Integrating and Developing European Asian Studies (IDEAS)

IDEAS

Launched on 1 January 2010, the FP7-funded project "Integrating and Developing European Asian Studies" (IDEAS), came to a close at the end of June 2012.

IDEAS, which is a ‘Co-ordination and Support Action' in the Research and Innovation Directorate's SSH Programme, has promoted increased collaboration between Asian Studies researchers and institutions in Europe, and the development of links between policy-makers and the academic community in this field.

Working in close collaboration with the European Consortium for Asian Field Study (ECAF), which comprises 45 leading universities and third level institutions throughout the EU, IDEAS carried out an assessment of the network of 23 European-owned field centres in Asia with a view to optimizing their future use on the level of Europe. The ECAF centres have now agreed to commit to a plan for convergence as outlined in the IDEAS "Vision Statement", and the ongoing drive to share infrastructure has, thus far, resulted in the creation of a British Academy fellowship programme and three institutional partnerships (EFEO-University of Hamburg in Beijing, EFEO-ISEAS in Kyoto, and EFEO-AFD in Ho Chi Minh City).

In 2012-2013, ECAF, which is in the process of taking on the status of an autonomous legal entity (Public Interest Group), is to be transformed into a durable European infrastructure. With an enhanced capacity to raise funds for joint initiatives, ECAF will be better equipped to pursue the IDEAS project goals of developing access to field research facilities in Asia, fostering institutional partnerships based on joint interdisciplinary research programmes and resource pooling, and promoting the mobility of students and faculty between Europe and Asia.

In their bid to develop links between policy makers and the academic community, the IDEAS consortium organized a series of events both in Europe and Asia, including international conferences, roundtables and technical seminars, which brought together a wide range of experts in the spheres of academia, civil society, government, and diplomacy. The results of these meetings are described at length in the project's Final report (soon to be made available on the IDEAS website).

In highlighting the potential synergies between humanities-oriented area studies and diplomacy, IDEAS has not only positively contributed to raising the profile of SSH research in Asian studies and its role in the promotion of intercultural understanding but has also paved the way for innovative working relationships between EU diplomats and the research community.

The Final report concludes with a set of recommendations to strengthen cooperation between policy-makers and Asian studies scholars, and for the continued development of Europe's knowledge base on Asia. At a time when Europe and European-Asian relations are evolving rapidly, the drive to achieve both of these objectives has the potential to make a significant contribution to the future of the EU.

Newsletter Achives

Newsletters 1, 2, 3 (PDF file, 3 Mb)

Newsletters 4, 5 (PDF file, 3 Mb)

EFEO News
EFEO Field Scholarships - 2nd Semester 2025
Paris, France, 31 March 2025
The deadline for submitting an application to an EFEO Field Scholarships for Master and PhD students enabling a field study in Asia at one of the EFEO centers is set to the 31st of March 2025.
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Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship
Chiang Mai,Thailand, 25 November 2024
The call for applications for the Winter School in Buddhist Textual Scholarship to be held in Chiang Mai from February 24 to March 1st, 2025 is open until 25 November 2024.

Poster
Details of the program

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Workshop
Pondicherry, India, 28 October 2024

The workshop "Alternative life projects in rural Southeast Asia: Reflecting on post-development through a study of diverse emplaced collectives" will be held from 28 to 30 October at the EFEO Centre in Pondicherry.

Study days
Paris, France, 17 October 2024
Thursday 17 and Friday 18 October, together with Stéphane Gros (CESAH), Pascale-Marie Milan is organising two study days entitled Family Resemblances: Kinship Practices along the Sino-Tibetan Borderlands.

They will be held at the Maison de l'Asie and the Condorcet campus. They will bring together specialists in kinship issues in different communities along the Sino-Tibetan borderlands.

Study Days
Paris, France, 24 June 2024
Attend the study days "An Intellectual History of Late Vedānta" on the reception of classical and medieval Vedāntic sources in late Sanskrit works (18th-20th century), on 24 and 25 June 2024, at the Maison de l'Asie

Programme
Study Day
Paris, France, 21 June 2024
Charlotte Schmid is organising a study day entitled "Depuis l'Inde, les Passeurs d'art", at the EFEO, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, Friday, June 21, from 2.30 to 5.30 p.m.

Programme
Workshop on ''Dunhuang Studies''
Paris, France, 17 June 2024
The University of Zhejiang and the EFEO, with the support of the GIS Asie and the collaboration of the BnF Manuscripts Department, are organising a workshop on Dunhuang Studies.

At the Maison de l'Asie, 22 avenue du Président Wilson, from 9.30 am to 6 pm.

Programme
Study Day
Paris, France, 13 June 2024
Luca Gabbiani and Frédéric Constant are organising a study day entitled "Savoirs administratifs (16e-19e siècles): approches comparatives".

It will be held in the Salon on the 1st floor of the Maison de l'Asie, from 9.45 am to 6 pm.

Programme
The 22nd Classical Tamil Winter Seminar (CTWS)
Pondicherry, India, 15 January 2024

We are happy to announce the upcoming 22nd Classical Tamil Winter Seminar (CTWS), scheduled for two weeks, from 12th to 23rd February 2024. The event will be hosted at the Pondicherry Centre of the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO).

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Happy New Year 2023
Paris, France,

The École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO - French School of Asian Studies) wishes you a Happy New year 2024

Follow this link to watch the EFEO New Year card.