Area Studies Programme (Centre For Southeast Asian & Pacific Studies)

The Centre for Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies (CSEA&PS), funded by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Area Studies Programme, was established in 1976, under the guidance of Prof. V.M. Reddi in Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. Subsequently, the Centre became an independent Department in 1990. Apart from Southeast Asian studies, the Centre’s area of study and research was widened enough to include the South Pacific with a focus on Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. It is a multidisciplinary research Centre representing five disciplines: Anthropology; Economics; Geography; History; and Political Science. CSEA&PS has been promoting research on the political, economic, social and strategic aspects of the Area under study. The CSEA&PS is offering M.A. (Southeast Asian and Pacific Studies); M.A. Tourism and Ph.D. Programmes. So far, 16 Ph.D.s and 12 M.Phil. degrees are awarded and ten students are currently doing research. The Centre has organized 14 International Conferences/Seminars. The Centre’ faculty has published 40 books and more than 200 research papers. The Centre also has collaboration and Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre for Indian Studies; and Centre for Vietnam Institute for Indian and Southwest Asian Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam; Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), New Delhi; the Allahabad State University, Allahabad, for exchange of publications, students, research scholars, organizing conferences, visiting faculty and other academic activities. The Centre also won appreciation and qualified itself for receiving the maximum assistance of Rs.60 lakhs, earmarked for Level-I Area Studies Centre, from the UGC.