Research Platforms' Performance Reports GA21 2015-2017 | Page 3

MANAGEMENT
Director’s Foreword
Professor Pervaiz K Ahmed
Director
GA21 Platform
Asia in the 21st century is an exciting place to be and to
do research. As a result of globalisation, modernisation,
migration and cultural interflows, from ‘One Belt One Road’
to KPop, from ritual performance to cultural heritage,
Asian societies have experienced rapid development and
transformation. It has also led to time-space compression
where modern communication and the internet have
enabled the flourishing and the spread of ideas, technology
and cultures. The 21st century spells the Asian Turn where
the political intersects with the economic, the social and the
individual. It is a time where Asia positions itself in the global
world and also where America, Europe, Latin America,
Africa, Australia and the Oceania position themselves vis-
a-vis Asia. It is this Asian Turn that spells excitement for all
of us here.
The shifting powers within Asia help us to understand
its transformative power and its synergies on the global
stage. As Asia locks itself into the global economic system
and where ‘think, create and innovate’ is the key to global
development, the question that we want to ask is: After
innovation, where do we go from here? Research into
Asia and its global linkages will help us to understand
and answer vital questions. Research – be it in the social,
economic, technology, biotech or medical fields – will have
vast implications for the local and global communities.
At the second level, Asia is a culturally rich and diverse
region. The rich social customs and practices, elaborate
religious tapestry, ritual performances, foodways and
linguistic taxonomies are part and parcel of the Asian
heritage. They are familiar yet different, which raises the
question of how we interpret these social actions, religious
practices, ritual performances, the meanings behind
foodways and linguistic significance. Do they constitute
part of the social and symbolic capital of the community;
how do these practices reflect the social and cultural
identity of a social group or community? Are they the social
webs that tie individuals and groups together? Our ability
to interpret and become culturally aware of these practices
will enable us to better understand them, and hopefully
translate into actions that will enhance social understanding
and social interaction, reduce tensions and fictions, and
facilitate cultural interflows and acceptance of people
from different socio-cultural, ethnic, political, gender and
sexual backgrounds.
Likewise, at the policy level, policy makers need to take
actions and establish appropriate frameworks that facilitate
the implementation of cultural meanings to cultural
understanding, as well as innovative ideas to innovative
practices for the local and global communities.
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