After a series of global transformative events in recent years (the US-China trade war, the COVID-19 pandemic, the 5^th industrial revolution, the Russia-Ukraine war/rise of Eurasia, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence/AI), the 2020s appear to be a critical turning point leading into a new phase of life. This shift has been reflected in new concepts such as New Normal, Next Normal, Future of…, etc, indicating the evolving landscape in various aspects of society. This leads to growing interest across academic disciplines, exploring potential futures in multiple areas, e.g. future of work, future of education, etc. (e.g. Baym, Ajunwa, & Ellison 2022; Lim 2023; Lim, Gunasekara, Pallant, Pallant, & Pechenkina 2023; Sahoo, Sahoo, Kumar, Lim, & Ameen 2023). The series is looking at multiple futures, as shown in the box below.

Following the success of the COVID-19 in Malaysia multidisciplinary series (Lim, Kaur, & Cheong 2022; Louis, Kaur, & Cheong 2022; Pandian, Kaur, & Cheong 2022) covering various aspects during the COVID-19 critical period 2020 – 2021, we are proposing another new and timely multidisciplinary series, Futures of Asia, to the same publisher, Routledge (Taylor & Francis group). In the transformative year of 2023, we witness the profound impact of ChatGPT and other advanced AI technologies in various aspects. Similar to our previous series, the emphasis on situated knowledge remains central, as we endeavour to provide a platform for non-Western research and voices. We welcome different non-Western social and academic practices, though non-hegemonic in academia. We hope to address the issues of marginalisation, especially towards the Global South.

Based on Ballandonne’s (2020) historical tracking of future studies, future studies are “considered to emerge as a research field” in the 1960s, being the post-World War II era that is perceived as a “turning point”. 60 years later, we witness a rise of prospective writings and analyses about different futures in different aspects during the transformative 2020s, commonly seen as the (post-)COVID-19 era, in which the COVID-19 pandemic is often compared to a world war. While future studies are usually future-oriented and forward-looking, Dator (2019:3) emphasises that future studies do not “predict” the real future, but rather study the ideas about the future: 1) forecast “alternative futures” and 2) “envision, invent, implement, continuously evaluate, revise, and re-envision” “preferred futures”. Dator noted that the Western images of the future may be different from the non-Western. A recent review by Fergnani (2019:104) discovered 6 main research clusters of future studies since 1968: “corporate foresight; past & futures; humanity at the limen; environmental futures; post-normality & complexity, and technological trends”.  

We are inviting chapter proposals for the following books in the series, which each book focuses on ONE (1) type of future (see the box below). We welcome researchers from any discipline, who are researching the related futures in Asia. We are particularly interested in future studies that address the concepts and (one or more of) the 6 research clusters above. The chapters can be conceptual, review, and empirical (qualitative/quantitative/mixed method) papers. We particularly welcome studies that encompass a wider range of Asian countries. Nevertheless, we also welcome other possibilities (that are not stated above) that may enrich future studies and also the book series, Futures of Asia.

For those who are interested, kindly complete this online form by October 15, 2023 (https://forms.office.com/r/ALnZPbxKc6) to fill in the particulars of the authors and the chapter. These include the author’s biography and a 200-250-word abstract.

The books (with the editors-in-chief/EIC and co-/associate EIC) are as follow:

 

1) Future of Business

Professor Dr. Balaji Makam

Rennes School of Business, France

Editor, several books and journals including Asia Pacific Journal of Business Administration

Mr. Jishnu Bhattacharyya

University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China

Editor, several books on marketing, including Social and Sustainability Marketing (Routledge)

2) Future of Economy

Associate Professor Dr. Evan Lau

Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia

Ex-editor, International Journal of Business and Society

3) Future of Work

Associate Professor Dr. Chorng Yuan Fung

Head of School (Business), Faculty of Business, Design and Arts, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Malaysia

Dr. Agnes Lim Siang Siew

Lecturer (Business), Faculty of Business, Design and Arts, Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak, Malaysia

4) Future of Media

Associate Professor Danilo Araña Arao

College of Mass Communication, University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman, Philippines

Editor, Media Asia (journal)

5) Future of Education

Professor Dr. Ambigapathy Pandian

Dean, Faculty of Education, Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Malaysia

Editor-in-chief, COVID-19, Education, and Literacy in Malaysia (Scopus-indexed; one of the books under the previous book series, COVID-19 in Malaysia)

6) Future of Technologies

Professor Dr. Jang Hyun Kim

Department of Interaction Science, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea

Editor, Asian Journal of Technology Innovation & Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity

Dr. Randy Joy Magno Ventayen

Director, Research and Development Office, Pangasinan State University, Lingayen Campus, Philippines

Editor, Southeast Asian Journal of Science and Technology

7) Future of Healthcare

Dr. Nicolas Padilla-Raygoza

Institute of Public Health from Guanajuato State, Guanajuato, México

Editor-in-chief, International Journal of Tropical Medicine & Health

Editor, Asian Journal of Pediatric Research and Asian Journal of Medicine and Health

 

We are in discussion with Routledge and have received interest from them. After the selection process, we will be submitting a complete book proposal to them with abstracts of the prospective chapters.

The tentative timeline of the book project is as follows:

October 2023                     Chapter proposal/Abstract submission

November 2023                 Announcement of chapter proposal/abstract acceptance

Dec 2023 – Feb 2024        Chapter writing (3 months)

March 2024                        Manuscript submission to editors

April – May 2024                Peer reviews and revision

June - July 2024                 Book draft submission to the publisher

October 2024                     Estimated publication (if it’s short form publication; in 3 months)

January 2025                     Estimated publication (if it’s a bigger book size; in 6 months)

For further inquiries, kindly contact the series’ managing editor, Huey Fen Cheong (hfcheong@um.edu.my). We are also welcoming other potential futures to expand the series. For those who are interested, please contact the same person to propose another book (i.e. another future).