Editorial Information

(Last updated 14 December 2025)

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

Professor Asmah H. Omar (University of Malaya, Malaysia)

Editorial Advisory Board

Aditi Ghosh (Calcutta University, India)
Adrian Pablé (University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
Geoffrey Benjamin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Gladys Tang (Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
Howard Giles (University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A.)
Ikuko Nakane (University of Melbourne, Australia)
Jack Sidnell (University of Toronto, Canada)
James Fox (Australian National University, Australia)
Kuniyoshi Kataoka (Aichi University, Japan)
Lionel Wee (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
Mary Bucholtz (University of California, Santa Barbara, U.S.A.)
Peter Joseph Torres (Arizona State University, U.S.A.)

Radhika Borde (University of Leeds, U.K.)
Vijay Kumar Bhatia (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)
Zuraidah Mohd Don (University College Sedaya International, Malaysia)

EIC ROLES

The roles of the Editor-in-Chief, as central to the Editorial Board, include overarching decisions for developing and promoting the journal, and to direct all key processes within publication. The tenets of this work are as follows: To

organize peer review processes
assess submissions to the JALA
adhere to all aims and scope of the JALA
make informed suggestions and decisions regarding publication strategies
ensure the maintenance and rise in standard of submitted and published articles
adhere strictly to all legitimate publishing ethics and guidelines
contribute to the improvement of the design and structure of the JALA media in full
strengthen and increase the editorial board, such as Co-Editors-in-Chief, Associate and Affiliate Editors, Regional Editors, Section Coordinators, Special Issue Editors, Editorial Board Members, Affiliate Editorial Board Members
fully coordinate the editorial team for a facile continuance of the JALA and for full logistics of the journal submission and publication processes
actively assess and analyse the journal, and provide correlations with current movements throughout the fields of Asian Linguistic Anthropology, Sociolinguistics, and Language and Society
expand the visibility of the JALA in highly significant ways
explore new themes for special issues and to ensure the attainment of these special issues.

The Editor in Chief shall be selected and monitored fully by the Central Committee and shall be assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

CO EDITOR ROLES

The Co-Editor(s)-in-Chief work with the Editor in Chief to ensure that all editorial responsibilities are executed. These contributions include the following: To

organize peer review processes
revise manuscripts
consult on the selection of members of the editorial board.
assist with decisions by the Editor-in-Chief, the publisher, and the Central Committee
contribute to the general development of the JALA
at times mediate issues among all parties, not least of whom are submitter / authors

The Co-Editor in Chief’s Role shall be organized, selected, managed, and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

ASSOCIATE AND AFFILIATE EDITOR ROLES

Associate and Affiliate Editors work with the Editor-in-Chief, in non-continuous ways, to develop aspects of the manuscripts, and in the process, to

assist to develop and edit themed issues
successfully attempt to garner articles and to develop themes for the JALA
to contribute to the development and betterment of the overall JALA

The Associate and Affiliate Editors shall be selected and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times shall be assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

REGIONAL ADVISOR / EDITOR ROLES

Regional Advisors and Editors coordinate and advise on regional issues that are required in order to process the submitted manuscripts and other issues relevant to the journal. The regional advisor and editor is usually from the GLOCAL Regional Advisory Committee as an expert of that region and its academic specificities. The regional advisor and editor assists to

soliciting thematic suggestions connected to respective regions.
advising on already developing regionally themed issues and papers.
contributing to the betterment of the JALA, particularly in terms of its regional purposes and visibility.
connect the JALA processes and its Editors with people and groups specific to respective regions.

The Regional Advisor’s role shall be organized, selected, managed, and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

SECTION COORDINATOR ROLES

At times, sections of the JALA journal are produced that require specializations. At these times, the Editor-in-Chief will commission a coordinator to develop or advise on these. The Section Coordinator must work with the Editor-in-Chief, other editors, the authors, and the Editorial board, to mediate the high quality completion of a section of the journal, irrespective of the type of paper published. Here, the Section Coordinator will proceed to

contribute to or garner content for a section as planned by other parties at the journal, as themes that are highly pertinent to current Asian linguistic and sociocultural anthropology, sociolinguistics, and language and society.
contribute to the development of the publication in terms of the creation, arrangement, and visibility of the section.

The Section Coordinator’s role shall be organized, selected, managed, and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

SPECIAL ISSUE EDITOR ROLES

The Special Issue Editor is responsible for submitting manuscripts that all constitute (together) the special issue. The Special Issue Editor is thus responsible for all aspects of the special issue with the exception of the external anonymous review process. Here, the Special Issue Editor has direct and ongoing communication with the Editor-in-Chief, the authors, any other individuals the Editor-in-Chief so chooses to involve in the process, and with independent reviewers and editors whom the Special Issue Editor may commission to assist in the revision of the papers. The Special Issue Editor is thus responsible to

select a theme for the special issue
develop and submit a comprehensive proposal to the Editor-in-Chief
guide all submitting and collaborating authors throughout the process
ensure that all manuscripts submitted are of the highest possible quality in order to maximize the possibility of passing the review process and hence acceptance for publication
invite and commission co-special issue editors in order to optimize the level of the collection of papers
to locate and invite authors and scholars whose work is relevant to the special issue
to mediate between the journal Editor-in-Chief, authors, editors, external reviewers, and others

The Special Issue Editor shall be organized, selected, managed, and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

GUEST EDITOR ROLES

A Guest Editor is at times commissioned to contribute to the JALA in order to provide different perspectives, that is, to invite perspectives on Asian sociocultural linguistic anthropology, sociolinguistics, and language and society. Here, the roles of the Guest Editor include to:

submit a brief proposal to the journal including intended direction for the guest issues editing
solicit special guest edited papers, not necessarily all addressing on theme or responding to one question
assume all responsibilities within the role of Editor-in-Chief throughout the duration of the preparation and for the purpose of publishing the respective special issue only
work with the Editor-in-Chief and with all other parties to ensure that the guest special issue is completed

The Guest Editor shall be organized, selected, managed, and monitored fully by the Editor in Chief and at times assisted by members of the Editorial Board.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD ROLES

The Editorial Board comprises an extended list of prominent scholars from a diverse set of global regions, all of whom have contributed to the field of Asian linguistic sociocultural anthropology in some way. The tenure of each member of the Editorial Board is indefinite, and hence until such a time as when the member steps down from the Board. The roles of each member of the Editorial Board are such that they are to

contribute to the peer review process of manuscripts submitted to the journal.
strictly adhere to the policy and scope of the JALA journal.
assist to increase the global visibility of the JALA.
suggest and discuss with the Editor-in-Chief the direction of the journal.
seek out authors whose work can effectively align with and contribute to the direction of the journal.
locate peer reviewers for the review process.
suggest other potential scholars whom the JALA may consider, nominating, voting for, and subsequently inviting these scholars to the Editorial Board.

The members of the Editorial Board are each nominated, voted on, and invited under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief. The members of the Editorial Board are usually first members of the GLOCAL Scientific Committee, but at times, others not sitting on the GLOCAL Scientific Committee may be selected. The Editorial Board must represent a diverse set of scholars with diverse influences and diverse scholarships, yet that are all relevant to Asian linguistic sociocultural anthropology.

The Editorial Board is evaluated every two to three years by both the Editor-in-Chief and the GLOCAL Central Committee, during which, discussions with each member of the Editorial Board ensue, and following which, the best possible development for the GLOCAL is decided on.

GLOCAL CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Vice Chair

Asmah Haji Omar (University of Malaya, Malaysia)

Central Steering Committee

Alice Rudge (SOAS, University of London, U.K.)

Anna Luisa Daigneault (Living Tongues Institute, U.S.A.)

Bert Vaux (Cambridge University, U.K.)

David Parkin (University of Oxford, U.K.)

Geoffrey Benjamin (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Gregory Anderson (Living Tongues Institute, U.S.A.)

Janet Watson (University of Leeds, U.K.)

Judith Pine (Western Washington University, U.S.A.)

Katia Pizzi (S.A.S., University of London, U.K.)

Mark Aldenderfer (University of California, Merced (U.S.A.)

Miguel Pérez-Milans (University College London, U.K.)

Richard Baxstrom (University of Edinburgh, U.K.)

Riitta Valijarvi (University College London, U.K.)

Sylvia Jaworska (University of Reading, U.K.)

Trevor H J Marchand (SOAS, University of London, U.K.)

Vijay Bhatia (City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

William A. Foley (Columbia University, U.S.A.)

Pavlos Kavouras (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece, UNESCO Chair)