ASiA aims to promote, support and strengthen research and new initiatives on Asia in the Amsterdam region. It creates networks inside and outside academic circles and stimulates
interdisciplinary cooperation to back research projects and grant applications. ASiA caters especially to young researchers. ASiA currently supports two NWO/ASSR/IIAS research programmes in Amsterdam:
Socio-genetic Marginalisation in Asia: A Comparative Approach to the Relationship between Genomics, Governance, and Social Identity
The concept of socio-genetic marginalisation refers to the consequences of relating the social to (assumed) genetic make-up, even when the relevance of such connections is doubtful - it is, after all, cultural, religious, socio-economic and political embedding
that renders interpretations of genetic information meaningful. Socio-genetic marginalisation also refers to the isolation of social groups and individuals as a result of discrimination on the basis of genetic information: socio-genetic risk groups can suffer psychological burdens, feelings of social ineptitude and financial insecurity. The concept also refers to socio-economic marginalisation when healthcare becomes too costly for the
poor. See www.iias.nl/smap
Illegal but Licit: Transnational Flows and Permissive Polities in Asia
This research programme analyses globalisation-from-below: transnational practices that are considered acceptable (licit) by participants but are formally illegal. It focuses on flows of poor people and goods across borders in Asia - movements and practices that states declare illegal, even thoughstates themselves are often involved in them. The programme argues that the social sciences have methodologically been more adept at studying fixity than movement, and seeks to develop new tools to understand transnational movements comparatively. See www.iias.nl/ibl
