DGA-Conversations: The State of Asian Area Studies in Europe Conversations 1: The State of Asian Area Studies in Europe 11. November 2026

DGA Conversations

11.11.2026, 18:15–19:45 (online)

The State of Asian Area Studies in Europe: An Exchange on Past Experiences, Current Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Discussants:

Prof. Dr. Judith M. Bovensiepen (Director of the Institute for Social Anthropology & Austrian Academy of Sciences)

PhDr. Tomáš Petrů, Ph.D. (Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences & Institute of South and Central Asia, Faculty of Arts, Charles University)

Prof. Dr. Bernard Arps (Professor of Indonesian and Javanese Language and Culture

Leiden University Institute for Area Studies)

Moderation:

Mark Philip Stadler (DGA board member)

The academic fields of Area Studies in general, and Asian Studies in particular—with their manifold variants encompassing East, South, Southeast, Central, North, and West Asian Studies, including Middle Eastern Studies—are undergoing significant transformations across Europe. Asian Studies face both challenges and opportunities, ranging from the introduction of new courses and degree programmes to a substantial decline in student numbers, forced mergers with related fields such as social anthropology, development sociology, and economics, and the complete closure of departments and research institutes, often accompanied by the loss of permanent academic positions.

This DGA Conversation brings together academics and researchers working in different European contexts who draw on decades of experience in the broader field of Southeast Asian Studies. They will share their perspectives on a changing academic field and university landscape and discuss both national developments and their wider European implications.

What different trajectories have Asian Area Studies taken across Europe? What can be learned from experiences in different national and institutional contexts to ensure the successful continuation and development of Asian Studies? What does the future hold for Asian Studies more generally? Are institutional mergers a threat to the distinctiveness of Asian Studies, or can they offer a viable path towards their continuation and renewal?