First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has lent a helping hand in nurturing EASTS over the past few years. I shan't reiterate it here in length as it was so eloquently expressed in Professor Wen-Hua Kuo's farewell note, but I share the same sentiment and wholeheartedly concur with every one of his words. This journal has provided us with a platform to maintain an excellent community of scholars with a common vision in advancing the scholarship of STS in Asia and the world.
EASTS made dramatic progress during Professor Kuo's tenure as our editor in chief, and I would like to take a moment to acknowledge his contributions. Echoing his farewell note on "Branding East Asia with STS," we can say for certain that Professor Kuo has played the role of creative director of EASTS as a brand. Such leadership is not limited to the scholarly realm, simply publishing relevant articles. It requires a clear vision and creativity in leading the journal in one direction while maintaining coherency, and strategically managing multiple facets to deliver this goal. While he may be stepping down as editor-in-chief, I would ask him to stay involved in our activities his participation will remain indispensable at the core of our journal. We are merely slightly adjusting our roles in this regard.
By providing accounts of the East Asian brand of STS, EASTS has played an important role in suggesting new possibilities to the scope of STS. Professor Kuo's expertise in medicine and public health explains EASTS' strength in this field, a topic that was especially relevant during the COVID outbreak. We have also looked into the power of technology with double-edged risks and discussed controversies over technology development, and incorporated issues that emerge within the unique cultural context of Asia. Certain topics are prone to appear more often within a certain cultural context than another. For example, the position of traditional medicine in a modernizing and globalizing society is a recurring topic in the Asian STS, although it might not be as mainstream in the global ST'S discourse. Carrying a constant dialogue between EASTS and the global STS community can greatly contribute in defining the field of STS.
