Welcome

Welcome to the Department of Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures of the Institute for Asian and African Studies (Asien-Afrika-Institut), Universität Hamburg. The Department was founded in 2005, uniting the former Department of Austronesian Languages and Cultures and the Departments of Thai and Vietnamese Studies. Research on Austronesian Languages began in Hamburg as early as 1911 at the former Colonial Institute (founded in 1908). In 1958, a section for Thai Studies was founded at the Department of Chinese Studies, which extended its activities into Vietnamese Studies in 1972.

Focus of Teaching and Research

Focus of teaching and research is on the languages, literatures and cultural developments as well as on the history and societies of the region. The international Bachelor Programme "Southeast-Asian Languages and Cultures", taught in German, with three profiles (Austronesian, Thai and Vietnamese Studies) can only be studied in this form in Hamburg. The international Master Programme "Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures", taught in English, will begin in the winter term of 2012. Languages offered regularly by our teaching staff are Bahasa Indonesia, Thai and Vietnamese. Furthermore, language training is currently also provided for Lao and some Pacific Languages.

The current research focus is on the manuscript cultures of Northern Thailand and Laos (Prof. Volker Grabowsky), the relation between religion and modernity in Laos and Vietnam (Prof. Volker Grabowsky and Prof. Thomas Engelbert) and on Indonesian literature (Assistant-Professor Monika Arnez).

In cooperation with the Hamburg Association of Austronesian Studies, the Hamburg Association of Thai Studies and the Hamburg Association of Vietnamese Studies, the department edits academic publications and organizes academic and cultural events for a larger public.