Southeast Asian Studies and Globalization: Prospects in Southeast Asia

OOI Keat Gin, Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU), School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia

'Southeast Asian Studies' in contemporary Southeast Asia is increasingly assuming some importance in the region itself. Several institutions of higher learning in the region have on-going programmes ranging from baccalaureate to doctorates. At the same time there are numerous centers with particular research interest in Southeast Asia. Notwithstanding such developments, the current overall scenario of the state of Southeast Asian studies in Southeast Asia is far from encouraging. Furthermore there is the inevitable soul-searching endeavor of the future direction of Southeast Asian studies against the onslaught of globalization impacting adversely on the very existence and survival of 'Area Studies', a once important academic pursuit not many decades ago. The present paper will recollect the beginnings of academic studies of Southeast Asia in the region. Moving forward to the contemporary setting, it will present an overview of the various 'Southeast Asian Studies Programmes' presently conducted in Southeast Asian universities and institutions. Attention will also be given to the development of centres and institutions that have Southeast Asian Studies as their exclusive agenda and others with secondary focus. The second part of the paper considers the situation and prospects of Southeast Asian Studies in Southeast Asia. Firstly the concept of 'Southeast Asia' or how Southeast Asians themselves viewed the region will be discussed. A pertinent issue that beset the region's academic community is the 'national' priority vis-à-vis the 'regional' agenda. Local scholars need to weigh their preferred specialization niche against institutional considerations. Finally, the most important and pressing issue is the challenges posed by the globalization phenomenon on the future development of Southeast Asian Studies in Southeast Asia itself. What is the fate of Southeast Asian Studies in the region? Can it survive the increasing globalization wave? Contributions from the experiences of Southeast Asian Studies programmes in other parts of the world (Europe, North America, Australasia, Japan, etc.) in facing globalization will offer a balance evaluation of the relevancy of this academic discipline in the 21st century.

OOI Keat Gin is coordinator of the Asia-Pacific Research Unit (APRU) (http://www.hum.usm.my/apru.asp) and associate professor of History in the School of Humanities, Universiti Sains Malaysia. His publications include World beyond the Rivers (Hull, 1996), Of Free Trade and Native Interests (Oxford, 1997), Japanese Empire in the Tropics, 2 vols. (Ohio, 1998), Rising Sun over Borneo (Macmillan / St Martin's, 1999), and From Colonial Outpost to Cosmopolitan Centre (Academia Sinica, 2002), and as the editor of the award-winning Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, 3 vols. (ABC-Clio, 2004). He is the chief editor of the International Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies (IJAPS). Dr Ooi has held senior fellowships at the University of Hull (UK), the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National University, and University of Wollongong (Australia), the International Institute of Asian Studies (IIAS), and the Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (NIOD) (The Netherlands). In May 2007 he will be senior visiting fellow at the Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, King's College of the University of London, UK. Dr Ooi is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, London, UK. His field of interest is the socio-cultural and socio-economic history of Southeast Asia with particular attention to Borneo. Currently he is preparing a manuscript on the Australian re-occupation of northwest Borneo, involved in the NIOD "Indonesia in the Pacific War" project, and on-going research of the Japanese occupation of Borneo in the Pacific War (1941-1945).

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