Association of Southeast Asian Studies Conference
Universitas Indonesia, 27–30 November 2023
We were delighted to welcome the international Southeast Asian Studies community to the 32nd conference of the Association of Southeast Asian Studies (ASEAS). This was our first conference to be held in Southeast Asia and took place at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, from 27 to 30 November 2023.
Building on the success of the 2022 ASEAS Online Conference, the 2023 conference at the Universitas Indonesia was a hybrid event, with online panels taking place on 27 November and in-person events from 28 to 30 November.
Presentations covered a range of topics across eras, geographies and disciplines. As an international and multi-disciplinary scholarly organisation, ASEAS particularly welcomed submissions from Southeast Asia-based scholars and proposals that developed cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Conference highlights
Online keynote
John Sidel
Sir Patrick Gillam Professor of International and Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science
Studies of Southeast Asian Politics: The Politics of Southeast Asian Studies, 1973-2023
The past fifty years have witnessed dramatic changes in the study of Southeast Asian politics, in terms of the sites, modes, methods, and participants in the field. This brief talk will begin by identifying a set of broad shifts in the ‘who, where, what and how’ of the study of Southeast Asian politics, but then turn to examine changes in the internal structures and operations of this field of scholarly endeavour and inquiry.
Opening keynote
Maria Serena I. Diokno
Professor Emeritus of History, University of the Philippines Diliman
Historical Ambivalence and the Appeasement of Memory in Troubled Times
A survey ran in April 2022 by Pulse Asia, fifty years after the imposition of martial law in the Philippines, shows that nationwide, 42% of the respondents perceive martial law under Ferdinand Marcos (Sr.) positively, compared to 31% who view it negatively, while 27% cannot decide how they feel about that time.
In her opening keynote, Professor Diokno will examine the reasons for this from the standpoint of martial law’s many ‘face masks’, which the dictatorship wore depending on its audience and purpose, highlighting Dominick LaCapra’s concept of social trauma as an explanation for conflicting perspectives of martial law on one hand, and historical ambivalence on the other.
She also points out the danger of ubiquity in political life and how the interment of Marcos at the Heroes Cemetery in 2016 served to keep that ubiquitous brand alive in the best light possible. Efforts at historical appeasement have typically come in the form of appeals from government to ‘move on’, and the application of mnemonic devices by the dictator’s son, now president—all harking back to his father’s time—demonstrate the Marcos family’s drive for historical vindication in a society that is not completely ready to forget.
Tuesday 28 November 2023: Plenary 1
Film screening with Dr. Maria Cristina Juan (SOAS) and Marian Pastor Roces (Manila): Gónô Tmutul: Building a House of Stories (32 minutes)
The film screening will be followed by a discussion with Maria Cristina Juan and Marian Pastor Roces on the topic ‘Curating Repatriation: Narratives of Return’.
[Image: Lake Sebu by WayPH.com/Flickr; Licence: CC BY 2.0. DEED]
Wednesday 29 November 2023: Plenary 2
Special guest talk and performance from Didiet Maulana, founder of IKAT Indonesia
Wednesday 29 November 2023: Plenary 3
ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific: whither centrality?
Sarah Tiffin
Ambassador, UK Mission to ASEAN
Derry Aman
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to ASEAN
Evi Fitriani
Professor of International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Indonesia
[Image: ASEAN Flags by Prachatai/Flickr; Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. DEED]
Wednesday 29 November 2023: Plenary 4
Exploring efforts towards impact mitigation and prevention of forest and land fires
Swetha Peteru
Sustainable Value Chains and Investment Team at the Centre for International Forestry Research – CIFOR-ICRAF
Bambang Hero Saharjo
Chair of Regional Fire Management Resource Center – Southeast Asia Region, IPB University
Sinta Haryati Silviana
CIFOR-ICRAF
Michael Brady
CIFOR-ICRAF
[Image: Forest fire by CIFOR/Flickr; Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. DEED]
Thursday 30 November 2023: Plenary 5 Election Symposium
Democracy in Crisis? Comparing Southeast Asian Elections
Duncan McCargo
Nanyang Technological University
The Real Deal? Results versus outcome in Thailand’s 2023 elections
Bridget Welsh
University of Nottingham Malaysia
Beginning or end to Reformasi? Malaysian elections in retrospective
Ronald Holmes
De La Salle University
The road to redemption or perdition? The 2022 Philippine national elections
Philips Vermonte
Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia
Democracy in crisis? Indonesia’s 2024 elections
Venue
The Universitas Indonesia (UI) is one of the leading research universities in the world, pursuing the highest achievements in terms of discovery, development and knowledge diffusion regionally and globally. UI is based in Depok, West Java, which is approximately one hour by car from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, traffic permitting.
ASEAS 