martes, 21 de febrero de 2012

Welcome to the first issue of Asian Currents for 2012.

This issue covers a wide range of topical issues, including the political thaw in Burma/Myanmar, the fractured US–Pakistan relationship and a look at regional restructuring in northern Japan following the earthquake disaster a year ago.

We also look at Chinese humour and why an Australian-led initiative to support writers from Asia and the Pacific has decided to register in Hong Kong.

This will also be a big year for the ASAA, with our 19th Biennial Conference, ‘Knowing Asia: Asian studies in an Asian century’, being held 11–13 July, 2012, at the University of Western Sydney (Parramatta South Campus). You will find further details in this issue of Asian Currents and from the conference website.

This will also be a big year for the ASAA, with our 19th Biennial Conference, ‘Knowing Asia: Asian studies in an Asian century’, being held 11–13 July, 2012, at the University of Western Sydney (Parramatta South Campus). You will find further details in this issue of Asian Currents and from the conference website.
We appreciate your continued support, both as readers of and contributors to Asian Currents. We also encourage your comment on articles, suggestions for articles for future issues and feedback on whether the bulletin is meeting your needs.

Purnendra Jain
President
Asian Studies Association of Australia

In this issue:
· In this issue:
· Making sense of the 2011 political ‘thaw’ in Burma/Myanmar (Trevor Wilson)
· Tattered US–Pakistan relationship in urgent need of mending (Alicia Mollaun)
· Earthquake disaster could be catalyst for regional restructure (Joel Rheuben)
· Ecotourism offers hope to threatened Balinese villages (Carol Warren)
· Yingluck and labour: business as usual (Andrew Brown)
· China’s ‘tiger girls’ come down from the hills (Minglu Chen)
· AP Writers seeks Hong Kong shelter (Jane Camens)
· Not just a joking matter: humour in Chinese life and letters (Jocelyn Chey)
· India’s rise: changing the mental map of the Asia–Pacific (David Brewster)
· Books on Asia


The February 2012 issue of "Asian Currents" from the Asian Studies Association of Australia is now available from the ASAA web site at http://www.asaa.asn.au/publications/ac/2012/asian-currents-12-02.pdf

The index page listing all available issues is at http://www.asaa.asn.au/publications/asian_current_issues.html

Stephen Meatheringham
ASAA Web Coordinator