Southeast Asian Politics Research Articles

The Politics of Government–Business Relations in Urban Southeast Asia: Introduction and Overview

Recognising the increasingly urban character of Southeast Asian politics, our introduction to this special issue explores the varied patterns of government–business relations found across the region. In some urban centres, businesses form collusive rent-seeking relations with mayors and other politicians; in others, they support governance reform and urban renewal. In beginning to unpick this variation, we briefly highlight what we can learn from literatures on national-level government–business relations and subnational politics – emphasising that local-level government–business relations commonly diverge in significant ways from those at the national level. Next, we survey the articles that follow through three themes: relative strengths of local government and business across distinct urban settings; changes over time in the presence and efficacy of development coalitions spanning government and business; and recent innovations in government–business ties in certain cities. We end by calling for increased research into this important but poorly understood topic.

Protectionism and Domestic Politics in Southeast Asia and Oceania

Protectionism and Domestic Politics in Southeast Asia and Oceania

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND WORLD POLITICS

This essay reviews research on Southeast Asia that has appeared in World Politics , with a focus on articles published since the mid-1970s. Drawing on debates about the nature of the region that are commonly found within the field of Southeast Asian area studies, the essay identifies two axes along which Southeast Asian politics research varies: in its emphasis on the connectedness versus autonomy of the region, and in its focus on individual country experiences versus common regional dynamics. Characterizing the Southeast Asia–focused research in World Politics in this way helps us to understand more generally the relationship between area studies and political science over the past fifty years.

Systematic Review of Mediatization of Politics in Southeast Asia

Mediatization of politics refers to the meta-process by which political institutions are highly dependent and influenced by the usage of media in political processes. In the early 2000s, research was heavily pioneered by scholars from Western World. For the past decade, scholars from the Southeast Asian region have explored and used the concept in understanding the relationship between media and political institutions in their respective countries. However, there is no cohesive systematic review on research that has been done on how mediatization of politics is being constructed in Southeast Asian context. This is crucial to determine mediatization of politics claims as the new paradigm of media studies holds true in the context of Asian political systems. Therefore, the present article conducted a systematic literature review on mediatization of politics in the Asian region. This study integrated different research designs and the review was based on PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta Analysis 2020). From 45 articles initially screened, 9 articles were chosen for the final systematic review. Four themes emerged from the systematic review, namely a) democratization, b) disinformation, c) religious populism and d) nationalism. The results showed that in most SEA countries, political actors are embracing the high dependency of media, whether it is the mainstream media or the digital media. Along with the mediatization, comes positive and negative consequences that are different according to the history of the countries. Future scholars should focus on expanding and building the systematic review in different regions. Keywords: Systematic review, mediatization of politics, Southeast Asia, democratization, political institutions.

Novels of Vaddey Ratner and Viet Thanh Nguyen—unpacking trauma language, facing ghosts, and killing shadows

This article focuses on why exiled writers turn to literature to untangle their complicated pasts and reconstruct their identities. Ratner and Nguyen’s memories and reconstruction of Cambodia and Vietnam are fragmented, secondary, and indeterminately accurate. Growing up with transnational identities and relearning about their motherlands in the US altered their perceptions of SEA. Both writers turned to literature to untangle their complicated pasts and reconstruct their identities. During these journeys, ghosts, enemies, and guilt surfaced and stalked them until confronted and resolved. Nevertheless, their reconciliation plunged them deeper into crisis as it became clear that their memories were in fact nostalgia. Ratner and Nguyen are among the ultraminor world writers who witnessed chaos, yet still successfully articulated their failures and displacement in literature. The results of this research affirm that their works can help us understand Southeast Asian political and cultural dynamics then and now.

:Memory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsMemory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia edited by Will Brehm and Yuto Kitamura. New York: Teachers College Press, 2022. 200 pp. US$49.95 (paper). ISBN 978-0-8077-6636-1.Sheena M. HarrisSheena M. HarrisUniversity of Minnesota Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Comparative Education Review Volume 67, Number 1February 2023 Sponsored by the Comparative and International Education Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/723223 Views: 17Total views on this site For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Memory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia

Memory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia

Rescuing History from Srivijaya: The Fall of Angkor in the Ming Shilu (Part 1)

Abstract Srivijaya, a supposed thalassocracy based on the island of Sumatra, is believed by scholars to have played a central role in the trade and politics of Southeast Asia from roughly the seventh to fourteenth centuries. Much of the evidence for Srivijaya’s history comes from Chinese sources, and in this two-part article we demonstrate that some of the Chinese sources that have been employed for writing the history of “Srivijaya” are about Cambodia, that is, Angkor. More specifically, scholars have argued that a kingdom referred to in Chinese sources as “Sanfoqi” was “Srivijaya,” and in this paper we examine the information about Sanfoqi in the fourteenth century in the Ming shilu against information in the Cambodian and Siamese chronicles to demonstrate that Sanfoqi was Angkor. In the process, we develop an entirely new history of the final days of that once powerful polity.

Challenges and Implications of Indonesia's Strategic Position in Maritime Security

The primary goal is to evaluate the regional maritime security problems that Indonesia is now confronting. As is well known, with the beginning of the twenty-first century came the introduction of a new word in regional maritime architecture. The significance of the sea in the current era of globalization has prompted all countries to manage their maritime interests and share concerns in a collaborative, cooperative, and inclusive manner, according to the United Nations. Throughout the period, Indonesia grew more connected than it had been previously. Indonesia, located in Southeast Asia, rose to prominence as a worldwide power in this century. Of course, as a result of its actions, new issues in maritime security have arisen. International relations, maritime cooperation, port and shipping sectors, as well as comparative politics and international relations, as well as Southeast Asian politics and society, will find this article of interest on the topic of maritime security.

Myanmar's Foreign Policy Analysis in the Context of the Basic Dynamics of Regional Politics in Southeast Asia

Myanmar's Foreign Policy Analysis in the Context of the Basic Dynamics of Regional Politics in Southeast Asia

Ministering to the Middle: Christian Megachurches and Minoritarian Politics in Southeast Asia

AbstractChristian megachurches have been growing in members, organization, and financial resources in the large cities of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines and in Singapore. However, they remain as religious minorities facing an asymmetrical balance of political power due to the Islamization of politics, strong state secularism, or the close entanglement of the political elites with majority Catholicism. We propose a framework of minoritarian politics to understand the actions adopted by the churches to defend and advance their interests. While the scholarship on religion and politics tends to focus on churches' direct engagement with political elites and the mobilization of grassroots movements, we argue that the megachurches prefer to minister to the middle by forging outreach networks to accumulate social capital with a broad range of intermediaries. This is not just due to theological conservatism, but also because ministering to the middle has been the effective strategy given the political circumstances.

The Spice Route and The Sub-Urban Muslim Community in South East Asia

The spice route is the route that the spice trade passes from its home country, the Maluku Islands in particular, and the Archipelago Islands in general to other countries in the world. The spice route is thought to have existed for several centuries BC. The spice route stretches from the Maluku Islands/Nusantara to Malaya, India, Persia, Arabia, Egypt, to Europe. The Arabs took part in the spice trade from the Archipelago and the Persians, Indians, Malays, and the Chinese. When the Arabs embraced Islam and followed by the Persians and Indians, they passed and controlled the trade in the spice route. Since the first century to the twelfth century AD, Indian civilization with Hinduism and Buddhism dominated society and politics in Southeast Asia. Even the still Hindu solid kingdom in Java lasted until the end of the fifteenth century. During such a period, the Muslims became members of the marginalized communities on the spice route under the shadow of Hinduistic hegemony. However, they can play a role in the Islamization of the Southeast Asian Region through the spice route. Gradually the Muslims can shift the Hindu/Buddhist civilization and establish political power and build Islamic civilization. Islamic civilization includes, among others, the development of Islamic religious knowledge, shaping Islamic traditions in society, advancing education, and establishing political power. The writer used the 4-step historical method in this study, namely heuristics, criticism, interpretation, and historiography. He also applied acculturation theory to discuss this theme. Given the limited time, secondary sources were used to write this research.

Myanmar and the Rohingya: in the shadow of Sino-Indian geopolitical competition

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the geopolitical factors that have been the catalyst for the Rohingya crisis, with special attention on the roles of China and India. It then situates those views through 20 in-depth interviews of informants from Bangladesh who are experts in South and Southeast Asian politics. Bangladesh has borne the brunt of accommodating the fleeing Rohingyas and is currently bearing the ensuing socio-economic costs. The research findings suggest that as a result of Chinese and Indian strategic interest in Myanmar and competition for regional dominance, the Rohingya have become the meat in the sandwich, and the ‘Rohingya crisis’ has been propelled into a status quo.

"I Am not Here for Fun": The Satirical Facebook Group Royalists Marketplace, Queer TikToking, and the New Democracy Movement in Thailand: An Interview With Pavin Chachavalpongpun

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University. He has published extensively on Thailand and Southeast Asian politics. He is also politically active and does not shy away from discussing and criticizing the monarchy, which for a long time was taboo – in academia as well as in political campaigns. In April 2020, Prof. Pavin Chachavalpongpun founded the Facebook group Royalists Marketplace (รอยลลสตมารเกตเพลส). The name alludes to other Facebook groups, like the Chulalongkorn Marketplace or Thammasat Marketplace, which were set up by former students of those universities as platforms for selling and purchasing items, and socializing in times of the COVID-19 lockdown. Pavin’s group, however, is a persiflage of these initiatives. He developed a unique style of political communication, with a distinct mixture of memes, TikTok and Youtube videos, together with serious academic debates, which made his Facebook group the leading platform for criticism of the monarchy. This interview took place via Zoom between Kyoto and Cologne at the end of August 2020. Information on the dynamic developments that have unfolded since then has been added. © 2021

Politics in Southeast Asia in the Age of Social Media Ed. by Ken MIICHI and Yuka KAYANE, Tokyo: Akashi Shoten, 2020

Politics in Southeast Asia in the Age of Social Media Ed. by Ken MIICHI and Yuka KAYANE, Tokyo: Akashi Shoten, 2020

Southeast Asia. Human rights and participatory politics in Southeast Asia By Catherine Renshaw Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Pp. 172. Notes, Bibliography, Index.

Southeast Asia. Human rights and participatory politics in Southeast Asia By Catherine Renshaw Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019. Pp. 172. Notes, Bibliography, Index. - Volume 51 Issue 3

Human Rights and Participatory Politics in Southeast Asia.

Human Rights and Participatory Politics in Southeast Asia.

Migration and Contentious Politics in Southeast Asia

Migration and Contentious Politics in Southeast Asia

Doing Family in “Times of Migration”: Care Temporalities and Gender Politics in Southeast Asia

The prevailing labor migration regime in Asia is underpinned by rotating-door principles of enforced transience, where low-wage migrant labor gains admission into host nation-states based on short-term, time-limited contracts and where family reunification and permanent settlement at destination are explicitly prohibited. In this context, we ask how migrant-sending families in Southeast Asian “source” countries—Indonesia and the Philippines—sustain family life in the long-term absence of one or both parents (often mothers). Through temporal concepts of rhythm, rupture, and reversal, we focus on how temporal modalities of care for left-behind children intersect with gendered power geometries in animating transnational family politics around care. First, by paying heed to the structuring effects of rhythm on social life, we show how routinized care rhythms built around mothers as caregivers have a normalizing and naturalizing effect on the conduct of social life and commonplace understanding of family well-being. Second, we explore the potential rupture to care rhythms triggered by the migration of mothers turned breadwinners and the extent to which gendered care regimes are either conserved, reconstituted, or disrupted in everyday patterns and practices of care. Third, we examine the circumstances under which gender role reversal becomes enduring, gains legitimacy among a range of poly care rhythms, or is quickly undone with the return migration of mothers in homecoming. The analysis is based primarily on research on Indonesian and Filipino rural households conducted in 2017 using paired life story interviews with children and their parental or nonparental adult caregivers.

Human Rights and Participatory Politics in Southeast Asia, Catherine Renshaw (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019), 256 pp., $75 cloth, $75 eBook.

Human Rights and Participatory Politics in Southeast Asia, Catherine Renshaw (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019), 256 pp., $75 cloth, $75 eBook.