Introduction: History and theory in the study of cultural collaboration

Let us begin with four pictures: first, a multinational action movie being financed by producers from Hong Kong and filmed in Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia or Thailand; second, a housewife from the Philippines watching a Korean family drama on TV; third, a group of Indonesian fans translating a Japanese comic book into Bahasa; and fourth, Kitty-Chan chopsticks being sold in Singapore. What kinds of order or orders (or disorders) underlie these popular culture productions and products? Who are the agents that produced them and how do their actions involve cross border collaboration?.