Since the fall of long-reigning President Soeharto, in 1998, Indonesia has been in an era of transition, away from an authoritarian regime, and on a quest for democracy. This quest started with decentralization laws implemented in 2001, which gave greater autonomy to the regions, and continued with the direct elections for the national and local …

Deepening Democracy in Indonesia?: Direct Elections for Local Leaders (Pilkada) Read More »

East Syriac Christianity spread outside the Roman Empire as a result of the missions carried out by the “Church of the East”, formerly known as “Nestorian Church”. This volume contains the most recent cutting edge research on this very Church in China and Central Asia. World-renowned scholars from universities and institutions in China, India, Europe …

Hidden Treasures and Intercultural Encounters: Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia Series, Orientalia- Patristica Oecumenica Vol. 1 Read More »

Introducing Chinese Religions is the ideal starting point for students exploring the fascinating religious traditions of China. This introduction covers the whole spectrum of Chinese religious history, from the multi-faceted religious heritage of pre-modern China, to the practice of different religions in China today, as well as the spread and influence of Chinese religions throughout …

Introducing Chinese Religions Read More »

Well over half of the world’s Muslim population lives in Asia. Over the centuries a rich constellation of Muslim cultures developed there and the region is currently home to some of the most dynamic and important developments in contemporary Islam. Despite this, the internal dynamics of Muslim societies in Asia do not often receive commensurate …

Islamic Connections: Muslim Societies in South and Southeast Asia Read More »

Mochtar Lubis was one of Indonesia’s best-known newspaper editors, authors and cultural figures, with a national, regional and international prominence that he retained from the early 1950s until his recent death in 2004. This book traces the major events in the life of Mochtar Lubis, which is also a prism through which much of Indonesia’s …

Journalism and Politics in Indonesia: A Critical Biography of Mochtar Lubis (1922-2004) as Editor and Author Read More »

Court dance in Java has changed from a colonial ceremonial tradition into a national artistic classicism. Central to this general transformation has been dance s role in personal transformation, developing appropriate forms of everyday behavior and strengthening the powers of persuasion that come from the skillful manipulation of both physical and verbal forms of politeness. …

Komunitas yang mewujud: Tradisi tari dan perubahan di Jawa [Embodied communities: Dance traditions and change in Java] Read More »

Among the many changes sweeping Southeast Asia, trends in marriage are prominent. These include delayed marriage and increased non-marriage, and new developments in marriage across boundaries of various kinds–including the boundaries of nation states, of ethnic groups and of different religions. In September 2006, the research cluster on the changing family in Asia of the …

Muslim-non-Muslim Marriage: Political and Cultural Contestations in Southeast Asia Read More »

This book examines Muslims in Singapore, analysing their habits, practices and dispositions towards everyday life, and also their role within the broader framework of the secularist Singapore state and the cultural dominance of its Chinese elite, who are predominantly Buddhist and Christian. Singapore has a highly unusual approach to issues of religious diversity and multiculturalism, …

Muslims in Singapore: Piety, Politics and Policies Read More »

Though wary of China’s rapid rise, her neighbours have considerable experience of dealing with unequal power without surrendering their autonomy.  For its part, china has a long memory of unequal or “tributary” relations and a relatively brief and turbulent experience of working within the current useful fiction of “sovereign equality” in international relations.  The emerging …

Negotiating Asymmetry: China’s Place in Asia Read More »

In what is today Malaysia, the British established George Town or Penang Island in 1786, and encouraged Chinese merchants and laborers to migrate to this vibrant trading port.  In the multicultural urban settlement that developed, the Chinese immigrants organized their social life through community temples like the Guanyin Temple (Kong Hok Place) and their secret …

Penang: Rites of Belonging in a Malaysian Chinese Community Read More »