We are thrilled to announce that the journal Bandung - Journal of the Global South is now indexed in Scopus! We want to heartfeltly congratulate the editors, contributors and all our colleagues that worked hard to reach this great achievement. For this special occasion, we asked a few questions about the behind-the-scenes of managing a journal to the Editor-in-Chief Pak Nung Wong – enjoy!

 

You have founded this journal in 2013. How has Bandung developed over the years?

Bandung is doing well – since 2022, we have increased its annual page budget and publication frequency to 3 issues per year. The continued successes of Bandung are attributed to the solidarity and unfailing supports of the editorial team and boards of distinguished scholars, senior policymakers and forefront practitioners as well as international network. Drawing from their diverse expertise, professional inputs and wisdoms, Bandung has gradually developed into an internationally recognized academic and policy platform for not just the Global South, but also dialogical venue bridging with the Global North. 

How do you ensure that your articles meet the highest quality standards?

Highest quality standards can be ensured by providing an inclusive, hospitable and supportive peer review experience for the authors to achieve authenticity in pursuing their scholarships. Authenticity includes but exceeds the scientific virtues of originality and creativity. Authentic scholarships can initiate positive changes of global common good such as social justice. Authenticity can be achieved through practising (1) integrity of being truthful, (2) honesty in examining the reality, and (3) courage to speak truths to the authorities and powers. We therefore aim to support and empower the authors to articulate their own scholarships by providing a mental health-safe, epistemologically non-violent, inclusive, respectful, non-hierarchical, and collegial environment for them to explore and better connect with one’s own historical-cultural roots, moral-religious anchorages, and intellectual traditions. 

What are the main dos and don'ts of submitting an article for Bandung?

We publish three types of peer-reviewed articles: (1) research article, (2) policy insight, and (3) review article/essay. We welcome proposals for special issues and review articles/essays. Do feel free to email-initiate a conversation with the Editor-in-Chief. Pitching a tentative topic and an abstract could be a start. In general, Bandung doesn’t publish works that would appear to support colonialism, imperialism, racial supremacy and terrorism. 

What is your best advice for dealing with tight deadlines and managing multiple projects at the same time?

Follow your heart and where your calling is when weighing commitment. Vocation is my anchorage when dealing with competing demands and pressures. In vocational discernment, one would know what is important and what is not. Apart from exercising, I spend time with family, friends and in prayers. These are essential for mental and physical health. 

Your profile reports the following line: “My hearts and thoughts are often with the weak, the small and the unarticulated. Tears and sorrows can be sacred.” Could you expand on that, especially in relation with Bandung?

It is my genuine wish to support the next generation of scholars and practitioners to seek, identify, and devise creative strategies of resilience and enduring strengths that are conducive to the post-colonial development of their societies. Bandung aims to be receptive to the research and policy work especially of smaller nations in the Global South. We will continue to strive to be the best and most impactful platform of knowledge dissemination, especially for the underrepresented, underprivileged and voices that are unheard of.

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Pak Nung Wong is associate professor in Politics and International Relations at the University of Bath, United Kingdom. Trained in social work, sociology and social-cultural anthropology at City University of Hong Kong, London School of Economics, and Oxford University, Wong has contributed to the field of Political Science and International Studies by pulling insights from post-colonial studies and social theory, political theology and Christian ethics, new science/technology and future studies. In 2013, he founded Bandung: Journal of the Global South with an international group of scholars and practitioners/policy-makers.


Text: Paola la Battaglia