Global Affairs faculty publish a diverse array of books

The Global Affairs major focuses on the multidisciplinary study of transboundary issues and solutions in an increasingly interconnected world. By employing a wide array of analytical tools, students discover macro- and micro-level topics, ranging from international relations to issues of development within countries.

The Global Affairs faculty also reflect the diversity of the programme with their wide-ranging research interests. In this article, we explore three recently published and forthcoming books, which continue to contribute to and advance their fields of study.

Assoc Prof Paul and her book, Asian Scientists on the Move: Changing Science in a Changing Asia. Image provided by Assoc Prof Paul.

Associate Professor of Social Sciences (Sociology and Public Policy) Anju Paul published her latest book, Asian Scientists on the Move: Changing Science in a Changing Asia, in December 2021. Through evocative first-hand accounts from 119 scientists and careful investigation of the scientific field in case study countries, the book explores the rapidly shifting Asian bioscientist migration system, in which more Western-trained Asian scientists choose to return to Asia after their training instead of remaining in the West.

“I was inspired by the growing number of Western-trained, Asian-born scientists returning to Asia, and particularly Singapore, in the 2010s,” Assoc Prof Paul shared. In addition, Assoc Prof Paul wanted to uncover what had changed in these Asian countries that made them more attractive to the academics. “The centre of gravity in scientific networks is starting to shift. While the core of these networks are still largely based in the West, Asian research hubs are growing in prominence, and becoming increasingly popular destinations for ambitious scientists,” she added.

A scholar on international migration, this is the second book Assoc Prof Paul has written. Her first book, Multinational Maids: Stepwise Migration in a Global Labor Market, explored international labour migrations of Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers. Drawing on her research experience, she teaches courses such as International Migration and Migration Policy that are perpetually in high demand.

Asst Prof Toha’s book Rioting for Representation: Local Ethnic Mobilization in Democratizing Countries. Image provided by Asst Prof Toha.

Examining the phenomenon of ethnic rioting during countries’ transition to democracy as well as why and how it eventually stops, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Political Science) Risa Toha wrote Rioting for Representation: Local Ethnic Mobilization in Democratizing Countries. Combining field research, interviews, original data collection, and quantitative analysis, her usage of a multi-methods approach in the case study of Indonesia explains why clashes along ethnic lines are more common in some places within a transitioning country and not others.

Asst Prof Toha grew up in Jakarta and experienced the 1998 oust of Soeharto, who had been the President of Indonesia for more than 30 years. “Having grown up with an image that Indonesia was a peaceful multi-ethnic country, I found it deeply upsetting to witness the looting of Chinese-owned stores and to read the horror stories of violence in other parts of Indonesia”, she shared. “I wanted to understand how people could shift so quickly to committing violence.”

While explanations centred on politics are usually approached at the national level, her research puts local political dynamics and local actors in the spotlight. “Local political actors’ incentives and their responses to political transitions at the national level are central to understanding why some places experience violence and others don’t,” she explained.

“I hope this book shows that Indonesia is not so unique, and that other countries can learn from its transition and consolidation process,” she added.

Asst Prof Huang and his book, Power and Restraint in China’s Rise. Image provided by Asst Prof Huang.

Shifting the focus to the study of international relations, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences (Political Science) Chin-Hao Huang’s forthcoming book, Power and Restraint in China’s Rise, investigates China’s meteoric rise in recent years. While conventional wisdom holds that this disrupts the global balance of power in unpredictable ways, his book argues that China’s desire to be viewed as a legitimate leader can explain why the state has often deferred to the consensus of smaller neighbouring countries on regional security rather than running roughshod over them. This is his second book on East Asian security and politics, with his first book, Identity in the Shadow of a Giant: How the Rise of China is Changing Taiwan, published earlier in 2021.

“I’ve always wondered–how do we explain complex interactions between large powers and their smaller peers? Do small states retain any voice or agency when dealing with more formidable neighbours? With these questions percolating in my head for a number of years, I wanted to take a stab at answering them and in so doing develop an explanation that is logically consistent, empirically valid, and most importantly, relatable to all those interested in the rise of China as a political phenomenon,” he shared.  Asst Prof Huang also wanted to focus on how small states could work together to induce change in a large power’s behaviour.

“The book’s analysis and findings are provocative and counterintuitive, but are logically consistent and backed by empirical evidence,” Asst Prof Huang said. He hopes that the findings in his book will offer a refreshing perspective on one of the most consequential developments in regional security and international politics. Broadening his research to historical international relations of East Asia, his third book, State Formation Through Emulation: The East Asian Model, is due to be published in July 2022.

The researchers employed different analytical lenses and methods to explain and better understand the phenomena observed in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. Demanding as the book authoring journey may be, all three researchers expressed gratitude to colleagues at Yale-NUS College who read early drafts as well as student researchers who assisted with literature reviews, data collection, copyediting, and indexing.

“It takes a village to write and produce a book,” Asst Prof Huang shared.