Asian Studies Commons^™

Young Singaporeans Abroad And Their Misguided Sense Of Superiority Towards S-E Asia, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In a commentary, SMU President and Lee Kong Chian Chair Professor of Social Sciences Lily Kong –whose research has focused over the decades on social and cultural change in Asian cities – discussed why young Singaporeans can have a misguided sense of superiority towards South-east Asia when they venture abroad. She explained how this could blind them to their neighbours’ hidden strengths. Prof Kong also shared that SMU has sought to actively vest in its students a sound appreciation of growth in Asia. To support this endeavour, the University is launching a series of overseas centres in selected South-east Asian …

Social Performance Feedback And Firm Communication Strategy, Heli Wang, Ming Jia, Yi Xiang, Yang Lan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Although corporate social performance has become an important measure of firm performance, there is little understanding about how firms respond to social performance feedback and how impression management may function as an important firm response to the feedback. Building upon and extending the literature on the behavioral theory of the firm and the strategic use of language, we examine how discrepancies between firms’ social performance and their aspiration levels affect how firms use visual expressions in their CSR reports. In addition, we argue that the relationship between social performance discrepancies and the use of visual expressions in CSR reports is …

Microcontextual Considerations In Ouster Clause Analysis: A Comparative Study Of Parallel Trends In The United Kingdom And Singapore, Kenny Chng

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The classic legal approach to legislative ouster clauses in the common law was articulated by the House of Lords in Anisminic Ltd. v. Foreign Compensation Commission. However, recent developments in both the United Kingdom and Singapore indicate a judicial desire to shift away from that approach towards a more flexible analysis of an ouster clause’s effect, centered on the rule of law. This article highlights the significance of those parallel developments, especially given the starkly differing constitutional contexts shaping the approach to ouster clauses in the two jurisdictions. Capitalizing on these trends, it proposes a comparative assessment of the materiality …

The Curious Case Of The 0.1 Per Cent Service Charge, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Just before 1 August 2022, a coffeeshop zi char chain announced that it would impose a 0.1% service charge. This decision was reversed within two weeks due to "customers' reactions".While the rate might appear to be absurdly low and not worth the trouble of imposing, this article suggests that there was more to the situation than first meets the eye. GST regulations require merchants to list GST inclusive prices unless the goods and services are provided by hotels and F&B outlets that are subject to a service charge. The 0.1% rate is thus explicable as a likely attempt to get …

Book Censorship In Post-Tiananmen China (1989-2019), Yuwu Song

Journal of East Asian Libraries

Abstract: Censorship has become more prevalent in Chinese cultural and social life since the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Modern commentary on Chinese censorship focuses on news media and Internet, but neglects print books, which is part of a broader crackdown on dissent. To fill this gap, the project aims to map the contours of book censorship in China during the past 30 years. The emphasis is on the Chinese authorities’ increasing attempts to dominate people’s minds under Xi Jinping, who ascended to power as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012. The project reveals different levels of …

Convening For A Prosperous Future: Middle East North African South Asian (Menasa) Convening, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Portland State University, Middle East, North Africa, South Asia (Menasa), Portland State University

Global Diversity and Inclusion Publications and Presentations

PSU is proactively leaning into its future as a majority-BIPOC student institution and is dedicated to coming alongside BIPOC communities, critical partners, actors, and agents to act in the present to ensure a prosperous future.

We recognize that opportunities and challenges for BIPOC communities require collective, rather than singular, action. In that spirit, we invite you to save the date and join Portland State University's Global Diversity and Inclusion Division on Sunday October 23rd between 11am-2pm for a convening luncheon contemplating present challenges and imagining a prosperous future for our Middle East North African South Asian (MENASA) Community.

This social …

‘Xi Jinping Thought’: Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems And Military Modernization With Chinese Characteristics, Aiden Warren, Alek Hillas

The Journal of International Relations, Peace Studies, and Development

The article seeks to appraise Beijing’s military modernization and positions on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS). In examining the rhetoric of Chinese policy makers through a qualitative analysis of relevant policy documents and Chinese statements, the article begins by evaluating the relationship between military modernization and the advancement of China’s innovation and civil- ‍military integration strategies in the Xi Jinping era. Secondly, the article considers, via an analysis of diplomatic statements, the context of Chinese discussions on LAWS under the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The analysis proposes it is probable that China is seeking to …

The Geopolitics Of Infrastructuralized Platforms: The Case Of Alibaba, Hong Shen, Yujia He

Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Faculty Publications

Contemporary digital platforms have become increasingly infrastructuralized, and started to raise geopolitical tensions with their global expansion. Amidst the heightened geopolitical competition between the US and China, the growing power of Chinese infrastructuralized platforms has made them the center of recent geopolitical dynamics. Drawing from an exploratory case study, this paper discusses Alibaba, one of the most prominent Chinese Internet giants, as an infrastructuralized platform, and highlights its geopolitical struggles. Often perceived as an e-commerce company, Alibaba has become ‘infrastructuralized’: its now-massive digital empire has moved beyond e-commerce, expanding into almost every aspect of China’s and global digital economy such …

Through Pearl S. Buck's Writing: Women With Bound Feet In The Republic Of China, Zhihui Sophia Geng

Asian Studies Faculty Publications

This paper focuses on Pearl Buck’s writing on women with bound feet in the Republic of China. In the 1920s and 1930s, a prominent theme in the would-be Nobel Prize Laureate Pearl Buck’s writing was the capricious fates of women with bound feet. Asia magazine published some of Buck’s earliest literary creations. Among them, “A Chinese Woman Speaks” (1926), “New Modes of Chinese Marriage” (1927), and “The First Wife” (1931 and 1932) gave sympathetic accounts of the mental and physical suffering of women whose hobbled feet became symbols of old fashions and ignorance in the new Republic. Through her keen …

‘Too Shy To Talk About This Topic’: The Impacts Of Gender Conceptions On The Embodied Sexual Experiences And Perceptions Of Urban Vietnamese Students In Ho Chi Minh City, Lily Kafka

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper aims to articulate how ‘traditional’ gender roles are resisted, conformed to, and changed among youth within the context of Vietnam’s emerging market economy and consumer culture. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of how gender conceptions have progressed throughout Vietnamese history was a significant portion of my research. The data collection consisted of qualitative data through online surveys and in-depth interviews to understand the impacts of Vietnamese gender conceptions on the embodied sexual experiences and perceptions of university students in Ho Chi Minh City. My findings suggest that contemporary Vietnamese youth, specifically students residing in Ho Chi Minh City, are …

Medical Ethics: How Resource Distribution Affects The Decision Making Of Doctors In Rural India: An Explorative And Comparative Study In Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Jared Yee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Using rural Mahrasthra as a case study, I was able to explore the medical ethics and common dilemmas that occur in Rural India. Through a collection of interviews and articles, I was able to piece together my understanding of some common ethical challenges that India faces, emphasizing ones that were unique to the location and circumstance. Using observations I made through my work in the hospital, I learned that limited resources effects all sides of ethics in the medical field, with a significant effect on economics, hospital structure, and clinical protocol. In an attempt to source the aspects of Indian …

Monuments As A Lens To Understand Climate Change: A Survey Of Altered Indian Architecture, Mckenzie Davis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My project is asking in what ways climate change is impacting monuments in the developing world using case studies in India? The project will be a survey of sites occupying different positions in environment, religion, and history in order to assess the multitude of threats on cultural heritage created and/or exacerbated by climate change. The Taj Mahal (17th century) will be assessed in order to discuss the impacts of air pollution associated with an urban environ ment and drought along the Yamuna river, using a widely known icon of India to serve as a visualization of slow violence taking place …

Riding On Giants: Elephant Tourism In Chitwan National Park, Joshua Jacoves

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For the nearly 100 Asian Elephants (elephas maximus) in and around Chitwan National Park, life revolves and often depends around their interactions with humans. Since the advent of elephant tourism for the masses in around the 1980s, the elephants in and around the park have had a dramatic shift in their ways of life. This shift has also affected those who work intimately with these animals, the mahouts, or elephant keepers / riders, have also seen a complete shift in their role and livelihood. For those involved with this industry elephants are seen through different lenses; as an investment, as …

How Survivors Of Domestic Violence Seek Legal And Social Support Against Their Abusers In Ahmednagar District Of Maharashtra State In India: An Exploratory Study, Jonathan Israel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This exploratory study sought to gather detailed information about women’s experiences surviving and rehabilitating from domestic violence. This information was used to identify factors that encourage survivors to stay in their relationships and factors that enable them to seek legal and social support against their abusive partners. Qualitative data was gathered through a series of in-depth interviews and panel discussions with survivors of domestic violence in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra (India). This data was analyzed with guidance from Indian feminist theory, local professionals, and contributing research mentors. Further examination of national survey data, past research on domestic violence in Indian contexts, and …

Ageing Strong, Kheng Min Ma, Jovina Ang, Sheetal Bhardwaj

Asian Management Insights

Making the best of the third age.

Asia’S Waste Crisis, Havovi Joshi

Asian Management Insights

Many Asian countries have drawn up national strategies to address waste management through their policy and regulatory frameworks, and put in place policies that promote green growth and sustainable development. However, nations across the continent are at vastly different stages of waste management. On one end, countries like Japan, China, and Singapore are ahead of the curve, and have invested in sound and structured waste management systems. On the other end, less developed nations continue to dispose most of their waste at open dumps.

Leading By Example, Whee Jim Yeo

Asian Management Insights

Leadership lessons from Singapore’s pioneer civil servants.

Making Singapore A Regional Centre For Philanthropy, Kim Kit Ow, Vincent Ooi

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The article highlights the strong ecosystem in Singapore where charitable initiatives are supported and encouraged, and builds on DPM Lawrence Wong's recent comments that the Government is reviewing its tax incentive schemes to encourage increased philanthropic giving.As a starting point, we suggest three simple ways in which tax incentives could be enhanced:1) increasing the enhanced tax deduction for donations from the current 2.5 times the amount of qualifying donations to 3 times for certain causes where there is a significant amount of public spending;2) extending the period for which tax deductions for donations can be carried forward for from the …

Changes In Identity: How Mongolian Musicians And Performers Have Responded To Geopolitical Transition, Heather Cook

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

During Mongolia’s socialist period, traditional forms of Mongolian music were deliberately altered as the government, heavily influenced by the Soviet Union, attempted to modernize Mongolian culture. Throughout this period, traditional instruments were modified, the types of music that could be performed were strictly censored, and the structure of performances was set to strictly mimic those of Western orchestras. After Mongolia’s Democratic Revolution of 1990, the artistic freedom of Mongolian musicians has greatly increased, but even now, socialist cultural policies are deeply intertwined with Mongolian musical culture. Why is this the case? What is the common perception among performers about the …

Tsaachin Reindeer Herders: Perceptions Vs Reality, Sharla Dart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Mongolia is a country commonly known for its vast steppes and rich culture of nomadic pastoralism. Images of livestock grazing on the open steppe often come to mind when people think about the country. However, what about the lesser-known reindeer herders? The Tsaachin reindeer herders of Mongolia are an ethnic group in the northernmost region of the country that have been subject to common misconceptions stemming from perceptions created by people consuming exaggerated and false narratives. This study aims to discover if perceptions that outsiders have influence the reindeer herders of the West Taiga.