Old and new knowledge regimes and the public milieu

Notwithstanding reservations about generalising across regions, in this discussion I consider the notion of ‘new Asia scholars’ in connection with Southeast Asia. I look at two possible assumptions: either that new types of scholars have emerged that change the circumstances for knowledge production, or that new scholarship among Southeast Asian scholars may change or challenge the forms of knowledge produced about the region. I discuss both angles in relation to old and emerging regimes of knowledge production and their engagement with society.