The Initiative for the Study of Asian Catholics (ISAC) is a collaborative project to foster scholarly research focused on the multiple forms of Catholicism found across Asia. With the aim of facilitating dialogue and contributing to already existing research in the Philippines, Hong Kong, India, and other places, it intends to expand and deepen scholarly conversations investigating the lived realities and challenges faced by Asian Catholics at the local, national, and regional levels. In partnership with UCAN, ISAC also develops podcast series to bring scholarly conversations outside of academic circles.

In Series I, Scholarship on Asian Catholics, Michel Chambon speaks to various authors of books written from the perspectives of economy, environmental studies, anthropology, political sciences, art, and gender studies. In each episode, one author shares about her/his academic journey and the core argument of her/his book.

In Series II, Asian Catholics and Family, James Ponniah speaks to researchers who have contributed to the workshop on Catholicism, Family, and Asian Societies organized at the Asia Research Institute, National university of Singapore, on Feb. 2022. In each episode, one researcher discusses how her/his work helps to reconsider how the production of Asian families and the making of Catholicism intersect.

In Series III, Mary in Asia, Hisako Omori interviews researchers who have participated in the online conference on Mary among Asian Religions co-organized by the Centre for Marian Studies (St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London) and ISAC in May 2023. In each episode, one researcher discusses how her/his work helps to reconsider how Mary is made present across Asian societies and cultures.

Visit https://www.isac-research.org for more details about ISAC.