Go to and bookmark our digital resources page: https://www.iias.asia/resources
During the past year not one of us has escaped the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; we were forced indoors, sequestered to our ‘home offices’ in order to work. Those of you used to being out in the field, roaming the earth, looking for the next research adventure, have now had to make do with zoom meetings and facebook groups and archival browsing. Those of us more accustomed to working out of a university building, chatting to colleagues during coffee breaks, and suffering our daily commutes, well, we too have now learned all about online meeting etiquette, and probably failing quite splendidly. The online world has become all too familiar to each and every one of us. And so, for this issue of The Newsletter, not a Focus section as you know it. Something a little bit different, designed specifically for the time in which we find ourselves: an exploration of online resources that may assist (or at least entertain) the Asia scholar.
To accomplish this, I reached out to IIAS alumni and fellows, and other friends made during the past 10 years as Editor of this publication. Their (your) input led to the compilation of useful spaces with regard to Asia presented on the following pages. Whilst this list is far from comprehensive, and some regions are more widely represented than others, we intend it to be a valuable start to a collection that we will continue to build upon on the IIAS website; hopefully with your help. The list is gathered by resource type, but we have tried, where possible and if relevant, to indicate to which region the resource most relates. Throughout the collection we have added tidbits from the websites mentioned to provide some enjoyable reading in addition to the more practical information.
Finally, the pages of this Focus (and others sections in this issue) were assembled with the outstanding help of Alessandra Barrow, my intern for the past few months. Alessandra is currently completing the Research Master in Asian Studies at Leiden University. I am extremely grateful to have received her assistance for this issue, especially at a time when we all might be feeling rather disconnected. Let that be a reminder to reach out and work together! And with that in mind, if you know of any online resources that you would like to see added to this list, which we will be continuing to curate on our website, then please contact me with your ideas. You can find the ever-expanding list at www.iias.asia/resources.
Sonja Zweegers,
Editor of The Newsletter
s.i.zweegers@iias.nl
Alessandra Barrow,
Research MA Asian Studies student at Leiden University, and intern for The Newsletter.
https://linkedin.com/in/alessandra-barrow-675297172