On January 9, 2025, the Japan Foundation-Global Japan Studies (JF-GJS) Initiative and the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, hosted the fourth installment of the JF-GJS Talk Series. Dr. Karl Ian Cheng Chua, Assistant Professor at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines, delivered a lecture titled “Southeast Asians Can Think Outside of Southeast Asia”, exploring the challenges and opportunities for Southeast Asian scholars in global academia, particularly within Japanese Studies.

Dr. Cheng Chua discussed how academic knowledge production remains dominated by Anglo-American and Japanese institutions, with English as the global academic language. This structural imbalance often confines Southeast Asian scholars to topics focused on their own region, making it difficult to engage in broader academic conversations on equal terms. He highlighted how Japanese Studies, shaped by both the Anglo-American and East Asian spheres, leaves Southeast Asian scholars navigating dual pressures while struggling for visibility. Many scholars attempt to bridge this gap by publishing in “semi-centers,” but this reinforces linguistic and financial peripherality rather than creating truly independent research spaces.

The discussion also examined the notion of “marginal knowledge,” where Southeast Asian scholars engage with dominant academic frameworks but remain dependent on them. Dr. Cheng Chua suggested that shifting toward “provincial knowledge” produced in local linguistic and academic systems could help build independent intellectual spaces. However, this requires stronger institutional support, collaborative regional networks, and alternative publishing platforms that prioritize Southeast Asian perspectives rather than adapting to dominant academic models.

The lecture also addressed Japan’s initiatives to collaborate with Southeast Asia, including the Abe Initiatives and Kishida’s WA Project 2.0. While these programs provide opportunities, they often reinforce hierarchical relationships, positioning Southeast Asian scholars as research subjects rather than equal intellectual partners. True collaboration, Dr. Cheng Chua argued, requires moving beyond one-way knowledge transfer. Southeast Asian scholars should play active roles in shaping research priorities, leading projects, and co-designing collaborative frameworks. Japan, in turn, must recognize Southeast Asian scholars as contributors of original knowledge, rather than as passive participants in academic partnerships.

Following the lecture, Dr. Maria Thaemar Camanag Tana, JF-GJS Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, provided a response reinforcing the need for Southeast Asian scholars to reclaim agency in global academia. She emphasized the importance of reframing peripherality as a strength by developing independent research networks, promoting regional collaboration, and advocating for more inclusive publishing practices. The discussion raised key questions about how Southeast Asian scholars can assert their intellectual authority, how multilingual publishing and translation can enhance visibility, and how partnerships with Japan can evolve to ensure more equitable collaborations.

The Q&A session explored the role of funding for regional research networks, the potential of digital platforms in overcoming language barriers, and strategies for strengthening Southeast Asia-led academic initiatives. Dr. Chua’s lecture underscored the urgent need for
systemic change, where Southeast Asian scholars are not seen as peripheral but as central to shaping global knowledge production. His insights provided a critical framework for rethinking academic hierarchies, fostering genuine collaboration, and ensuring that Southeast Asian scholarship is recognized on its own terms.

– Written by Maria Thaemar Camanag Tana