Research strengths
The Asian Studies program draws on the expertise of staff of the School of Languages and Cultures in the following areas:
- Chinese
- Buddhist
- Indian
- Indonesian
- Japanese, and
- Korean Studies
Not only does the program’s geographical scope embrace some of the countries that are of the greatest economic, demographic, military and strategic importance in today’s world, it also covers a number of civilizations (Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian, Islamic) that are among the planet's oldest and/or most influential (as well as, obviously, some localized traditions).
Across those regions and cultures, staff areas of specialisation are especially diverse:
- Mass media
- Religion
- Ancient thought and philosophy
- Politics
- State and society
- Literature
- History, etc.
Overall, research in Asian Studies is particularly strong in the multidisciplinary study of modern and contemporary Asian societies, political and cultural developments. However, traditional cultures and philosophies, religion, and pre-modern history constitute another very important focus of the program.
For information on each participating staff member’s research strengths, please view the list of staff profiles.
Current and ongoing projects
- Recent and Contemporary China (Department of Chinese Studies).
- A Study of the Sanskrit text of the Mahayanasutralankara and its Indian commentaries preserved in Tibetan translation (Department of Indian Sub-Continental Studies).