Academic research on Asian societies is becoming increasingly important, in terms of both its political and academic relevance.

How can we approach the many important issues that dominate today's news, whether they be the nuclear threat of North Korea, the fight against terrorism or Tibet's struggle for independence? Contemporary Asian Studies is an innovative programme with a broad, interdisciplinary character and comparative approach. Amsterdam has always been a meeting point of cultures and a site of international trade and intellectual exchange. As such, the growing influence of Asian cultures in Western Europe in general, and in the Netherlands in particular, is clearly visible in the city's changing urban face. The UvA is a vibrant centre for education and research in the area of Asian Studies.

The Asian Studies in Amsterdam (AsiA) network is a collaboration between the University of Amsterdam and the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS. In recent years, UvA researchers have received prestigious external grants from funding bodies including the NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) to conduct projects in Asian Studies.

• www.studeren.uva.nl/msc_contemporary_asian_studies/