季風亞洲研究
季風亞洲（Monsoon Asia），最初是一個地理概念，北從日本、韓國，經過中國沿海、臺灣、香港與澳門，南到東南亞的菲律賓、泰國、印尼，向西銜接南亞的孟加拉、印度，涵蓋臨太平洋的東亞、東南亞以及部分的南亞地區。在此區域內，季風影響各地冬夏二季的風向，也決定當地的降雨情況與氣候變化，形成域內居民必須適應的生態環境。此外，季風亦為早期的海洋航行者提供了可靠、可預測的動力，域內的海洋交通、商務貿易、人口流動與文化交融活動頻繁，使得亞洲季風帶成為人類歷史上最早形成的「地區體系（regional system）」，從而形塑出此區域特有的文化揉合體。
國立清華大學人文社會研究中心在黃一農院士的領導下，自2008年起推行「季風亞洲與多元文化計畫」，以「揉合（hybridity）」為研究主軸，結合歷史學、語言學、人類學、社會學等學科與主題，從貿易、宗教、文化、語言、港口城市等角度出發，為學術界注入一股活力豐沛的新流。該項計畫由清華大學人文社會學院各領域研究人員執行，亦積極與國內外學者合作，共同研究以下議題：
1. 季風亞洲帶內文化揉合的歷史過程。
2. 揉合後所產生的文化、社會、語言現象。
3. 影響文化揉合的政治、經濟、地理、社會等主要因素。
4. 季風亞洲區研究的多元文化視角。
基於上述研究基礎，清華大學人文社會研究中心於2014年與中央研究院臺灣史研究所、國立臺灣歷史博物館、財團法人曹永和文教基金會、西班牙塞維亞大學美洲史研究所共同舉辦「大航海時代的臺灣與東亞」國際學術研討會，邀請眾多國內外此領域的專家學者與會。此次會議發表之論文受到高度肯定，促使籌備委員康培德、陳宗仁、中島樂章、山崎岳、Emilio Luque Azcona及李毓中等教授，決定順應此一契機，成立一份新的學術期刊──《季風亞洲研究》（Journal of Monsoon Asian Studies），以半年刊的形式發行。
《季風亞洲研究》的創刊，既希望為相關研究者提供良好的研究成果展示平臺，更願藉此提升國內相關領域的研究動能，增進海內外學者交流。惟眾所周知，學術刊物的長期經營，繫於論文品質與期刊素質的維持不墜，箇中難處不只在於經費的籌措、運用，徵集一定質量的原創性論文亦為關鍵。謹此誠摯邀請各界專家學者惠賜鴻文，共同開創季風亞洲史研究的新面貌。
Journal of Monsoon Asian Studies
Monsoon Asia was initially a geographical concept: it was an area starting from Japan and Korea in the north, where the coast of China and Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau were its core; the Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia of Southeast Asia were its southern limits, while Bangladesh and India served as its western boundary. This large area covered portions of East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia that were in direct contact with the Pacific Ocean. The monsoon affected the wind directions in summer and winter on lands within its coverage, while also determined local precipitation and climate, forming various ecological environments that local inhabitants adapted to. In addition, the monsoon also provided a reliable and predictable propulsion force much needed by early maritime navigators. Oceanic communications, commercial affairs, flow of population and cultural exchange occurred frequently in this area, which made Monsoon Asia the earliest regional system formed in mankind’s history, thereby shaping a unique cultural hybridity.
Under the leadership of Academician Yi-Long Huang, the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences (RCHSS) of National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) had been carrying out the Monsoon Asia and Multicultural Exchange Project. This project choose ‘hybridity’ as the principal research axis to integrate subjects from disciplines such as history, linguistics, anthropology and sociology, and developed topics based on commerce, religion, culture, language, port cities, and much more; this project intended to invigorate the academic circles with fresh ideas. It was ran by various staff members of the RCHSS of NTHU, who also actively sought for cooperation with other scholars, domestic and foreign. They worked together on the following topics:
1. The historical process of cultural hybridity within Monsoon Asia area.
2. The cultural, social, and linguistic phenomena resulted from the hybridity.
3. The primary factors that affected cultural hybridity, including political, economic, geographical, social factors.
4. Regional study on Monsoon Asia from the perspective of cultural diversity.
With such research basis, in 2014, the RCHSS of NTHU had co-hosted the international academic convention “Taiwan and East Asia in the Age of Discovery” with Institute of Taiwan history of Academia Sinica, National Museum of Taiwan History, Tsao Yung-Ho Foundation of Culture and Education, and the Institute of History of the Americas of the University of Seville. A significant number of professional scholars in associated fields attended the conference, and many papers published on this occasion were accepted with acclaim. Members of the Preparation Committee, Peter Pei-te Kang, Zonlin Tan, Gakusho Nakajima, Takeshi Yamazaki, Emilio Luque Azcona and Fabio Yu-Chung Lee were inspired by the success of this conference and decided to create a new biannual publication-Journal of Monsoon Asian Studies.
The founding of the Journal of Monsoon Asian Studies was intended not only to provide a fine demonstrative platform for associated researchers to publish their works, but also to raise the research momentum in domestic related fields and increase the frequency of exchange between domestic and foreign scholars. Obviously, an academic publication is highly dependent on both the quality of papers received and the earnestness of its editorial team to maintain long-term operation. Challenges are not limited to the raising and using of funds; the ability to collect high-quality, original papers is also a key. We hereby sincerely call for papers from specialists and scholars of related fields, and together we can build a new prospect of Monsoon Asian studies.
