New Mana

‘Mana’, a term denoting spiritual power, is found in many Pacific Islands languages. In recent decades, the term has been taken up in New Age movements and online fantasy gaming. In this book, 16 contributors examine mana through ethnographic, linguistic, and historical lenses to understand its transformations in past and present. The authors consider a range of contexts including Indigenous sovereignty movements, Christian missions and Bible translations, the commodification of cultural heritage, and the dynamics of diaspora.

Aboriginal History Journal: Volume 48

In this volume, Christopher Morton carefully traces the provenance of a Wiradjuri or Gamilaroi marara (tree carving) currently resting at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, considering its unfinished journey and the way it has been framed and recontextualised, as well as the ways it may experience a future return to good relation with and in Country.

Deeper, Strategic Collaboration in the Securities Sector

In an era of globalised finance and increasing cross-border activity, regulatory cooperation has become essential for market integrity and development. This book examines the potential for strategic collaboration between India and Australia in the securities sector—two nations with distinct but complementary economic and legal frameworks.

East Asia Forum Quarterly: Volume 17, Number 2, 2025

Asia is home to some of the world’s most diverse political systems—from liberal democracies to authoritarian regimes and hybrid states. As global democracy faces renewed pressure, this edition of East Asia Forum Quarterly explores how political systems across Asia are evolving amid rising autocratisation. It examines why economic development alone cannot explain democratic outcomes in the region and how authoritarian success stories are reshaping debates about governance.

Ink and Land

Ink and Land is an ethnographic account of political and legal struggles over landownership in Papua New Guinea, in which competing factions seek recognition as customary landowners of Wafi-Golpu, a major prospective copper-gold mine. Drawing on extensive archival research, oral histories, court documents and fifteen months of fieldwork, the book examines how different groups attempt to harness resource extraction for their benefit and how, in doing so, they reshape their social worlds through the medium of affidavits, court declarations and incorporation certificates.

Rethinking Histories of Indonesia

Rethinking Histories of Indonesia: Experiencing, Resisting and Renegotiating Coloniality provides a critical evaluation of histories of Indonesia from the formal period of colonisation to the present day. The volume approaches Indonesian history through the lens of coloniality, or the structures of power and control that underpin colonisation and which persist into the present.

Struggle, Reform, Boom and Bust

Since Papua New Guinea’s independence in 1975, economic growth has been slow but volatile, with major changes in economic structure and policies, as well as in politics and governance.

Made in China Journal: Volume 9, Issue 2, 2024

Chinese journalism is dead—long live Chinese journalism! The dramatic transformations in China’s media landscape over the past decade have led many to declare the death of quality journalism in the country. The Party-State’s tightening grip on information, the dismantling of once vibrant investigative outlets, and the growing precarity of media professionals seem to confirm this narrative. And yet, as traditional spaces for critical reporting shrink, new modes of journalistic practice continue to emerge, often in dispersed and unexpected forms.

East Asia Forum Quarterly: Volume 17, Number 1, 2025

The global landscape has shifted dramatically since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency in January 2025. His decision to exit the Paris Agreement and impose heavy tariffs has escalated uncertainty surrounding both climate action and the global economic order. This edition of East Asia Forum Quarterly explores how ASEAN and its regional partners can step in to safeguard multilateral trade and climate cooperation, advocating for green trade policies and sustainable investment.

Strategic Imagination

This book examines the concept of ‘strategic imagination’ developed by Brendan Sargeant during his distinguished career at the Australian Department of Defence and later as a scholar at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), The Australian National University. His tragic passing has left this powerful idea awaiting a proper examination. This volume seeks to provide that scholarly account and carry both the concept and Brendan’s legacy forward.

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