaps.usm.my/page_id=6017

King, Victor T. and Joseph Rotheray (2020). Negotiations in Space and Time: Changing Gender Relations in Thai Tourist-oriented Encounters. Suvannabhumi. Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 11(1): 23-55.

King, Victor T. (2020). Opinions, thoughts and reflections. In Ooi Keat Gin (ed.), Borneo and Sulawesi: Indigenous Peoples, Empires and Area Studies. London and New York: Routledge, pp. 43-53.

King, Victor T. (2019). Some Thoughts on Social Science Research: 50 Years of Engagement in Southeast Asia. Horizon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 1(1): 3-8.

King, Victor T. and Zawawi Ibrahim (2019). Local and Transnational Anthropologies of Borneo. In Eric C. Thompson and Vineeta Sinha (eds), Southeast Asian Anthropologies: National Traditions and Transnational Practices. Singapore: NUS Press, pp. 207-242.

King, Victor T. (2019). Truth’s Fool: Derek Freeman and the War over Cultural Anthropology. International Journal of Asia Pacific Studies, 15(1): 183-197.

King, Victor T. (2017). Claiming Authority: Derek Freeman, His Legacy and Interpretations of the Iban of Borneo. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 173(1): 83-113; and Rejoinder (2018), 174(4): 173-183.

King, Victor T. (2017). Identity, Material Culture and Tourism: Of Ritual Cloths and Totem Poles. South East Asia Research, 25(2): 192-207.

Working Papers

Kim Lian Chan, Jennifer and Victor T. King (2020) Covid-19 and Tourism in Southeast Asia. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working Paper Series, No. 57.

King, Victor T. (2020). ‘Wild Borneo’: Anthropologists at War in the Rainforest. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working Paper Series, No. 52.

King, Victor T. (2019). The Construction of Southeast Asia as an Academic Field of Study: Personages, Programmes and Problems. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working paper Series, No 49.

King, Victor T. (2018). Tourism and Leisure in Thailand: Erik Cohen and Beyond. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working Paper Series, No 40.

King, Victor T. (2017). Emerging Tourism and Tourism Studies in Southeast Asia. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working Paper Series, No. 35.

King, Victor T. (2016). Convergence and Divergence in Tourism Development: Issues of State and Region in Malaysian Borneo, Brunei Darussalam and Indonesian Kalimantan. Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Working paper Series, No 24.

Dr. King, second from the right, at the 14th Biennial International Borneo Research Council Conference, UNIMAS, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, 6-8 August 2018, where he delivered a keynote speech. Alongside Dr. King are Vice-Chancellor of UNIMAS Professor Datuk Mohd. Kadin Suaidi, fourth from left, Emeritus Professor Clifford Sather, centre representing the BRC, and third from right Professor Jayum Jawan, one of Dr. King's former PhD students, Professor of Politics and Government at Universiti Putra Malaysia and recently Tun Razak Professor at the University of Ohio.

News

Distinguished Lecture on Borneo and Borneo Studies in the Malay World

Distinguished Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) presented the inaugural lecture in the Academy of Brunei Studies Distinguished Lecture Series. Entitled “Making the Malay World: Region-Formation in Interdisciplinary Perspective,” the talk was a reflection on Borneo and Borneo Studies in the Malay World. For […]

Seminar on Pioneers and Critical Thinkers in Southeast Asian Studies

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) recently held a joint seminar with the Academy of Brunei Studies (APB) at UBD on “Southeast Asian Studies: Pioneers and Critical Thinkers” by Distinguished Professor Victor T. King (IAS) and Professor Ooi Kit Gin (APB). This was the first part of a two-part […]

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei

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), […]

New Articles on COVID-19 and Southeast Asia

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: […]

New IAS/Springer “Asia in Transition” Volume on Discourses, Agency and Identity in Malaysia

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) is pleased to announce the publication of the latest volume in the IAS/Springer “Asia in Transition” Series: Discourses, Agency and Identity in Malaysia: Critical Perspectives edited by Zawawi Ibrahim, Gareth Richards, and Victor T. King. Discourses, Agency and Identity in Malaysia: Critical Perspectives […]

Victor T. King on Borneo Through Photographs

Dr. Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam recently gave a talk to the Panaga Photographic Society (PPS) on Borneo through photographs. In this talk, Professor King discussed photographs that he had taken over 50 years of conducting research on Borneo and highlighted the ways […]

IAS at the UBD – BSN Borneo Studies Conference

The Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) had a strong presence at the recent Universiti Brunei Darussalam – Borneo Studies Network (UBD-BSN) Borneo Studies Conference held 30 June – 1 July 2021 at UBD and virtually with the theme of “Borneo Within, Borneo Beyond.” IAS Director, Associate Professor Bruno Jetin, a member of the conference organizing […]

IAS Working Paper on the Iban of Temburong

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 65: The Iban of Temburong: Migration, Adaptation and Identity in Brunei Darussalam by Victor T. King and Magne Knudsen. Please see below for details. Abstract: The Iban are the most well-documented and studied of all […]

Interview with Victor T. King

An interview with Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, has recently been published in Southeast Asian Social Science Review. The interview is entitled, “Eminent Southeast Asianist and Specialist on Borneo: In Conversation with Professor Victor T. King.” Conducted by Senior Lecturer Wan Puspa Melati […]

Seminar on the Iban of Brunei Darussalam

Please join us at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday 24 March 2021 for a talk by Professor Victor T. King (IAS) and Dr. Magne Knudsen (FASS) on “The Iban of Brunei Darussalam: Case Studies of Change and Response among a Minority Population in Temburong.” For more information, please see the flyer below.

Two New Books on Brunei Darussalam

Dr. Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Dr. Stephen C. Druce of the Academy of Brunei Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam have just published two edited volumes with that cover a variety of issues pertaining to Bruneian society, both past and present. These two volumes have been […]

Victor T. King on Borneo Studies

Dr. Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, sat down for a conversation about Borneo Studies, covering its past, present and future. Please view the video below to hear what Dr. King had to say. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6hUU8SFUog

Best of Borneo Travel in Indonesian

A work by Dr. Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, has been translated into Indonesian. The Best of Borneo Travel, a book that Dr.King first published with Oxford Paperbacks in 1993 is available in Indonesian as Kalimantan tempo doeloe (Komunitas Bambu). To quote from […]

King Co-Edits Volume on Indigenous Amazonia

Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) is well known for engaging in a wide range of research topics, from the anthropology of Borneo to tourism and heritage in Southeast Asia. However, he has now extended his intellectual interests far beyond Southeast […]

New Special Issue on Debating Southeast Asia

Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) has edited a special issue of the journal Suvannabhumi: Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies on “Debating Southeast Asia.” The papers in this special issue were first presented at a conference organized by the Institute for Southeast Asian […]

IAS Working Paper on Covid-19 and Tourism in Southeast Asia

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 57: Covid-19 and Tourism in Southeast Asia by Jennifer Kim Lian Chan and Victor T. King. Please see below for details. Abstract: During the past two decades the Southeast Asian region has experienced a range […]

New Publication on Human Security in Oceania

Associate Professor Paul J. Carnegie and Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (IAS @ UBD) have just published a chapter on human security in Oceania. Entitled “Mapping Circumstances in Oceania: Reconsidering Human Security in an Age of Globalisation,” this chapter appears in the new book Mapping Security […]

Seminar on Heritage Sites and Tourism in Southeast Asia

Please join us at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 13 March 2019, for a talk by Professor Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at IAS, on “World Heritage Sites and their Margins in Southeast Asian Tourism Development: Heritage-scapes or Non-heritage Spaces?“ For more information, please see the flyer below.

King Presents at Borneo Tourism Research Centre in Sabah

Professor Victor T. King presented two talks on 27 February 2020 at the Borneo Tourism Research Centre, Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu on “ASEAN Tourism Development: Borneo Case Studies” and “Writing for Academic Publication”. The visit was organised by Associate Professor Dr. Janice Nga Lay Hui and Professor Dr. […]

Seminar on Donald E. Brown’s Study of Brunei

Please join us at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 12 February 2020 for a talk by Dr. Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at IAS, on “Professor Donald E. Brown’s Study of Brunei and His Contribution to Anthropology: An Evaluation.” For more information, please see the flyer below.

New Volume in Honour of Victor T. King

Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam has been honored with a book that has been published in recognition of his contributions to the field of Southeast Asian Studies. The book is entitled Borneo and Sulawesi: Indigenous Peoples, Empires and Area Studies (Routledge, 2019) and is edited by […]

IAS Working Paper on Anthropologists at War in the Rainforest

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 52: ‘Wild Borneo’: Anthropologists at War in the Rainforest by Victor T. King. Please see below for details. Abstract: Dispute, disagreement, and debate are the very stuff of academic activity. The problem arises when the […]

King Named Editor-in-Chief of Suvannabhumi

Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam has been appointed Editor-in-chief of the journal, Suvannabhumi: Multi-disciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies. King was formerly the Co-editor. Suvannabhumi is the journal of the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies at Busan University of Foreign Studies and is devoted […]

Professor Victor T. King Gives Keynote

Professor Victor T. King of the Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam delivered an address in a keynote forum at the International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities (ICOSSH); Integrating the Culture and Civilization of the Nusantara, organised by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) at the Parkcity Everly Hotel, Bintulu, Sarawak, 8-9 October 2019. […]

Seminar on Ethnic Identities in Borneo

Please join us at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, 02 October 2019, for a talk by Professor Victor T. King on “Revisiting Social Organization and Ethnic Identities in Borneo.” For more information, please see the flyer below.

King on the Construction of Southeast Asia

The Institute of Asian Studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam is pleased to announce the publication of IAS Working Paper No 49: The Construction of Southeast Asia as an Academic Field of Study: Personages, Programmes and Problems by Victor T. King. Please see below for details. Abstract: This paper explores critically and historically some of the […]

Special Issue on Southeast Asian Studies

Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at IAS, has just had published a special issue of the journal Suvannabhumi: Multidisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies that he edited on “Alternative Approaches in Southeast Asian Studies: Compounding Area Studies and Cultural Studies.” This special issue consists of papers and commentaries that emerged from a conference […]

Victor T. King on Tourism and Heritage in Southeast Asia (Parts 2 & 3)

Here are parts 2 and 3 of the inaugural IAS@UBD Video Conversation. In this conversation we discuss tourism and heritage in Southeast Asia with Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at The Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stmIPUYZwUQ

Victor T. King on Tourism and Heritage in Southeast Asia (Part 1)

In this inaugural IAS@UBD Video Conversation, we discuss tourism and heritage in Southeast Asia with Victor T. King, Professor of Borneo Studies at The Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, Professor King has been researching about Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on Borneo, since the 1970s. He began researching […]

Changing Research Styles, Methodologies and Perspectives on Southeast Asia

On 30-31 July 2018 the Institute of Asian Studies (IAS) and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam held a conference on “Changing Research Styles, Methodologies and Perspectives on Southeast Asia.” The conference was co-chaired by Professor Victor T. King (IAS) and Associate Professor Jeremy Jammes (IAS) and featured a […]