VISION
About TARN
TARN is a research network dedicated to examining the profound changes and critical challenges in the complex geopolitical landscape of Asia and the wider world, including conflict, inequity, and the enduring impacts of colonial power relations. Our focus is on understanding these dynamics in the global context and investigating their contemporary significance.
MISSION & BACKGROUND
Mission
The Transit Asia Research Network (TARN) has been established to confront emerging forms of conflict and social inequality in today. The network’s mission is to foster collaboration among local and translocal researchers, students, and artists to spearhead innovative intellectual, pedagogical, artistic, and social interventions; to cultivate new forms of knowledge production; and to advance the development of more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable societies. TARN foregrounds the following four themes:
1) Global Capitalism and Technologies of Governance
2) Migratory Labor, Unequal Citizens, and Critical Legal Studies
3) Environmental Crises and Multi-species Equality
4) Social Engagement and Art Intervention
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Background
The Transit Asia Research Network (TARN) was established in 2023 with a shared agenda focusing on the themes of Conflict, Justice, and Decolonization, aiming to unite scholars, students, and artists in collaborative efforts of transnational research. While TARN’s steering committee and primary activities are based in Asia, our agenda addresses a broad spectrum of conflict and social inequality issues that surpass regional limits and span continents.
Delving into the study of 21st-century transition in Asia, it is essential to contextualize research within a global framework. The network’s goal is to promote cross-regional exchange and foster a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and dynamics that shape the contemporary world. This approach allows the incorporation of diverse perspectives, disciplines, experiences, and knowledge from different continents, thereby enriching research and fostering global dialogue.
The Transit Asia Research Network (TARN) is part of CHCI Member Networks funded by the Membership Activity Award (2023-2025). Current partnerships stem from the collaborative network established through the Global Humanities Institute, supported by the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI) and the Mellon Foundation (2019-2022), under the initiative ‘Migration, Global Logistics, and Unequal Citizens in Contemporary Global Context.’
Previous Activities
OUR OBJECTIVES
2023 – 2026
COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIP
- Establish long-term collaborative research clusters, exchange visits, periodically share research results.
- Apply for additional funding to various foundations.
ONLINE PLATFORM & LIVING ARRCHIVE
- Build up a TARN website as an online platform and a living archive to share information effectively and publish podcast series and electronic pamphlets as the output of the events of our collaboration for a speedy exchange of information and research ideas.
EDUCATION
- Develop a pattern of co-teaching courses and co-supervising theses among the TARN partner institutions.
- Encourage students from the TARN partner institutes to carry on cross-local collaborations on online publications.
CROSS-LOCAL EVENTS
- Collaborate on the annual summer schools to encourage young scholars and graduate students to share their research projects and extend their learning environments.
PUBLICATIONS
- Aim at co-edited publication projects in various forms, including book series, journal special issues, and online pamphlets.
NETWORK IN ASIA AND BEYOND
- Foster collaboration among local and trans-local scholars, students, and artists in the complex geopolitical landscape of Asia and the wider world.
- Develop a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and dynamics that shape the modern world.
TARN Members
Current TARN members across countries
Hong Kong
South Korea
Thailand
Malaysia
Poland
Singapore
Taiwan
Australia
India
Vietnam
Germany
