Regional studies often treat the region as a sub‑national unit, and it spans from neighbourhoods to cross‑border macro‑regions. In Asia, this elasticity is intensified by language. Words that look equivalent on paper rarely carry identical histories, politics, or scales. This short piece reflects on the Chinese notion of quyu (区域) and how it travels between […]
The Association of South-East Asian Nations adopted a master plan in 2016, which aimed at increasing connectivity by 2025. The Master Plan (MPAC 2025) focuses on physical, institutional and people-to-people connectivity. This connectivity needs to be achieved by focusing on developing key areas such as sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, people’s mobility, logistics and regulatory practices. […]
The Division of Social Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology seeks to fill a position in Applied Economics. The University is an English-speaking research university with international faculty. The Division of Social Science is highly ranked internationally. We invite applications of all ranks (Assistant Professor / Associate Professor / Professor). Candidates should have experience in […]
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship (HKPFS) is open for applications, with the deadline of 1 December 2025. I continue looking for candidates interested in working together at the University of Hong Kong. Their research interests should relate to mine, situated at the intersection of urban studies and transport/mobilities (see: https://www.arch.hku.hk/staff/upad/keblowski-wojciech/), and they should have graduated from […]
The 2025 Annual Conference of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) China Division was successfully held at the College of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, between 19–21 September 2025. The conference brought together over 180 scholars from more than 80 leading universities and institutes worldwide, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Wuhan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, […]
On 9th September 2025, Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ), Rajasthan, India, hosted a guest lecture and workshop titled “From Blogs to Papers: Building Skills for Ethical and Engaged Writing.” The session was delivered by Ms Lavanya Gupta, Blog Editor at the Regional Studies Association (RSA), and drew over 65 participants, including undergraduates, master’s students, PhD scholars, […]
For centuries, Mumbai’s Koli fishing communities have sustained a way of life shaped by the tides, their Koliwadas (कोळीवाडा, Marathi for hamlet of the Kolis) functioning as self-contained maritime regions with distinct cultural, linguistic, and economic rhythms. These settlements, which are now under pressure from coastal reclamation and urban expansion, illustrate both their deep historical […]
The concept of Quyu (区域) in China Across policy and academic debates, regions are increasingly recognised as key arenas for addressing climate change, demographic shifts, and economic transitions. In Western contexts, they are often conceptualised as functional economic spaces shaped by inter-firm trade, labour mobility, supply-chain integration, or as outcomes of local agency where regional […]
Development History: A Multi-Dimensional Region Centred on Shanghai In the Chinese context, as urban spatial patterns and governance systems evolve, the concept of “region” increasingly exhibits multi-dimensional and dynamic characteristics, especially prominent in Shanghai and its surrounding areas. Shanghai is one of China’s four municipalities directly under the central government and a core city of […]
The Regional Studies Association invites contributions for a special issue of our blog focused on Asian Perspectives on Regional Development. This initiative seeks to explore how regions are conceptualized, governed, and experienced across diverse Asian contexts through place-based terminologies and frameworks. This special issue aims to uncover the rich tapestry of regional concepts embedded in […]
Dr. Yi Liu is an associate professor and assistant dean of the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University. He currently serves as the Chief Secretary of the Commission on Tourism Geography of the Geographical Society of China, and the Chief Secretary of the Tourism Poverty Alleviation Alliance of the Ministry of Education of […]
Dr. Yi Liu is an associate professor and assistant dean of the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University. He currently serves as the Chief Secretary of the Commission on Tourism Geography of the Geographical Society of China, and the Chief Secretary of the Tourism Poverty Alleviation Alliance of the Ministry of Education of […]
Kantha, a traditional embroidered quilt from Bengal (now divided between Bangladesh and West Bengal, India), historically represented women’s domestic artistry through distinctive running stitches and colored motifs on layered muslin garments. There is a growing demand for commercial Kantha textiles in conditions of the ‘market,’ driven primarily by NGO setups (Modak, 2021). These ‘marketable Kanthas‘ […]
The recent RSA China Division Annual Conference was a great success, with over 240 scholars from more than 80 prestigious Chinese universities participating. The conference featured 19 parallel sessions and six keynote speeches delivered by renowned scholars, including Fulong Wu and Canfei He. Zhouying Song gave a presentation introducing RSA and played a video message […]
I recently read an article on the SDG goal of zero hunger among nations. It made me realize that after the pandemic, people were able to have control over their consumption to ensure that everyone in the family was fed correctly. It can be challenging for those from a less privileged community to fairly divide […]
Lavanya is a rural geographer and PhD scholar at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, where she examines the intersections of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development in the Himalayan region. Her doctoral research in Munsiyari, Kumaon, explores how cultural entrepreneurship initiatives catalyze rural regeneration. Her previous works investigated pathways for rebuilding rural spaces with women’s […]
Lavanya is a rural geographer and PhD scholar at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, where she examines the intersections of innovation, entrepreneurship, and community development in the Himalayan region. Her doctoral research in Munsiyari, Kumaon, explores how cultural entrepreneurship initiatives catalyze rural regeneration. Her previous works investigated pathways for rebuilding rural spaces with women’s […]
We would like to welcome Mengdi Wang as the new Secretary of the RSA China Division. Dr. Mengdi Wang graduated with a BSc in Geographical Science from Wuhan University and earned her PhD in Human Geography from the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses […]
This blog was written for the RSA Blog Student Summer Series that will highlight graduate student success in regional studies across the globe throughout the summer. We have witnessed many instances of migration and displacement due to conflicts, violence or genocide in the modern world. It has caused much harm to lives, property and […]
In the last two decades, there has been a considerable shift in the patterns of global growth in terms of trade and investment from the “Global North” towards the “Global South” economies particularly Brazil, China and India. However, as a flip side, these upsurged developments and growth are imposing the environmental cost across the globe […]
The advent of technology and concomitant digitalisation has unleashed new business models and working arrangements in urban centres. The gig and platform economy are at the heart of this structural transformation of jobs, disrupting sectors like ride-hailing transport services, education, home services, food delivery, retail, logistics and so on. I refer to this as ‘Digihenheimer’- […]
Professor Shenjing He joined the Department of Urban Planning and Design at The University of Hong Kong in January 2015. She served as Associate Dean (Research Postgraduate Studies) for the Faculty of Architecture at HKU from January 2020 to August 2021. Prior to joining HKU, she was Professor and Assistant Dean at the School of Geography […]
Professor Shenjing He joined the Department of Urban Planning and Design at The University of Hong Kong in January 2015. She served as Associate Dean (Research Postgraduate Studies) for the Faculty of Architecture at HKU from January 2020 to August 2021. Prior to joining HKU, she was Professor and Assistant Dean at the School of Geography […]