University of Tokyo, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia
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| University of Tokyo, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia | |
|---|---|
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| Name | Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia |
| Native name | アジア未来研究センター |
| Established | 1957 |
| Type | Research institute |
| Parent | University of Tokyo |
| Location | Tokyo, Japan |
University of Tokyo, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia
The Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia is a multidisciplinary research institute within the University of Tokyo focused on Asian studies, regional development, and transnational networks. It engages scholars across history, anthropology, political science, economics, and cultural studies to examine connections among countries such as China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Central Asian states. The institute organizes symposia linking institutions like the National University of Singapore, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Seoul National University, and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
History
The institute traces intellectual roots to postwar initiatives at the University of Tokyo and to pan-Asian dialogues involving scholars from China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Korea during the 1950s and 1960s. Early collaborations included visiting academics from Kyoto University, Hitotsubashi University, Osaka University, and research exchanges with the School of Oriental and African Studies, Columbia University, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, and the Australian National University. It expanded through partnerships with foundations such as the Japan Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Asia Foundation, and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and later engaged with regional organizations including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Mission and Research Focus
The institute's mission centers on producing comparative, historically grounded research on Asian transformations, addressing issues pertinent to societies in China, India, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. Research programs examine topics linked to urbanization in Mumbai, Shanghai, and Jakarta; maritime histories involving the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca; religious networks such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam in regional contexts; and legal-historical studies touching on the Treaty of Shimonoseki, Treaty of Nanking, and postcolonial legal orders. Projects frequently reference historical figures and events like Emperor Meiji, Mahatma Gandhi, Sun Yat-sen, Ho Chi Minh, Sukarno, Aung San, and the Meiji Restoration.
Academic Programs and Training
The institute offers postdoctoral fellowships, visiting scholar programs, and doctoral-level seminars in cooperation with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, the Graduate School of Economics, and professional schools at the University of Tokyo. Training emphasizes archival research across collections such as the National Diet Library, the British Library, the National Library of India, and the National Archives of Indonesia, and fieldwork methodologies employed in studies of regions like Bengal, Yunnan, Annam, Kantō, and Kalimantan. Programs include joint degrees, intensive language training in Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Bengali, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, and archival workshops modeled on exchanges with École française d'Extrême-Orient and the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity.
Faculty and Research Staff
Faculty and research staff draw from disciplines represented by scholars affiliated with institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, London School of Economics, Peking University, Delhi University, and regional centers like the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and the National Institute of Advanced Studies (India). Senior fellows have backgrounds in topics related to the Tokugawa period, Taisho Democracy, Cold War in Asia, Decolonization of Asia, Silk Road, Maritime Silk Road, and contemporary policy issues including relations involving United States, Russia, China, India, and regional blocs. Visiting researchers have included specialists on figures like Inejiro Asanuma, Yasuo Fukuda, Lee Kuan Yew, Mahatma Gandhi, and analysts of events such as the Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Publications and Projects
The institute publishes working papers, monographs, and edited volumes often co-published with university presses such as the University of Tokyo Press, the Cambridge University Press, and the Oxford University Press. Major projects have ranged from digital humanities mapping of trade networks involving Manila Galleon routes to collaborative histories of colonial administrations in British India, Dutch East Indies, French Indochina, and Spanish Philippines. The publication series has included comparative studies of legal codes like the Napoleonic Code influence, land tenure systems from Zamindari structures to Tenant Farming reforms, and compilations on cultural heritage involving UNESCO World Heritage sites such as Angkor Wat and Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Collaborations and Partnerships
The institute maintains partnerships with regional universities and international research centers including National University of Singapore, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Seoul National University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Universitas Indonesia, Chulalongkorn University, University of the Philippines, University of Malaya, Khon Kaen University, Moscow State University, and think tanks like the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Japan Center for International Exchange. It participates in grant consortia funded by agencies such as the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the European Research Council, the Japan–China Friendship Center, and collaborative networks linking the Belt and Road Initiative research teams.
Campus and Facilities
Located on the Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo, the institute occupies offices and seminar rooms proximate to the Komaba Campus and the Kashiwa Campus facilities, with library holdings integrated into the University of Tokyo Library system and access to specialized collections at the Historiographical Institute (Tokyo) and the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. Facilities include digital labs for GIS mapping, oral-history recording studios, and conference spaces for hosting events such as joint symposia with Japan Foundation, roundtables with delegations from ASEAN Secretariat, and lectures featuring scholars from Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Smithsonian Institution.
Category:Research institutes in Japan