Internet-mediated networking and academic dependency in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States

Abstract

Academic networks, sometimes described as 'invisible colleges', are known to be important in the production and dissemination of scholarship and knowledge. This article examines the shape of international academic networking via email in the field of Southeast Asian studies. Evidence from a survey of academic Internet users in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the US shows an empirical correspondence to the centre-periphery framework of academic dependency proposed by Syed Fand Alatas and others. At the same time, the results suggest the need for a more fine-grained, institutional-level analysis of these networks. The effects of Internet access and communications also highlight the question of whether this medium promotes broader participation in scholarship or entrenches relationships of academic dependency.