A collection of works on the development of Asian universities is presented, focusing on an aspect of higher education not previously analyzed: the contemporary impact of Western academic systems in Asia. Eleven papers fall into three sections following the introduction, "Twisted Roots: The Western Impact on Asian Higher Education," (P. Altabach). The sections are: (1) The Non-Colonial Experience: "China's Universities and Western Academic Models" (R. Hayhoe); "Looking West and East: Thailand's Academic Development" (K. Watson); and "Independence and Choice: Western Impacts on Japanese Higher Education" (S. Nakayama); (2) The European Colonial Tradition: "The Western Impact on Philippine Higher Education" (A. Gonzalez); "The Origin of Modern Indonesian Higher Education" (W. Cummings and S. Kasenda); "Indian Higher Education: Colonialism and Beyond" (A. Basu); "Change Amidst Continuity: University Development in Malaysia" (V. Selvaratnam); and "University Education in Singapore: The Making of a National University" (S. Gopinathan); and (3) The Japanese Colonial Impact: "The Emergence of the Modern University in Korea" (S. Lee); and The Development of Higher Education in Taiwan" (W. Wu, S. Chen, and C. Wu). (SM)