
Helps students see the joy in learning.
Dr Balazs Kiglics is a Teaching Fellow in Asian Studies and Global Studies at the University of Otago's Department of Languages and Cultures in the Humanities Division. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Otago in 2018. His doctoral thesis, titled "The Role of Values in Japanese Elite Views of Contemporary Japan-China Relations," examines the role values play in Japanese elite views of contemporary Japan-China relations. Kiglics' research interests include the evolution of cultures and human thinking, intercultural communication, diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific, Japanese foreign policy, and contemporary Chinese and Japanese culture and society. As Coordinator of the Otago Foreign Policy School, he organizes annual events bringing together scholars and practitioners to discuss international issues.
Kiglics teaches GLBL 101: Introduction to Intercultural Communication and ASIA 101: Introducing Asia. His publications include co-editing "New Zealand's Foreign Policy under the Jacinda Ardern Government: Facing the Challenge of a Disrupted World" (World Scientific, 2024) with Robert G. Patman, Peter Grace, and Dennis Wesselbaum, contributing the introduction. He co-edited "From Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific: Diplomacy in a Contested Region" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022) with Patman and Patrick Köllner, authoring the chapter "Japan’s Asia-Pacific Diplomacy in the Twenty-First Century: Empty Rhetoric or a New Paradigm?" which addresses Japan’s value-oriented diplomacy and proactive pacifism. He also co-edited "New Zealand and the World: Past, Present and Future" (World Scientific, 2018) with Patman and Iati Iati. Further works are "The Foreign Policy Legacy of Shinzō Abe" (Discerning Eyes, 2022) and "After APEC, Where To on China?" (Newsroom, 2022, with Patman and Murat Üngör). His six publications have 29 citations on ResearchGate.