The book contains essays on current issues in Social and Political Sciences, such as the issues of governance and social order; social development and community development; global challenges and inequality; civil society and social movement; IT-based community and social transformation; poverty alleviation and corporate social responsibility; and gender issues. Asia and the Pacifi c are the particular regions that the conference focuses on as they have become new centers of social and political development. Therefore, this book covers areas that have been traditionally known as the social and political areas such as communication studies, political studies, governance studies, criminology, sociology, social welfare, anthropology and international relations.

A collection of essays engaging with Buddhism in Thailand and the virtues of distraction and variety within the materialist turn in studies of religion. In Thailand, Buddhism is deeply integrated into national institutions and ideologies, making it tempting to think of Buddhism in Thailand as a textual, institutional, cultural, and conceptual whole. At the same time, religious expression in the country reflects anything but a single order. Often gaudy, cacophonous, variegated, and jumbled, diversity and apparent contradiction abound. A more open engagement with Buddhism in Thailand requires a willingness to be distracted, to step away from received hierarchies and follow the intriguing detail in the ornate design, the odd textual reference, and to prefer "thin description" over a search for meaning. Justin McDaniel's well-known book-length writings in Buddhist and Theravada studies cannot be fully understood without taking into account his shorter writings, what he calls his wayward distractions. Collected together for the first time, these essays cover subjects ranging from ornamental art to marriage and emotion, the role of Hinduism, neglected gender and ethnic diversity, Buddhist inflections in contemporary art practice, and the boundaries between the living, dead, and undead. These writings will be of importance to students of Theravada and Thailand, of religion in Southeast Asia and more generally, of the materialist turn in studies of religion.

The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Brunei presents an overview of significant themes, issues, and challenges pertinent to Brunei Darussalam in the twenty-first century. Multidisciplinary in coverage, the contributions cover topics relating to philology, history, religion, language and literature, geography, international relations, economics, politics and sociocultural traditions. The Handbook is structured in eight parts: Foundations History Faith and Ethnicity Literature Language and Education Economics Material Culture Empowerment Chapters focus on the recent past and contemporary developments in this unique country which has remained a Malay Muslim sultanate, sustaining its religious and traditional heritage encapsulated in the national philosophy, Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB, Malay Islamic Monarchy). The MIB philosophy represents the sultanate’s three pillars of social, cultural, political and economic sustainability, and the contributors discuss this concept in relation to the notion of ‘Malay’ or ‘Malaydom’, the official religion of the nation-state, Islam and monarchy as the essential system of government. This Handbook is an invaluable reference work for students of Asian and Southeast Asian Studies and researchers interested in what is demographically the smallest country within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

With his many years of overseas experiences as an international student, educator and scholar, Teofilo C Daquila has conducted his research on the internationalisation of higher education (IHE), as it has become an important policy issue and research topic for governments and universities around the world. He aims to determine the extent of internationalisation of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region particularly in Australia, Singapore and Japan in terms of its determinants and impacts using a multi- and inter-disciplinary framework of analysis, through historical, political, geographical, economic, social, and cultural dimensions.Daquila examines three leading universities in the world as case studies to determine their internationalisation experiences and the extent of their competitiveness. These are the University of Melbourne, the National University of Singapore, and Kyoto University. He uses four indicators of competitiveness: governance and structure, demand conditions, factor conditions, and internationalisation strategies (using the following indicators of IHE: expansion, broadening/diversification, deepening and facilitation).This book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the internationalisation of higher education, its determinants and multiple perspectives, the competitiveness and internationalisation experiences and strategies of universities.

Central nervous system (CNS) diseases, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, bulbar palsy, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor, cerebral palsy, headache, migraine, epilepsy, depression, anxiety, etc., involve complex neural mechanism, and seriously affect quality of life and threaten life safety in patients with these disorders. Multiple neural techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, electroencephalography, etc., provide powerful tools for uncovering complex networks of neural mechanism and exploring key potential biomarkers to reveal the underlying neural feature of those disorders.

This edited volume introduces dynamic approaches to the study of Southeast Asia’s environmental diversity from different disciplinary perspectives at the interface between the natural and social sciences. It brings together research on the region’s environmental resource use and shared ecological challenges in the context of present day globalization to offer insights for possible future directions. The book introduces unique approaches to the study of Southeast Asia’s environmental changes and resource management under the influence of intensifying economic change in the region. It also examines the slow erosion of Southeast Asia’s rich environment and addresses serious issues such as the decrease in biodiversity and tropical forests, and the degradation of peat lands. At the same time, it discusses the social issues that are tied to energy-dependent growth and have intensified over the last two decades. It also analyzes the new roadmaps being created to protect, conserve, and manage the environment. By investigating the many ecological issues surrounding us, the volume brings to light the constant struggles we face while trying to develop a more inclusive and equitable approach to natural resources governance. This volume is relevant for students, academics and researchers who have an interest in the Southeast Asian environment and the way in which we use and interact with it.