Professor Minoru Karasawa
Nagoya University, Japan
Dear Members of AASP
It is my great privilege to serve the Asian Association of Social Psychology as its 15th President. I am thankful for this opportunity to carry on the legacy that past presidents and executive officers have built and developed, and to further our mission in the years to come.
Founded in the early 1990s, AASP began with a small yet ambitious group of researchers, primarily based in East Asia and Oceania. Since our first conference in Hong Kong in 1995, we have held our Biennial Conferences in various places and have seen our membership expand to over 1,800 historical members, reaching South and Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
Our growth has been remarkable, not only in numbers but also in the quality of research emanating from our region. Particularly notable is the recent advancements in the quality of research works published in our journal, Asian Journal of Social Psychology. Under the dedicated leadership of Editor-in-Chief, Yu Niiya, alongside Co-Editors-in-Chief Wendy Li and Lucy Xiaowan Lin, AJSP has seen significant improvements in Impact Factor and JCR ranking. I also invite you to tune into our Podcast series, where the Editor-in-Chief delves into critical issues published in those works and, at times, their behind-the-scenes stories.
AASP has become a unique platform for members to develop cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaborations. Our 2023 Biennial Conference, hosted by the Educational University of Hong Kong, provided our first in-person meeting opportunity for many members since COVID-19, underscoring the importance of these connections. In addition, we have been successful in funding a series of Small Group Meetings in recent years to promote more focused and intimate collaborative settings. Now I am thrilled to invite you to our next Conference in Kuala Lumpur on July 10-12, 2025, hosted by Monash University Malaysia.
Our partnership with other academic associations has further expanded our networks to foster a global exchange of ideas and research. Our history of cooperation with the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, International Association of Language and Social Psychology, Society of Australasian Psychology, Southeast Asia Indigenous Psychology Network, Vietnam Association of Psychology, and Japanese Group Dynamics Association is especially worth noting. I look forward to strengthening these ties and expanding international networks with other organizations.
Today, our Asia-Pacific region faces many pressing challenges, including political conflicts, economic inequality, threats to social justice, environmental concerns, and many more. Whereas these are all global challenges, once these problems arise in our region, they often take on distinct forms in the Asian context, making our role as social psychologists particularly vital. I am confident that AASP can bring meaningful insights and solutions to these complex issues based on scientific evidence.
I am excited to work with each of you to facilitate collaborations in research, education, and practice, strengthening our shared dedication to meaningful exchanges of diverse ideas, inspiration, and support.
Minoru Karasawa, Ph.D.
Research Professor, Nagoya University