Southeast Asian Cultures Research Articles

Tradition and Modernization of Thai Music and Dance Art

Thailand, as one of the important representatives of Southeast Asian culture, has a long history of music and dance art. It integrates various cultural elements such as Thai, Chinese, and Indian, forming a unique and diverse artistic style. With the development of society and the exchange of culture, Thai music and dance constantly evolve between tradition and modernity, showing rich artistic charm. This paper aims to explore the significance of Thai music and dance in cultural inheritance, artistic innovation, and international exchange through the study of Thai music and dance.

I'm not, like, the best dragon, ya know?: A Deconstructionist Reading of Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon

Background: Raya and the Last Dragon is the first Disney movie inspired by traditional Southeast Asian cultures, somewhat under-represented in mainstream media. Hence, the movie is worth further investigation. Purpose: The study intends to read Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon using a deconstructionist lens. Methods: The study used qualitative analysis of audio-visual materials. The auditory and visual aspects of the movie are examined using a deconstructionist lens by watching and rewatching the movie with occasional note-taking. Data are presented in the forms of characters’ dialogues, and screen captures of relevant scenes. Results: It found that, to a certain extent, the movie deconstructs dominant narratives. The most prosperous tribe, Heart’s chief, chooses to promote trust and cooperation over violence. Then, against popular views associating toddlers with innocence, this movie presents a toddler as a con baby. It also seems to advocate the power of youngsters to make a difference in society. Though it seems to have feminist details through its two androgynous female warriors, Raya and Namaari, the same characters lead Kumandra to its downfall and eventual rise. It suggested that female warriors can achieve great things but also bring catastrophes. The movie, furthermore, portrays Sisu as an insecure yet trusting dragon, quite different from the typical portrayals of dragons often associated with power and destruction. However, the movie marginalizes the antagonists, the Druun, by not giving them the language to defend themselves from the judgmental assumptions of the talking characters. Implications: The movie carries hidden messages and could be used to challenge dominant narratives. It, however, could also be used to marginalize certain groups.

ANALISIS SINEMATIK DAN NARASI VISUAL FILM ANIMASI “RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON”

Raya and the Last Dragon is an animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios with the storyline of Raya's adventures as the main character in an imaginary country called Kumandra. This animated film has a cultural style and local identity that is identical to Southeast Asian culture, including Indonesian culture. It is these cultural identities and symbols that encourage this research. Through a descriptive analysis method, the meaning of symbols or cultural identities contained in the visual and cinematic narratives of the animated film Raya and the Last Dragon will be explained based on studies using Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. The results obtained from the analysis using two stages of significance, namely the first level of denotational meaning and the second level of connotative meaning, are the messages contained in several excerpts in each scene of the animated film which show the meaning of Southeast Asian cultural symbols, as well as what is visible from the behavior of each character, as well as the visual and cinematic narrative that greatly influences the animated film.

Nyonya Culture Expression in Malaysian Chinese Media Based on Facebook

In the digital age, the Malaysian Chinese media has become an important communication platform for Malaysian Chinese and has a key influence on cultural communication. Nyonya culture, a unique product of the fusion of Chinese and Southeast Asian cultures, has gained widespread attention and use in the media. In this research, 19 Facebook posts were coded and analyzed to investigate Nyonya culture as a comprehensive cultural symbol, its transmission of traditional Chinese culture in the five dimensions of food, crafts, traditional customs, social affairs, and media entertainment, as well as the integration of new cultural symbols. The study aims to provide a new approach to integrating and disseminating Nyonya culture in the context of digitalization, as well as providing a unique perspective on the dissemination of traditional culture through Malaysian Chinese media.

Linguistic Transculturation in Raya and The Last Dragon Movie

Southeast Asia provides a big market for “global” culture. Disney released Raya and the Last Dragon to seize the opportunity. The movie claimed itself as a Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy movie with diverse cultural images. This descriptive research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data from articles about Southeast Asian culture, Raya and the Last Dragon, and the movie script. This research focuses on finding the semantic-linguistic traits of transculturation within the movie. The semantic-linguistic transculturation within the movie was shown in 1) the names of the characters, 2) the use of mantra or magical chant, and 3) the use of American English informal contraction, slang, portmanteau, and compound words. Raya and the Last Dragon is a movie that shows linguistic transculturation through the use of the character’s name, words and phrases that relate to South Asian culture, mantras and magical chants, and the use of informal English contractions, slangs, portmanteaux, and compound words. The study of other linguistic transculturation levels will provide challenging goals for the other researchers.

Use of Mythical Creatures in Folk Literature of Southeast Asia: A Comparative analysis

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the use of mythical creatures in Southeast Asian folk literature, focusing on the dragons in Javanese folktales from Indonesia, the naga in Thai folklore, and the aswang in Filipino mythology. The paper examines the historical and cultural context of Southeast Asia, the evolution of folk literature in the region, and the role of mythical creatures in Southeast Asian culture. It analyzes the similarities and differences in the portrayal of mythical creatures across different cultures, identifies common themes and motifs in Southeast Asian folk literature, and evaluates the significance of the use of mythical creatures in conveying cultural values and beliefs. The paper concludes that the use of mythical creatures is an important aspect of Southeast Asian folk literature and highlights the implications of the study for future research in the field. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the cultural and historical heritage of Southeast Asia and shed light on the unique features of its folk literature.

Advance Care Planning in the Philippines: A continuing narrative of advocacy

This article discusses the current state of Advance Care Planning (ACP) in the Philippines, where the health system operates within a fragmented environment, with mixed private and public provisions. Despite some attempts to introduce legislation to foster ACP implementation, patient autonomy remains subordinate to family values and physician authority within the Southeast Asian culture. The article also highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the norms of the global healthcare force and pushed Palliative Medicine specialists to take on stronger roles in the battle lines against health-related suffering. The Palliative Care Consultants, advocates along with Philippine Society of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PSHPM) and Hospice Philippines Inc. have been playing a significant role in promoting and supporting ACP through education and training, advocacy, research and development, networking and collaboration.

CONSERVATION STRATEGIES OF BUILT HERITAGE OF ASSAM

Assam is a state in north-east India located on the crossroads of Southeast Asian and Indic culture. In the close contest of the two, the Indic culture prevailed however the conflict continues. The appearance of mainland Indic culture had a lasting impact on the socio-cultural landscape of Assam. To propagate and present the magnanimity of mainland Indic culture among the natives, edificial brick and stone structures were raised. However being located in highly active geological and extreme climatic region these structures were continuously under the threat of these forces. In addition there are also anthropogenic and biological threats. The present article deals with the threats and remedies suggested for the structures dating up to 1200 AD. It is to be noted that almost all the structures are in ruins and under the protection of certain agencies hitherto they are in pitiable condition. The present study notes the nature of deterioration faced by the structure and possible remedies in detail

THE CULTURAL IDENTITY OF NUSANTARA IN A MOVIE "RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON “

<span lang="IN">Raya and the Last Dragon is an animated movie with an adventure theme from Walt Disney Studio which was released </span><span>in 2021</span><span lang="IN">. This movie tells the adventures of a character named Raya who lives onhis birthland named Kumandra. Raya begins her journey to find the last dragon named Sisu to help her defeat an enemy from darkness named Druun and unite the Kumandra again. In this movie, </span><span>you</span><span><span lang="IN">can see the design aspects of local wisdom, background,</span></span><span lang="IN">culture, life values and tradition that are still strong </span><span>and</span><span><span lang="IN">are very authentic and related to the daily life of people in Southeast Asia and one of them contains aspects of Indonesian culture. Therefore, this movie ha</span></span><span>s </span><span lang="IN">norms values that reflect the identity of the Indonesian nation in the Southeast Asia region. This study aims to find out how the role of Southeast Asian culture is formed and influences the </span><span>people </span><span><span lang="IN">in assessing Southeast Asian culture, especially culture from Indonesia. The research method </span></span><span>was</span><span lang="IN"> grounded theory approach and the data</span><span>is taken from the scene of the movie</span><span lang="IN">. </span><span>T</span><span lang="IN">he research results show that there are cultural elements that are shown through the values in the Movie Raya and The Last Dragon in the form of character design, asset design and background. These assets are able to build the </span><span>people’s </span><span><span lang="IN">perception of the culture of Southeast Asia and Indonesia.</span></span>

Decolonizing the Language of Landscape Architecture

This article explores the role that language plays in constructing and deconstructing the narratives in landscape architecture. It seeks to explore how words limit or expand the possibilities of change within the discipline. Through an exploration of linguistic, colonial, and decolonial theory, the authors begin with an exploration of the origins of the term <i>landscape</i> and then examine Indigenous alternatives, followed by an interrogation of the prevalent dualistic positioning in the lexicon of landscape architecture. This includes the dichotomy of terms such <i>culture</i> and <i>nature</i> as previously challenged by feminist scholars; however, the authors further detail the Western colonial bias present in this and other binaries. The authors draw from traditions in American Indigenous and Afro Descendent epistemologies, along with other non-Western worldviews from Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, and South Asian cultures. Finally, this article argues for the continued exploration of language and its use within the discipline as part of an engaged practice that is necessary for our discipline to remain relevant in the current socio-ecological moment.

Diverse Social Mobility Trajectories: Portrait of Children of New Immigrants in Taiwan

The present study examines the social mobility trajectories of children of new immigrants (those who have at least one new immigrant parent) in early adulthood (between the ages of 18 and 40) in Taiwan. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and online surveys. The findings demonstrate that there is no significant difference between the participating children of new immigrants and the general population in higher education attendance rate and annual income. Family socioeconomic status appears to be a significant factor in shaping their social mobility trajectories. Participants with a stable family financial situation are generally more advantaged, as seven out of eleven of them have graduated from a reputable university and have well-paid jobs. Nonetheless, there are some participants from a disadvantaged family background who have achieved upward mobility because their parents hold a positive attitude toward education and have found ways to support their education. There are other factors that have helped them overcome barriers posed by their family backgrounds such as supportive people, non-governmental organizations, and government policy. Although ethnic identity is trivial in this process generally, it is salient in certain situations thanks to relevant policy programs. The government’s recent emphasis on Southeast Asian languages and cultures and policy programs targeting children of new immigrants have made more choices available to them, which can be observed from their diverse social mobility trajectories.

Southeast Asian Visual Culture In The Animated Film “Raya And The Last Dragon”

In the year of 2020 “Raya and The Last Dragon” was launched and became part of the Disney Princess animated series. This animated film is rumored to be Disney's first film created based on Southeast Asian visual culture. This study aims to analyze the visual culture of Southeast Asia portrayed in the animated film Raya and The Last Dragon.&#x0D; The research is carried out with qualitative approach, through documentation of previous studies, especially those related to visual culture in Disney Princess animation, as well as direct observation of the film studied. Animated films are a reflection of the thoughts, feelings, and desires of the creators through visual media in the form of signs or semiotics. Therefore, the film Raya and The Last Dragon is analyzed using the semiotic analysis method. These data is strengthened by interviews with cultural experts. The results of this study indicate that Raya and The Last Dragon displays visual signs in the form of settings, costumes, and tools that are a fusion Southeast Asian culture are observable in characterizations, character visualization, to visualization of promotional media of “Raya and the Last Dragon”. However, the visualization is not a genuine representation, and does not properly reflect the visual culture of Southeast Asia.

Critical discourse analysis of cultural representations in EFL national commercial textbooks

Mastering grammar and vocabulary in communication are seemingly insufficient for learners to communicate with different societies worldwide. For this rationale, cultures in ELT materials took a pivotal role in equipping learners with intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Hence, the researchers critically analyze two national commercial textbooks commonly used in senior high schools for the tenth and eleventh grades in any area to examine the elements of cultures and their representations. The researchers address this gap by adopting critical discourse analysis (CDA) to get a profound interpretation of data. The textual data was categorized, coded, counted, and finalized by creating a description. The result revealed that these textbooks contained elements of cultures; product (63%, 44%), person (13%, 42%), practice (19 %, 8%), and perspective (5%, 6%) in different proportions. The result also points out that there is an unbalance among culture-related items with 59%, 51% in source cultures, 11% and 26% in target, and 17% and 8% in international, which means target and international cultures are less than source cultures. This research also found universal cultures relating to cultures free in these textbooks with 13% and 18%, respectively. The finding indicated that both textbooks have imbalanced cultures, which means that target and international cultures were under-represented. The researchers suggest that other Southeast Asian, African, and Russian cultures must be considered in the textbooks. Furthermore, this research expects the stakeholders to be more concerned with designing, concerning, and choosing suitable textbooks to equip learners with diverse cultures.

POLITENESS IN BUGINESE WEDDING CEREMONY

&lt;p&gt;One of the cultural elements of communication that must be considered is politeness. Politeness is indispensable in communication, especially in Southeast Asian cultures, which have degrees of politeness. As cultural aspects affect the communicative language, politeness would be expected in society. One of the politeness implementations is the polite language used in the Buginese traditional wedding ceremony. In order to reveal politeness and its strategies in the traditional Buginese wedding ceremony, the study employed a qualitative method with observation and analytical descriptive approach by examining the politeness strategies and conversational language used in the Buginese wedding ceremony processions. The data were obtained from the video recordings of the wedding ceremony and the interviews with four newlyweds. The result showed that positive politeness strategies were predominantly used in the Buginese wedding ceremony. The study also revealed that the positive politeness strategies were closely connected to the cultural values of South Sulawesi, which showed a strict sequence of the traditional wedding ceremony that must be followed. The sequence symbolizes the tie that binds two human beings in goodness and beneficence, which must be conducted religiously. The study concludes that the language used during the traditional Buginese wedding ceremony adhered to the positive politeness principle, although the nature of the language was conversational.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Keywords&lt;/strong&gt;: politeness, politeness strategy, polite conversational language, Buginese wedding ceremony.&lt;/p&gt;

Losing the Remote: Exploring the Thai Social Order with the Early and Late Hanks

ABSTRACT This article challenges the common understanding of Thailand’s ethnic divide as marked by unfamiliarity and an absolute difference between Thai society and the hill tribes in the country’s north. Much scholarship has overlooked how the negotiation of diversity and complexity has been foundational to Thai and other Southeast Asian societies and cultures for millennia. An ideology of ethnically singular and exclusive Thai identity framed the historical context in which Lucien Hanks initially wrote about Thai social life and its logics. I draw on his later work, particularly the research he conducted with Jane R. Hanks in the northern hills, to revisit diversity in Thai society and history. Hanks identified merit and power as the key principles of the Thai social order. A third notion, parity, enables inclusive and diverse social networks. It offers an indigenous challenge to any association of Thai identity, worldview, or social organisation with intolerance and ethnic chauvinism.

Southeast Asian New Immigrant-Themed Contemporary Art as an Approach to Anti-Authoritarian Practices at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan

This article examines the exhibition Family Memo-Island of Memory and Migration: Southeast Asia New Immigrant-Themed Contemporary Art (11 May–26 August 2018) at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan. As part of the institution’s transnational justice exhibition, Family Memo was the first and only exhibition to feature South East Asian culture and issues of immigration—especially migrant workers and marriage migrants. This topic created a veiled dialogue with objects that represent Chiang’s authoritarian regime and Taiwan’s days of White Terror, as many Taiwanese see Chiang’s Nationalist Party as a settler/immigrant regime from China to Taiwan. I applied discourse analysis when treating the ‘exhibitionary complex’ (Bennett 1995) as text and analysed the narratives with elements of exhibited objects, written descriptions, and audio text. Data sources include museum annual reports, website information, newsletters, news reports, official publications, museum statements, and interviews with the curator and participating artists. Through literature reviews and interviews with museum staff, curators and several participating artists, I demonstrate how the efforts of the independent curator and artists opened up a variety of narratives of Taiwan, despite the nature of the Memorial Hall’s relationship to authoritarian history. In so doing, the Memorial Hall not only reads the concept of migration in a positive way in a time when labour migrants and marriage migrants are viewed negatively but also unveils its potential in providing a different approach to discuss human rights and anti-authoritarian practices and shared experiences and goals.

THE ANALYSIS OF SEMIOTICS IN “THE MAIN CHARACTER OF RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON FILM”

This research is aimed to find the signs then interpret the meaning of signs in Raya and the last dragon film. This film is the first Walt Disney project that was inspired by Southeast Asian cultures especially Indonesia. The design of the study is a semiotics approach by using Charles Sander Peirce’s theory. The type of research is a descriptive qualitative research method. The signs are collected, reduced, classified with Object Triadic; Icon, Index and Symbol then find the Interpretant through correlation between Representamen and Object. There are 30 signs found in the research. The meaning of the sign is divided into two categories, namely the meaning is appropriate with the story and the rest have representation about cultures. From the research of this film we can conclude a moral value: trust and togetherness and also pride about Southeast Asian cultures especially Indonesia can be shown abroad.

Clinical utility of the ECLECTIC framework in providing culturally-informed autism spectrum disorder evaluations: A pediatric case-based approach

Objective: Social cognition does not exist within a vacuum. One’s culture and surrounding social environment influence 1) development of social skills and behaviors, and 2) society’s expectations regarding “normal” behavior versus behaviors consistent with the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Use of a comprehensive cultural framework such as Fujii’s ECLECTIC model undergirds valid ASD testing by enhancing clinician awareness of potential biases during clinical decision-making and by supporting culturally relevant recommendations. Method: Four diverse pediatric patients presenting for concerns of ASD are described. Neuropsychological test data and salient cultural considerations are presented within the ECLECTIC framework. Results: The cases illustrate relevant cultural factors critical to the ASD assessment for youth with wide diversity (Southeast Asian, Deaf, Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Chinese cultures) and varied contextual factors (adoption, underlying Down syndrome). The ECLETIC model better allows integration of salient factors such as cognition, family dynamics, behaviors, educational services, and language dominance. Conclusions: Unrecognized ethnocentric biases may shadow the complexities and nuances involved in ASD assessment across cultures. Such errors are minimized using a comprehensive cultural framework to guide equitable neuropsychological services. The ECLECTIC model’s emphasis on cultural and contextual factors results in more accurate findings and more individualized planning for the patient. Recommendations for clinical application are provided.

Vietnamese Studies in Germany

From modest beginnings in the 1950s and 1960s, Vietnamese studies experienced a slow but consistent rise in Germany. In the GDR, the rise was connected first with close relations between the two communist states. Second, the area studies’ concept favored Vietnamese studies as a subject of Southeast Asian studies, rather than as a side subject of sinology as it had been before. In both parts of Germany, the interest in Vietnam has grown, especially after its reunification in 1975. Since 1990, at least one place is continuing to teach the subject in the framework of the Southeast Asian Languages and Cultures Program. In this way, one of the two professorships could be preserved.

Korean ‘Housewives’ and ‘Hipsters’ Are Not Driving a New Illicit Plant Trade: Complicating Consumer Motivations Behind an Emergent Wildlife Trade in Dudleya farinosa

Illegal trade in wild plants receives less scientific and policy attention than illegal trade in wild animals and animal-derived products. One exception to this generalizable trend is the recent emergence of an illegal trade in the California succulent species Dudleya farinosa. US officials and mainstream media reporting on these incidents suggest the final destination of these plants is succulent consumer markets in South Korea and other East Asian countries. It is believed that this illegal trade emerged in response to sudden and widespread consumer demand for succulents due to: 1) the increasing popularity of succulent plants in mainstream South Korean and East Asian cultures writ large; and 2) the preferential valuing of ‘wild’ versus cultivated plants by succulent consumers. Based on findings from content analysis of media reports and in-depth qualitative interviews in California and South Korea, I argue instead for a more nuanced perspective of the drivers of this emergent trade, with the primary motivational desire for these plants coming from a selective and highly skilled community of succulent enthusiasts, rather than mainstream plant consumer groups. In presenting these findings I demonstrate the importance of in-depth, critical qualitative research for exploring the emergence of particular trades in wildlife in order to inform more sustainable and legal trades. I clarify the primary drivers of this new trade in Dudleya farinosa as an illegal but logical response to the economics and temporalities of plant trade. I offer suggestions on how these findings can inform more sustainable solutions to the illicit extraction of wild plants in meeting consumer demand.