APISA was formally established in Malaysia in 2001, and held its founding congress in Singapore in 2003. The organization was established as an academic community for scholars working on Asia. Although, the membership of the APISA is largely Asian, the organization emphasizes Asia as a focus of study, rather than the nationality of its members as the determinant of its identity. Patterned after ac
ademic institutions in North America and Western Europe, the organization seeks to promote theoretically informed comparative scholarships, based on the Asian experience in the fields of conflict and peace, democracy and governance, development, and area studies. It is governed by an Executive Committee (ExCo) elected by its members and endorsed by the biennial Congress. The ExCo also elects a President and an Executive Secretary from among themselves. Since April 2006, the APISA has been incorporated as a non-profit organization under the Companies Ordinance (chapter 32) of Hong Kong. The APISA Secretariat oversees the administration and activities of the organization. The secretariat has been based in the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Kuala Lumpur since 2001, but was transferred to De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines in 2010.
