The central problem of the social sciences in Asia: critique, diagnosis and prescription -- Theorizing the state of the social sciences -- The structure of academic dependency and the global division of labour in the social sciences -- The definition and variety of alternative discourses in Asia -- Nativist or autonomous social science: a clash of orientations -- Towards an adequate conceptualization of relevance and irrelevance in the social sciences -- Alternative discourses and power -- Rethinking the teaching of the social sciences -- The prospects and future of alternative discourses in Asia