Much of the job which falls to the editors of relatively new academic journals such as the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region (JIOR) is to forge epistemic and intellectual networks and alliances across an emerging academic field. And there can be no doubt that Indian Ocean studies and associated research ventures are relatively recent pursuits when compared to those works which have focused more heavily upon the Atlantic and Pacific oceanic geopolitical spheres. This is not to say that Indian Ocean interests have only recently emerged, but that rather, over recent decades, the intellectual and critical gaze of the academic Anglosphere has been largely focused elsewhere.
JIOR also addresses the necessity of academic diplomacy: building bridges, not just in a purely intellectual sense, but by constructing widespread relationships in terms of ‘real-time’ geography, inventing previously non-existent or under-nourished links in an almost ‘biophysical’ manner between people and key institutions across what was once the Ocean of the South, and which, in the twenty-first Century, is rapidly becoming the Ocean of the Centre, the Ocean of the Future.
In this vein, this edition begins with celebrating two such new and vital relationships. To begin with, as the words of the Foreword have already explained, this is the first edition of JIOR which has been officially affiliated with the hallmark, Track One, regional governance organisation for the Indian Ocean region (IOR): the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). This affiliation has been made possible through the construction of a very close relationship between the Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) and IORA. Some years ago now, IORG was granted Observer status at IORA meetings, and since this time a richly productive relationship in both intellectual and policy-making terms has emerged. This relationship is now even stronger, with JIOR now jointly endorsed by these two organisations. Of course, the full and independent editorial control of the journal remains firmly with IORG. As explained on the inside cover of this edition: ‘The contents of this journal are based exclusively on the views of the authors and, in no way, do these views reflect the interests or opinions of Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG), IORA, or the position of its Member States’.
So, let us echo the inspirational words of Ambassador K.V. Bhagirath, Secretary-General of the IORA in his opening statement, in our firm hope that this marks an even stronger period of development for JIOR, and that the journal continues not just to build academic enquiry in the IOR but also continues to be actively engaged in actual region-building.
With Australia as the current Chair, a recent tradition of reinvigoration of IORA – led by India, and to be followed by Indonesia and South Africa after the completion of Australia's term – is continuing at a pace which is credible, innovative and responsible. As mentioned in a previous edition, the IOR, of vital geopolitical importance, is a celebration in terms of its diversity in political systems, cultural institutions and ethno-religious identities. This diversity is the true strength of the region. The IORA, based on a form of maritime regionalism, is now going from strength to strength, with a range of different and exciting region-building initiatives. Despite this cultural diversity, this region exists in real, biophysical terms, linked together as it is by the Indian Ocean itself, by its trade winds and seas, leading to regional interactions such as trade, migration, and the sharing of systems of knowledge since ancient times.
One of the key parts of IORA is the Academic Group (IORAG). Today, academic communities continue to be key movers in building and strengthening this tradition of Indian Ocean regionalism – across the full gamut of intellectual enterprises, including the sciences, the social sciences, arts and humanities – in vibrant, knowledge-rich societies where economic and environmental prosperity is driven by knowledge and scientific innovation. It provides opportunities to build bridges and increase networking between the three tiers of government, private sector and academia, within the region. Through the pursuit of academic diplomacy, independent science and research, publication and education-based activities, academics are capable of pursuing research goals which enhance governmental, business and civil society objectives of the day. In addition, regional academic communities are unusually and positively placed to engage in wider ranging, longer term research questions and pursuits when compared to other localised policy-making processes. IORAG remains a forum for academics to make a positive contribution to region-building. In its new Strategic Vision Statement, hope is expressed that this mission can be communicated to others providing, to some extent, a small legacy of shared regional academic purpose.
At the 2013 Meeting of the IORAG Reform Sub-Committee, a number of recommendations were provided for IORAG's possible reform. Three of the top four objectives directly referred to the importance and production of peer-reviewed research, and the future existence of an academic journal. Aligned with its vision of high quality, cross-regional research programmes, IORAG placed increasing emphasis on developing academically independent, internationally recognised, peer-reviewed science, social science and humanities research outputs. Several avenues for research publication are now being pursued within the IORAG network, but equally importantly, substantial effort is being invested to raise IORAG's profile as a prestigious, respected academic group in other international academic and public fora. As a consequence, a proposal for a new academic journal which was affiliated to IORAG has forcefully emerged in subsequent meetings - both formal and informal – and the most recent fruits of this academic region-building is this formal affiliation between IORAG and JIOR, which was formally endorsed at IORA Meetings in Perth in October 2014.
The second key institutional link to be celebrated within this edition is Curtin University in Perth, Australia. The substantive content of this edition comes from selected papers which were originally presented at the Indian Ocean Futures Initiative (IOFI) Conference, held at Curtin in March 2014.
Curtin has a long and close history of engagement with the IOR for over a generation. Indian Ocean studies – mainly in the fields of history and politics – had been taught at the then Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) since the 1970s. An early indication of the interest in Indian Ocean matters was the involvement of the Division of Humanities (as the Faculty of Humanities was then called) in the Indian Ocean Arts Festivals and associated conferences from 1979. Under founding Director Derek Holroyde, the Faculty and its Indian Ocean scholars played a vital role in the establishment and presentation of these events in partnership with the other Perth tertiary institutions at the time, the University of Western Australia and the Western Australian College of Advanced Education, later Edith Cowan University. Another conference was held in 1984 and the faculty continued to participate in subsequent festivals and related activities (Holroyde, Citation1980).Footnote1
Founded by Dr Ken McPherson, the Centre for Indian Ocean Regional Studies (later the Indian Ocean Centre for Peace Studies) was already established when Professor Peter Reeves took over the leadership of the Humanities and Social Sciences in 1985. Now Emeritus Professor, Peter Reeves, was an eminent scholar of Indian Ocean and Indian history and so strengthened an already impressive group that included Dr Bob Pokrant (a contributor to this edition), Dr Eamon Murphy and Dr John McGuire, all later to become full professors.
In 1991 the South Asia Research Unit was also established to focus and promote research in this related field. A strong flow of research publications came from these centres authored by scholars from around the region and the world.
Research, teaching and higher degree supervision evolved rapidly through the 1980s and 1990s and well into the current century, remaining a strong element in the faculty's research and teaching profile during successive periods of change.
From 2006, the Australia–Asia–Pacific Institute at Curtin has maintained this focus on the Indian Ocean – past, present and future. In 2011, the Institute established the Indian Ocean Futures Institute (IOFI) to connect humanities/social science research with relevant scientific and technological approaches affecting the future of the Indian Ocean and its peoples. Institute members have conducted research, community outreach and published on a diversity of Indian Ocean topics. The Institute's seminar series 2007–2014 has featured relevant topics on many occasions and institute members have extensive scholarly networks and professional partnerships throughout the Indian Ocean. More recently, a good deal of this work revolves around the appointments of Timothy Doyle as Professor of Indian Ocean Futures and Dennis Rumley as Professor of Indian Ocean Studies in 2014. Other AAPI researchers are also carrying out Indian Ocean-related work in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, Iran and Indonesia.Footnote2
As well as building on the long interest in Indian Ocean research, teaching and research training at Curtin University, the IOFI recognises the critical geographical advantage of a university located on Australia's long Indian Ocean coast. The IOFI has developed the following principle objectives:
To undertake and encourage disciplinary and interdisciplinary research on geopolitical, economic, socio-cultural, environmental, scientific and technological issues relevant to the IOR.
To promote dialogue on the peaceful uses and ecologically sustainable development of maritime resources based on the principle of Common Heritage.
To foster international and national cooperation in the sustainable management of ocean resources and the peaceful resolution of maritime disputes.
To ensure a holistic discourse on the human and environmental security of the region among its states, peoples and communities.
To contribute to an understanding of the causes as well as the effects of a wide range of non-traditional regional security threats.
To facilitate information flow and discussion on international maritime regimes and the rights of states and local communities representing the IOR.
To initiate informed policy debate among governments, NGOs, business groups, academics and other stakeholders in the IOR on issues of common concern.
Human populations – identities, expectations and activities, interrelations, movements (migration, refugees), social justice, human rights, virtual connectivity, cultural expressions and practices, health, education, historical and cultural links.
Social economics – human aspects and elements of economic systems, including consumption, commodification, planning, cultural resilience, ideologies of resistance, politics of environmental change.
Natural resources and habitats– attitudes to energy, water, food, plants, animals, minerals, usage, security and conservation, traditional/indigenous knowledge.
Communication – role/s of media (traditional and new) in environmental, political, economic and social debates, communication of scientific and technological innovation and implications to the broader community, channels of communication between community and scientific cohorts.
Moving now to the contents of this special edition, we begin with two general papers and then move onto the themed contributions.
Lindsay Bremner's article on the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 last year meant that people viewed the Indian Ocean in wholly new ways than previously imagined. This article investigates how the search for the missing airplane provided new windows of perspective into the Ocean and the Region, and also altered the manner in which people responded to new information. The disaster and the subsequent international search for the wreckage, Bremner argues, also opened a portal into the geopolitics of the Southern Indian Ocean: the disappearance provided the Southern Indian Ocean with a level of international scrutiny never witnessed before, and this international gaze has redefined and recreated the region and its geography in new, different and significant ways.
The article by Daniel Baldino and Andrew Carr focusses on Australian policy makers who are advocating defence diplomacy as a means of creating and solidifying regional ties, particularly with ‘like-minded’ countries. They reaffirm the conclusion that the Indian Ocean (even when constructed within the Indo-Pacific frame) is a region of increasing importance. The article explores ‘norm entrepreneurship’ as a means of seeking regional influence, and seeks to create a framework for both scholarly study, and also one which can be used by practitioners. They argue that any contribution by Australia as a norm entrepreneur must be modest in expectations, aware of implicit limitations as far as influence capabilities are concerned, and based on the ongoing need for the pursuit of balanced and coordinated objectives.
David Brewster's article kicks off the theme of Curtin's ‘Indian Ocean Futures’. This article contrasts two naval exercises: the first by the Chinese Navy in January of last year to demonstrate a response to a ‘high tech’ opponent; and the other by the Indian Navy, a few days later. The latter operation was performed in conjunction with 16 other international navies, aimed at cementing regional, diplomatic and military ties between the nations. Brewster goes on to discuss a strategic dilemma for China as the strategic ecology of the IOR changes, with both China and India emerging as two key players. Brewster asserts that China is at a strategic disadvantage in the region, whilst India has been somewhat more successful at cultivating relationships, developing the image of being a provider of security. His conclusion challenges the traditional narrative of an ascendant China increasing its influence and power in the region, in a largely uncontested manner.
Annie Matan and Peter Newman take us away from geo-strategic realms and bring us into the futures of rapidly expanding cities in the IOR in the twenty-first century. Two historical thrusts are for certain when future gazing in IOR contexts: rapid population growth and rapid urbanisation. These twin realities are exacerbated in a world and region facing an age of scarcity. Cities will be challenged by having to reduce ‘their footprints’, as well as having to fight to preserve their economies alongside ensuring that their cities remain ‘livable’. The article is really a collection of informed stories about innovation from around the region. The authors describe seven features of Green Urbanism: renewable energy, carbon-neutral development, distributed infrastructure, eco-efficient industry, biophillic elements, sense of place and sustainable transport. Matan and Newman argue that the IOR could lead the world in Green Urbanism. Some cities and countries could ‘leapfrog’ development and arrive at a point of green, people-centred forms of development, without undue reliance on carbon and oil-coupled economies.
Continuing this environmental theme, M. Mokhelsur Rahman and Bob Pokrant place their investigation of Indian Ocean Futures in Bangladesh, in response to climate change. Obviously, there remains tremendous uncertainty surrounding the precise impacts of climate change, and Bangladesh shares this plight. Nonetheless, coastal communities in Bangladesh have already begun to feel the definite impacts of climate-related stressors. This article offers thorough and robust case studies of two villages and investigates the ways in which particular communities negotiate transformations in alternate ways. Rahman and Pokrant offer a possible framework for future adaptation through the concept of constant transformation.
Isabel Hofmeyr takes our discussion of Indian Ocean Futures into the realms of cultural studies. She begins with the premise that the nations and peoples of the Indian Ocean live within the debris of grand schemes and promised great fortunes. IOR peoples have been faced with predictions of wealth, power and prosperity, as well as with disaster, such as the aforementioned climate change. In this vein, Hofmeyer addresses different cultural responses to the Indian Ocean, using diverse mechanisms and media: high culture (novels, etc.), viewing the Indian Ocean through the prisms of nostalgia and mourning; through to low culture, by referring to slapstick comedy, fashion and sport which habitually recycle colonial and cold war concepts of the IOR, upcycling them into something for the twenty-first century. She concludes that a better, third path is available, one which seeks to acknowledge the past whilst refusing to garnish it with nostalgic over-glamorisation.
Again, the near omnipresent theme of climate change re-enters the debate in Melissa Finucane's contribution. This article reports on the Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (Pacific RISA), which aims to help Pacific Island communities understand and address climate impacts. It endeavours to document key impacts on the Pacific region and then use these lessons for future management in small island communities in the Indian Ocean geographical context.
The last article before the excellent book review section is an offering at the Curtin IOFI Conference by Yirga Woldeyes, who provides a reflection on African concerns and experiences, focusing on East Africa and the Indian Ocean. Woldeyes considers important colonial experiences within a human security paradigm, rather than through the more usual medium of explanations defined by the quest for resources in understanding and promoting security.
The regions, nations, populations and resources of the Indian Ocean present enormous potential, as well as the profound challenges of climate change, food sovereignty and security, strategic relations and related challenges. These matters demand extensive social and intercultural understandings to complement the scientific and technological innovations required to ensure the productive future of the Indian Ocean inter-region and its many peoples. Responding to these needs, the IOFI at Curtin draws on the expertise within the Institute, the faculty, the university and beyond. In alliance with national and global partners in academia, government, industry and many communities, IOFI acts as a trans-disciplinary research and development connection, bringing quality research to bear on the future of the Indian Ocean and its peoples.
In final conclusion, institutions such as the IORAG – working with universities, think tanks, governments, companies and civil society – are actively engaged in region-building in the most meaningful of ways. It is hoped that this major new alliance between IORA, IORG, Routledge and JIOR will continue in this spirit of academic diplomacy, through continuing to create and support epistemic communities which are based on independent, open, peer-reviewed and critical enquiry.
Timothy Doyle
Editor-in-Chief
Adelaide University, Adelaide, Australia; The Australia-Asia-Pacific-Institute (AAPI), Curtin University, WA, Australia
Graham Seal
Guest Editor
Australia-Asia-Pacific-Institute (AAPI), Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
Notes
1. The Indian Ocean in focus/International Conference on Indian Ocean Studies, Perth, Western Australia, 1979; organised through the collaboration of Murdoch University, the University of Western Australia and WAIT. Nedlands, WA: University of Western Australia.
References
- Holroyde, P. (1980). Perth festival celebrates Indian Ocean Arts. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 70(277).
- Kerr, T., & Stephens, J. (Eds.). ( in press). Indian Ocean futures: Communities, sustainability and security. Cambridge Scholars.