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Email Associate Professor Jian Xu
Email Associate Professor Sue Chen
Deakin Asian Media, Culture and Society Research Group
Investigating diverse Asian cultures, identities, governances and belief systems
Better understanding the diverse experiences of Asian societies and people
The Deakin Asian Media, Culture and Society Research Group addresses the everyday lived experiences of Asian people and societies, locally and globally. We look at global dynamics to understand how the Asian region is securing its position in the world and to better consider what role multicultural Australia will play in what has been called the ‘Asian 21st century’.
Our research areas
Our transdisciplinary research draws on the arts, social sciences and humanities disciplines. We perform comparative and cross-cultural work across two key research streams:
Asian media, culture and language
We look at how Asia is represented and represents itself across the art, media and cultural industries. With a digital focus, we evaluate the ways information, ideas and identities circulate online. Digital media, popular culture and language are key components of this research.
Asian politics and society
This stream focuses on social organisation, regulation and governmentality in Asian societies. It seeks to understand how ordinary people live, work and take leisure both within Asia and as part of the diaspora. To achieve this, we look at geopolitics and public diplomacy, international relations and domestic politics in Asia.
Understand the world's most populous continent
Study at PhD at Deakin and help create new knowledge of the complex and diverse populations of the Asian continent.
Our researchers
Led by our group convenors, our interdisciplinary team brings decades of combined expertise.
Associate Professor Jian Xu's research explores Chinese digital media and communication and celebrity studies with critical approaches. He has widely published on China's digital activism, internet governance, digital youth cultures, cultural governance and celebrity politics.
Associate Professor Sue Chen’s research examines the movement of texts between cultures and the politics of knowledge dissemination via the written word. She has published widely on children’s literature and media in Sinophone and Anglophone contexts.
Dr Gilbert Caluya, Senior Lecturer
Associate Professor Lennon Chang, Associate Professor, Cyber Risk and Policy
Dr Brett Farmer, Teaching Fellow
Dr Jade Guan, Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Strategy
Dr Christine Horn, Visitor
Dr Vikrant Kishore, Honorary Fellow
Dr Kim Lam, Honorary Fellow
Dr Yanying Lu, Teaching Scholar, Chinese
Dr Jodi McAlister, Senior Lecturer, Writing and Literature
Dr Thaera O'Brien, Teaching Fellow
Dr Fengqi Qian, Lecturer in Chinese
Dr Melathi Saldin, Lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies
Dr Gillian Tan, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology
Associate Professor Anthony Ware, Associate Professor of Humanitarianism and Development
Dr Vicki Ware, Senior Lecturer, International and Community Development
Dr Enqi Weng, Teaching Fellow
Dr Alistair Welsh, Senior Lecturer
Dr Andy Zhao, Research Fellow, Digital Childhoods
About the centre
Hear from researchers in the Deakin Asian Media, Culture and Society Research Group on their transdisciplinary studies in Asian language, linguistics, politics, popular culture, cultural heritage and more.
Featured projects
Our range of local and international partners across government, community and industry, allow us to deliver research with impact. We lead bold initiatives that seek solutions beyond traditional research and organisational boundaries.
Regulating AI and algorithms in the Asia Pacific
This project provides an overview of the policy landscape governing AI and algorithms in the Asia Pacific region and engages in dialogue with, and contributes to, regulatory practices in the West. It explores the ethical, legal and social issues, concerns and debates on AI and algorithms.
Everyday digital experiences of Australian families from migrant backgrounds
This research investigates how and why Australian families from migrant backgrounds engage with digital devices and platforms in different spheres of everyday life. It will generate new knowledge about migrant children’s digital needs and literacies and inform services and policies that better support and empower migrant communities in the digital age.
Our partners
We engage with a range of local and international partners, including Asia-focused research institutes, thinktanks, arts and culture sectors, Asian diaspora communities and Asian-focused universities.
- Tsinghua University, Wuhan University, Hong Kong Baptist University, The City University of Hong Kong (China)
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Amity University, DME Media School (India)
- University of Indonesia (Indonesia)
- Osaka City University (Japan)
- Swinburne University of Technology, Malaysia (Malaysia)
- National University of Singapore (Singapore)
- Seoul National University (South Korea)
- Van Lang University (Vietnam)
- Kings College London (UK)
- CathayPlay (Chinese independent film streaming platform)
- Indian Film Festival of Melbourne
- Melbourne Taiwan Film Festival
Our publications
Take an in-depth look at our latest research, available in a variety of formats and publications. For a full list of publications visit the profile pages of our researchers.
Featured publications:
- Representations of Children and Success in Asia Dream Chasers, Shih-Wen Sue Chen and Sin Wen Lau
- Governing entertainment celebrities in China: practices, policies and politics (2005–2020), Jian Xu and Ling Yang
- Publishing romance fiction in the Philippines, Jodi McAlister, Claire Parnell and Andrea Anne Trinidad
- Pushing boundaries: Heritage resilience of minority communities in post-war Sri Lanka, Melathi Saldin
