Contents

Welcome to Volume 2 Number 2 of the Graduate Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies. The theme of this edition is ‘Asia-Pacific Border and Boundary Crossings’. Borders and boundaries function as a means to distinguish difference. Lines of separation, whether physical or metaphorical, may also constitute a barrier since demarcation works to exclude as well as to contain. Consequently, border and boundary crossings not only imply change and mobility, but the potential for the disruption of prevailing social, cultural, economic and political practices. The dynamism of the Asia-Pacific region is inherently unsettling to the reassurance of stable, clear-cut categories that borders seem to offer. The articles, creative writing and artwork of the current edition address the border and boundary crossing theme from a variety of disciplinary and methodological perspectives, which we believe will be of interest to specialists and readers from other disciplines alike.