Mela: festival scenes in South Asian cinema

This article examines a recurrent film motif across a number of South Asian films, mostly called Mela. It also offers some observations on melas, actual and allegorical, as represented in films but often seeming to exceed their containment in context so as to say more about the conviviality of life, where this is at issue, where life is at a juncture in need of resolution within the cycle of becoming. The issues of violence, loss, national identity, politics of interpretation and repetition in ideology are canvassed. While the essay is focused upon Mela films themselves, and South Asian film more broadly, it has of course been important to note work by scholars such as M. Madhava Prasad, Ashish Rajadhyaksha, Anjali Gera Roy, Tejaswini Niranjana, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and the help of my students, some of whom are named below.     

Planting virtual lemons: performing forest protection in the context of political performativity

The socialist People’s Democratic Republic of Laos (Lao PDR) has some of the largest intact forests in Southeast Asia, yet these are being quickly depleted by illegal logging, slash-and-burn farming, increasing population pressures, monocrop plantations, mining and dam building. Foreign government and nongovernmental organizations stage “infotainment” theatre plays to educate and inform the Lao public of its role in protecting the forests even though government projects and concessions are the primary causes of forest destruction. Because all the nationally subsidized performing arts troupes are government mouthpieces they cannot critique the government’s role. Foreign aid agencies funding the dramas are also made complicit in the hypocrisy of promoting forest protection to those with the least power to do so, while both performers and spectators know who is profiting the most from the sale of forest products. This article examines theatrical performances regarding forest protection presented in this context of performativity in which the state manipulates socialist rhetoric to conceal its actions that enrich its officials and capitalist partners at the expense of the rest of the Lao public.     

Wartime imaginings of an archipelagic community: Fajar Asia and the quest for peninsula Malayan and Indonesian unity

During a brief period in the Japanese occupation of Southeast Asia, Malaya, including Singapore, was administratively placed with Sumatra under Japan’s 25th Army. From 28 March 1942 to April 1943, the two territories that had been separated by British and Dutch colonial rule since the mid-nineteenth century were considered one territory. This article explores how Malay intellectuals, through articles written in the magazine Fajar Asia, took advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to strive for a Malaya-Sumatra and Malaya-Indonesia community. This article will analyse the various wartime imaginings of a joint archipelagic community within the pages of Fajar Asia and highlight tensions within this project which resulted in an impasse as to how such a unity should or could be achieved.     

中外女子优秀拳击运动员比赛制胜因素表现差异的对比研究

运用对比分析法、录像观查法、数理统计法对国际拳联新规则实施后2016年世界女子拳击锦标赛与2016年全国女子拳击锦标赛的各10个级别决赛录像进行研究与分析,总结出中国与世界女子优秀拳击运动员比赛制胜因素表现的差异。研究结果表明：（1）国外运动员前后手直拳、摆拳使用次数、击中次数和击中率均高于我国运动员;（2）国外运动员的迎击战术运用次数、击中次数、击中率均高于我国运动员,间接迎击战术运用效果优于直接迎击战术;（3）国外运动员后仰防守反击的击中率较低、其它的防守反击战术的击中率较高;（4）国外运动员较多运用两拳、三拳主动进攻战术且击打效果较佳;（5）国外运动员的步法调整进攻时机、防守反击次数、击中对手次数远优于我国运动员;（6）我国运动员防守反击战术单拳击打效果较佳、国外运动员多拳击打效果较佳;（7）我国运动员在犯规种类和犯规次数上高于国外运动员。根据研究结果提出我国女子拳击运动员有针对性的训练措施与建议。     

Exploring best practices in public–private partnership (PPP) in e-Government through select Asian case studies

e-Government has emerged as a popular governance reform in recent years, to improve the productivity of the government and quality of services provided by it to various stake-holders. However, e-Government implementation is hampered by certain roadblocks such as lack of financial resources, lack of technical and soft skills, etc. Public–private partnership (PPP) has emerged as a viable model to counter these factors, apart from improving the economic sustainability of e-Government projects. PPP essentially implies sharing of risks and rewards of a venture. Successful implementation of PPP in e-Government requires the adoption of some key best practices, and incorporation of the learning obtained from previous PPP experiences. Four successful “PPP in e-Government” projects, implemented in Asia, are discussed to highlight the best practices and key learning obtained from each project. This is intended to highlight the necessary steps to be taken, especially in an Asian setting, to implement a successful PPP in e-Government.     

中国男篮后卫与世界强队后卫攻守能力比较--从后卫角度析中国男篮世锦赛失利原因

采用数理统计结合录像分析的方法,从后卫角度对2002年第14届男篮世锦赛中国队失利的原因进行分析。结果显示,与世界强队后卫相比,中国男篮后卫队员防守时“抢断球”意识和能力与对手存在较大差距;进攻方面,在攻击性很强的紧逼式防守面前,中国男篮后卫队员突破到2分区内进行攻击或主动造犯规的能力、妙传助攻能力,以及参与“抢进攻篮板球”的积极性等方面存在较大差距。     

我国男子竞技体操参加2008年北京奥运展望——以第39届世界体操锦标赛表现为例

2006年世界体操锦标赛刚刚落下帷幕，通过反复观看比赛录像，结合体操新规则进行分析、研究。了解当今世界男子竞技体操运动的状况及发展趋势，中国队在比赛中所表现出的竞技实力，为中国体操队备战2008年北京奥运会提供理论参考。     

多哈亚运会对广州亚运会的启示

为办好2010年广州亚运会,在多哈亚运会期间,广州市政府有关部门和广州市体育局派出了庞大的代表团到多哈观摩、学习、考察,考察的范围涉及亚运会的方方面面:场馆建设和运行、竞赛组织、交通旅业、赛事服务、工作人员、亚运村、媒体报导、安保设施、组织协调等。通过对有关资料的收集、分析、整理,归纳出了多哈亚运会对广州举办亚运会的四点启示,旨在为广州成功举办2010年亚运会提供经验和借鉴。     

世锦赛中国女排和前4名球队运动员非技术因素的对比研究

运用文献资料法和数理统计法，从非技术因素的角度对中国女排和前4名球队运动员的年龄、身高、扣球高度及拦网高度方面的差异进行比较研究，发现优势，弥补不足，旨在为中国女排今后的选材和训练提供参考。     

从多哈亚运会探析2008中国奥运新战略

本文采用数据统计法、文献资料法和综合分析法,对第15届多哈亚运会进行全面分析;结合中国的奥运成绩,分析我国在2008年奥运会前的"热身"中所呈现的状态;对比分析多哈亚运会中国各项目群所取得的成绩及突现的新的夺金项目。从而对2008年中国奥运战略进行新的探讨,旨在为我国2008奥运项目战略的决策者提供参考意见。