The International Institute for Asian Studies
IIAS promotes critical, humanistic, and collaborative work on, with, in, and beyond Asia.
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Core priorities
Across multiple platforms and programmes, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) promotes critical, humanistic, and collaborative work on, with, in, and beyond Asia.
The Institute's academic strategy coalesces around five interrelated core priorities:
- Research
- Education & Pedagogy
- Civic Engagement
- Network Building
- Communication & Dissemination.
Hosted and supported by Leiden University, IIAS functions as an autonomous, versatile, interdisciplinary, and inter-regional facilitating platform that serves a multitude of stakeholders in Asia, Europe, and other regions worldwide. Thus, the Institute contributes decisively to the university’s new international strategy to act as a bridge across cultures and between diverse paths of knowledge.
Research clusters
IIAS takes a thematic approach to the study of 'Asia in the World', working with scholars and practitioners from different world regions, disciplines and sectors, thus bringing academic and non-academic institutes together to foster an inclusive and diverse learning and research community. While we remain open to other possible avenues of knowledge, our current thematic and interconnected research clusters are 'Cities', ‘Global Asia’ and the 'Politics of Culture' (previously named 'Asian Heritages').
The clusters' activities are all built around the notion of social agency, addressing questions relevant to present-day Asian societies while paying attention to their cultural and historical contexts.
Organisation
The permanent staff of IIAS is responsible for the coordination, organisation and administration of all activities of IIAS. The overall management of the Institute is handled by a Management Team consisting of a Director, Institute Manager and Institute Strategist.
The Director answers to the IIAS Board. An Academic Committee advises the Director in respect to the Institute’s fellowship programme and is responsible for the selection of affiliate research fellows. Both the IIAS Board and Academic Committee consist of experts in the field of Asian Studies and other relevant disciplines.
Location
IIAS is conveniently located in the heart of the historic city of Leiden, The Netherlands, surrounded by a cluster of academic institutions centred around Leiden University and its renowned Asian Library.
The Institute was established in 1993 by the Ministry of Education as a joint cooperation between the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and three Dutch universities to encourage the interdisciplinary study of Asia and promote national and international cooperation. Leiden was chosen as the Institute's seat with a branch office in Amsterdam, and Leiden University provided the required practical and administrative facilities. Today, IIAS is hosted and supported by Leiden University alone.
