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▪ Abstract  This article examines the study of religions of South Asia, in particular of India, from the angle of postcolonial criticism. It argues that the study of state formation provides a crucial perspective for the unraveling of the multiple transformations of religion in the colonial and postcolonial public sphere. The colonial state cannot be studied in isolation from the global framework of imperial interactions between metropole and colony, in which colonial and national modernity is produced. Such a study depends on a postcolonial critique of the very category of "religion" while acknowledging the centrality of that category in colonial and postcolonial politics. The transformation of the public sphere in South Asia shows the increasing importance of religious movements and of the political use of religious images in new communication technologies. One of the most important trends in the present era is the attempt to create a homogenous religious community, not only within the national territorial space, but also in a transnational space. Such attempts offer a violent confrontation with "the Other," however defined.

This book is a collection of work by scholars currently pursuing research on human security and insecurities in Southeast Asia. It deals with a set of insecurities that is not readily understood or measurable. As such, it conceptually locates the threats and impediments to human security within relationships of risk, uncertainty, safety and trust. At the same time, it presents a wide variety of investigations and approaches from both localized and regional perspectives. By focusing on the human and relational dimensions of insecurities in Southeast Asia it highlights the ways in which vulnerable and precarious circumstances (human insecurities) are part of daily life for large numbers of people in Southeast Asia and are mainly beyond their immediate control. Many of the situations people experience in Southeast Asia represent the real outcomes of a range of largely unacknowledged socio-cultural-economic transformations interlinked by local, national, regional and global forces, factors and interests. Woven from experience and observations of life at various sites in Southeast Asia, the contributions in this volume give an internal and critical perspective to a complex and manifold issue. They draw attention to a variety of the less-than-obvious threats to human security and show how perplexing those threats can be. All of which underscores the significance of multidisciplinary approaches in rethinking and responding to the complex array of conditioning factors and interests underlying human insecurities in Southeast Asia."

"This book maps out the state of China studies in seven Southeast Asian countries from different perspectives. It looks at the history and current status of the study of China, analyses the characteristics of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Myanmar, and what factors shaped the development and prospects of Sinology and Chinese Studies in these countries. For the first time, China experts from within and outside of this region, using a wide range of biographical, historical, bibliographical and comparative methodologies, tell the stories of how intellectuals and scholars in selected Southeast Asian countries understand, study, and research China. Their studies are providing different perspectives and discourses on China. Chapters discover and explore common factors such as the presence of sizeable ethnic Chinese communities, historical and current interactions between China and Southeast Asia, and the diverse intellectual influences in the region"--

Shifts in the global nuclear landscape / Shashank Joshi -- A nuclear revival? the changing role of nuclear weapons in global security / Christoph Bluth -- Nuclear security - transcending the policy objectives of the nuclear non-proliferation regime / Bahram Ghiassee -- Human security approach to nuclear disarmament: towards a nuclear-free world? / Elli Kytomaki -- Non- proliferation through forceful persuasion? The American coercive diplomacy on the "axis of evil" / Seunghoon Paik -- Understanding Israel's nuclear ambiguity / Houchang Hassan-Yari -- China's nuclear modernisation: the evolution of Chinese nuclear doctrine, strategic ambiguities and implications for Sino-U.S. relations / James Johnson, Andrew Futter -- "Eating grass": Pakistani nuclear capabilities, a brief historical background and the danger of proliferation / Mohammad Vaziri -- South Asia's emerging military postures and challenges for regional stability / Adil Sultan -- Concluding remarks / Ariabarzan Mohammadi

Not Available ; Rice is the staple food for over half of the global population. About 90% of the global rice is produced and consumed in Asia. Hence, rice production in Asia is the key for global food security. The growth in rice production with stability has been a matter of concern to achieve food security, especially in developing countries. In this backdrop, the present paper attempts to study the area and production growth rates of major rice growing countries of Asia. Also, the export growth rates were estimated and the contribution of major rice growing countries of Asia to Global food security was quantified for the period between 1994 and 2013. The trends from the year 1964 for area and production were analyzed. For exports, the trends have been analysed from the year 1984. The results revealed that there was a rapid increase in production of rice during 2004–2013 mainly because of increase in area and also because of increased investment in agriculture. The growth rate of exports has declined and stood at 4.01% during 2004–2012. This is mainly because of 2008 rice crisis that has provided impetus to expanded rice production in several rice importing countries. The study suggests that, for expansion of international trade, the governments will need to adopt measures that reduce supply chain loss, improve supply response time, reduce the market costs and post harvest loss. ; Not Available

Not Available ; Rice is the staple food for over half of the global population. About 90% of the global rice is produced and consumed in Asia. Hence, rice production in Asia is the key for global food security. The growth in rice production with stability has been a matter of concern to achieve food security, especially in developing countries. In this backdrop, the present paper attempts to study the area and production growth rates of major rice growing countries of Asia. Also, the export growth rates were estimated and the contribution of major rice growing countries of Asia to Global food security was quantified for the period between 1994 and 2013. The trends from the year 1964 for area and production were analyzed. For exports, the trends have been analysed from the year 1984. The results revealed that there was a rapid increase in production of rice during 2004–2013 mainly because of increase in area and also because of increased investment in agriculture. The growth rate of exports has declined and stood at 4.01% during 2004–2012. This is mainly because of 2008 rice crisis that has provided impetus to expanded rice production in several rice importing countries. The study suggests that, for expansion of international trade, the governments will need to adopt measures that reduce supply chain loss, improve supply response time, reduce the market costs and post harvest loss. ; Not Available

This issue of the ( ) is the first in a series of biannual reports on economic and development issues in South Asia. The is a cooperative effort by the South Asia Department and the Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank. The aims to provide information to policy makers, academics, and ADB management and staff and highlights issues that help promote debate and foster appropriate policies and greater cooperation and integration in the region. The key messages of the are the following: • South Asia is on a high growth path. • Growth is primarily driven by domestic demand and the services sector, unlike in East and Southeast Asia. • Continued sound macroeconomic management, policy and institutional reforms, and targeted public investments in infrastructure are needed to sustain the high growth. • In macroeconomic management, the key areas of concern are inflation and increasing current account deficits. • With regard to policy and institutional reforms, there is a need to focus on improving regulatory quality and government effectiveness.

This issue of the ( ) is the first in a series of biannual reports on economic and development issues in South Asia. The is a cooperative effort by the South Asia Department and the Central and West Asia Department of the Asian Development Bank. The aims to provide information to policy makers, academics, and ADB management and staff and highlights issues that help promote debate and foster appropriate policies and greater cooperation and integration in the region. The key messages of the are the following: • South Asia is on a high growth path. • Growth is primarily driven by domestic demand and the services sector, unlike in East and Southeast Asia. • Continued sound macroeconomic management, policy and institutional reforms, and targeted public investments in infrastructure are needed to sustain the high growth. • In macroeconomic management, the key areas of concern are inflation and increasing current account deficits. • With regard to policy and institutional reforms, there is a need to focus on improving regulatory quality and government effectiveness.

1. Contesting intimacy, reflexivity and identity in contemporary social theory -- 2. Intimacy, reflexivity and identity in contemporary Asia -- 3. Reflexivity and the transformation of gender identity in cosmopolitan Asia -- 4. Postmodern Confucianism, 'moral economies' and 'biopolitical otherness' in redefining intimacy and identity in Southeast Asia -- 5. Sex and 'singlehood' as a source of tension in contemporary Asia -- 6. Cultural production, intimacy and identity : paradigms of resistance and Islamic orthodoxy in Asia.