The 2021 volume marks the octogintennial of the founding of the Journal of Asian Studies, which was originally called the Far Eastern Quarterly. In its eighty-year history, the JAS has served as the flagship journal of Asian studies in the English language. The publications in the JAS have historically reflected the theoretical, methodological, intellectual, and political concerns of the time—from the conceptualization of area studies in the shadows of World War II in 1941 to its critiques and contributions in the age of pandemics in late capitalism in 2021.
Research in any discipline necessarily emerges in the context of the zeitgeist. New ideas, solidarities, and collaborations are regularly introduced and debated, while older ones are recast anew to address the critiques of the time. The ruptures of the COVID-19 pandemic have forced every individual to rethink the meaning of the human condition. This will certainly influence the conceptualization...