On the afternoon of April 1st, 2021, the first session of Southeast Asian Studies Lectures was held in Auditorium 205 of the Central Main Building, with the theme of “Three Dimensions of Area Studies: A Glance at the Time, Space and Domain of Southeast Asian Studies”. The lecturer was presented by Prof. Bi Shihong, Professor at the Institute of International Relations at Yunnan University and Member of the Academic Committee of Institute of International and Area Studies, Tsinghua University (IIAS-THU). Doctorate candidates at IIAS and some external faculty and students attended the event.

This lecture was comprised of three parts. First of all, Prof. Bi explained what is the “time” of Southeast Asian studies in six aspects, namely the beginning of Southeast Asian historical studies, the modern time (colonial period) of Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian studies after World War II, rethinking the “Chinese Century”, colonial rule in Southeast Asia and past and present of Southeast Asia. In the second part, Prof. Bi explored the implication of “space” in Southeast Asian studies in six aspects, i.e., the origin of the name “Southeast Asia”, the essence of Southeast Asia, how international relations and international politics study “areas”, the difference in two kinds of knowledge on “areas”, Southeast Asia in regional cooperation and the preliminary knowledge of “space” in Southeast Asia. In the third part, he elaborated what is the “territory” of Southeast Asian studies, including the academic significance of “territory”, the “territory” as a life circle, the “territory” as a cultural circle, the boundaries of modern Southeast Asian countries and the future development of territory studies. At the end of the lecture, Prof. Bi and the students present engaged in heated interaction and discussions on some different dimensions of Southeast Asian studies.

In conclusion, Prof. Bi pointed out that researchers engaged in area and national studies should drill down into the local areas of the countries for living and study, interact with various local social units and groups, and carry out area and national studies from a new perspective under long-term local life perception and culture influence, while maintaining theoretical rigor and the characteristics of Chinese school.

Prof. Bi Shihong holds a PhD in History (World History) and now serves as Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Institute of International Relations at Yunnan University. His research interests cover East and Southeast Asian studies, international relations in East Asia and Mekong Economic Cooperation and Vietnam studies. One of “Famous Cultural Masters” in Yunnan Province, Prof. Bi graduated from the University of International Relations, Waseda University and Nankai University. His previous positions include International Research Professor at Waseda University, Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of Developing Economies, Visiting Professor at Tokyo University and Visiting Research Professor at Kyoto University. At present, Prof. Bi concurrently acts as Deputy Secretary-General of China Japanese History Association, Director of China Society for Southeast Asian Studies, Director of Chinese Association For Japanese Studies, Director of Chinese Association of Asia-Pacific Studies and other academic positions. Prof. Bi is also Part-time Professor at IIAS.

Text by: Wang Zijing
Photography by: Wang Zijing