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Programmes

Latest Announcements

 

Latest Announcements

1. LATEST ISEAS TRENDS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ISSUE #13

A new issue of Trends in Southeast Asia has recently been published and is written by Porphant Ouyyanont. The issue is titled “Crown Property Bureau in Thailand and its Role in Political Economy” and is downloadable here.

2. THAILAND PROGRAMME VISITING FELLOW, DR ACHAKORN WONGPREDEE

Dr Achakorn Wongpredee, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public Administration, National Institute of Development Administration, will be at ISEAS until September 2015.

3. THAILAND PROGRAMME VISITING SENIOR FELLOW, DR THONGCHAI WINICHAKUL

Dr Thongchai Winichakul, Professor, Department of History, University of Wisconsin-Madison, will be at ISEAS until January 2016.

4. THAILAND PROGRAMME VISITING SENIOR FELLOW, DR TANET CHAROENMUANG

Dr Tanet Charoenmuang, Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Chiang Mai University, will be at ISEAS until August 2015.

5. THAILAND PROGRAMME VISITING SENIOR FELLOW, DR PORPHANT OUYYANONT

Dr Porphant Ouyyanont, Associate Professor, School of Economics, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, will be at ISEAS until January 2015.

Return to Thailand Studies Programme Main Page

 

Thailand Studies

 


The Thailand Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute promotes analysis of and scholarship on contemporary Thailand. Its goal is to develop an understanding of the country among the full range of parties concerned with its mid-term and long-term future: governments, the media, journalists, international organizations, civil society, the private sector and scholars.

The foci of the programme are three-fold — on political dynamics, social change, and cultural trends. In its attention to politics, the concerns of the programme include party and electoral politics, Thailand’s place in regional politics and geopolitics, regionalism and decentralization, the state of Thai institutions, constitutionalism and royalism, and the impact of politics on economic competitiveness and the investment climate. Social issues that fall within the programme’s purview are migration and demographic change, religion, ethnicity, the Thai education system, the relationship between urban and rural Thailand, the middle classes, and sectorial industries like tourism. In the area of cultural trends, the arts and literature, the media and mass consumption patterns number among topics of interest. The programme seeks to build institutional links to scholars, analysts and centres involved in the study of modern Thailand, not least those in Thailand itself.

Programme Coordinator

The Coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme is Dr Michael Montesano (michaelmontesano@iseas.edu.sg). Please contact the coordinator for further information on the Thailand Studies Programme.

Current Researchers

Dr Michael Montesano, michael_montesano@iseas.edu.sg

Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap, termsak_chalermpalanupap@iseas.edu.sg

Dr Paul Wesley Chambers, paul_chambers@iseas.edu.sg

Dr Punchada Sirivunnabood, punchada_sirivunnabood@iseas.edu.sg

Dr Anusorn Unno, anusorn_unno@iseas.edu.sg


Past Affiliates

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute has a long history of hosting scholars from Thailand. Among those previously affiliated with the Institute are the following:

Tanet Charonenmaung Porphant Ouyyanont Thongchai Winichakul
Achakorn Wongpreedee Pasuk Phongpaichit Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Anek Laothamatas Pavin Chachavalpongpun Sunya Sunyavivat
Chaiwat Satha-Anand Phiphat Tangsubkul Surichai Wun’Gaeo
Charnvit Kasetsiri Pranee Chitkornkijsil Surin Maisrikrod
Khien Theeravit Prudhisan Jumbala Suthiphand Chiravithvat
Kusuma Snitwongse Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Thamsook Numnonda
Medhi Krongkaew Puangthong R. Pawakapan Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Narongchai Akrasanee Suchit Bunbongkarn Aekapol Chongvilaivan
Prajak Kongkirati Nipit Wongpunya Micah Francis Morton
Pongphisoot Busbarat Yos Santasombat Punchada Sirivunnabood
Supalak Ganjanakhundee Nursyazwani bte Jamaludin Sihasak Phuangketkeow

Thailand Forum, 2015

The Thailand Studies Programme hosted a Thailand Forum conference in Singapore from 27–28 July 2015. The conference convened a small number of scholars and other analysts from Thailand and elsewhere to present research on political dynamics, social change and cultural trends in Thailand. It will result in the publication of an edited volume.


Seminars

For upcoming seminars, please see the events page of the main ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute website.

Seminars over the past years:

  • “Rising Religious and Ethnic Politics in the Upper Mekong Region”, 7 August 2017
  • “The Thai Military’s Civil Affairs Projects: From Counter-Insurgency to Counter-Democracy”, 3 July 2017
  • “A 500 Years ‘Cosmic Ritual’: The Cremation of a Royal Corpse in Thailand”, 21 March 2017
  • “Is Thailand Ripe for Liberalism?”, 2 March 2017
  • “Thailand’s Constitutional Referendum Results: Political Meanings and Implications”, 15 August 2016
  • ““Bamboo Swirling in the Wind”: Thailand’s Foreign Policy in the Regional Power Competition”, 7 March 2016
  • “Royalist Guided Democracy in Thailand: How It Operates”, 8 January 2016
  • “The Perils of Power: Thailand’s Anti-Democratic Elites and the Challenge of Replacing Dictatorship with a Constitutional Regime”, 30 October 2015
  • “Spirits of Power in 21st Century Thailand: Magic and the Supernatural at the Centre of Political Authority in Thailand”, 10 September 2015
  • “Thailand: A Post-May Assessment”, 19 May 2015
  • “The Crown Property Bureau in Thailand”, 13 March 2015
  • “Is Myanmar a Model for the Thai Political Order?”, 28 October 2014
  • “What Went Wrong with the Thai Democracy?”, 11 July 2014
  • “Thailand: The Return of Bureaucratic Polity”, 23 September 2014
  •  “Thai Politics – a State of Suspended Animation”, 30 July 2013


Publications

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute has published research and analysis on Thailand in wide range of formats. Each edition of the bimonthly ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Monitor and the annual Southeast Asian Affairs covers Thailand. Scholarship and research on Thailand regularly appears in the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute journals Contemporary Southeast Asia, The Journal of Southeast Asian Economies and SOJOURN: Social Issues in Southeast Asia.

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Perspective Issues

Titles include the following:

Pongphisoot Busbarat China’s “Shame Offensive”: The Omission of Thailand’s Prime Minister from the Belt and Road Initiative Summit 2017 (19 July 2017)
Peter A Jackson Royal Warrants of Appointment Grant Prestige and Goodwill in Thai Business Culture (4 May 2017)
Peter A Jackson A Grateful Son, a Military King: Thai Media Accounts of the Accession of Rama X to the Throne (26 April 2017)
Micah F Morton The Indigenous People’s Movement in Thailand Expands (16 December 2016)
Daljit Singh, Le Hong Hiep, Malcolm Cook, Mustafa Izzudin, Michael J Montesano, Ulla Fionna, and Ye Htut Special Issue: How Southeast Asia is Sizing Up Trump’s Election Victory (8 December 2016)
Nipit Wongpunya What Thailand Needs to Do to Become a High-Income Country (11 October 2016)
Prajak Kongkirati Thailand’s Political Future Remains Uncertain (26 July 2016)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Survey Findings in Thailand on Public Attitudes towards Local Administration, and towards Politicians and Conflicts of Interest (26 May 2016)
Li Renliang Dancing with the Dragon: The Trans-Asia Railway and its Impact on Thailand (4 March 2016)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Survey Findings on Public Familiarity and Confidence in Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) Members, and Public Opinion over Posting Images of Alcohol on Social Media (24 December 2015)
Puangthong Pawakapan Protracted Period in Power Can Prove Perilous for Thailand’s Military Government (19 November 2015)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Thailand Surveys: On Priorities in Domestic Issues and On Reactions to International Criticism on Human Rights (15 October 2015)
Thongchai Winichakul The Hazing Scandals in Thailand Reflect Deeper Problems in Social Relations (9 October 2015)
Puangthong Pawakapan Thai Junta Militarizes the Management of Natural Resources (3 September 2015)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Findings from Latest Surveys from Thailand on the “Proposal to Establish Casinos for Government Revenue” and “Comparing NCPO 2014 Coup with CNS 2006 Coup” (21 August 2015)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Findings from Latest Surveys on The Thai Prime Minister and the Media and The Draft of Constitution (2015) (3 June 2015)
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Survey Findings on Freedom and Democracy under the Prayuth Government and Buddhism Reforms in Thailand (16 April 2015)
Puangthong Pawakapan Multiple Targets of Thailand’s Martial Law (12 March 2015)
Puangthong Pawakapan Will Thailand’s New Constitution Be a Return to Authoritarianism? (27 January 2015)
Porphant Ouyyanont Thailand: A New Polity in the Making? (7 November 2014)
Patrick Jory Thailand Has Entered the Interregnum (21 October 2014)
Puangthong Pawakapan The Thai Junta’s Interim Constitution: Towards an Anti-Electoral Democracy (12 August 2014)
Cassey Lee Whither Thailand’s Juntanomics? (8 July 2014)
Su-Ann Oh Burmese Refugees in Thailand — Should they stay or should they go? (24 March 2014)
Pavin Chachavalpongpun Japan Pursues a ‘Thailand-Plus-One’ Strategy (13 March 2014)
Michael J. Montesano What is to come in Thailand? (10 February 2014)
Puangthong Pawakapan Can the ICJ ruling end the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia? (26 September 2013)
John Lee China’s Economic Influence in Thailand: Perception or Reality? (11 July 2013)
Michael J. Montesano The Struggle to Amend Thailand’s Constitution (1 July 2013)
Kornphanat Tungkeunkunt China’s Soft Power in Thailand (3 Jun 2013)
Su-Ann Oh Rohingya Boat Arrivals in Thailand: From the frying paninto the fire? (4 March 2013)

Trends in Southeast Asia

The Trends in Southeast Asia series on Thailand includes:

Tanet Charoenmuang The Red Shirts and Their Democratic Struggle in Northern Thailand, April 2010 to May 2015 (2016)
Porphant Ouyyanont Rural Thailand: Change and Continuity (2016)
Thongchai Winichakul Thailand’s Hyper-royalism: Its Past Success and Present Predicament (2016)
Ian Storey Thailand’s Post-Coup Relations with China and America: More Beijing, Less Washington (2015)
Puangthong R. Pawakapan The Foreign Press’ Changing Perceptions of Thailand’s Monarchy (2015)
Porphant Ouyyanont Crown Property Bureau in Thailand and its Role in Political Economy (2015)
Charles Keyes Democracy Thwarted: The Crisis of Political Authority in Thailand (2015)
Amporn Jirattikorn Managing Migration in Myanmar and Thailand: Economic Reforms, Policies, Practices and Challenges (2015)
John Lee China’s Engagement with Southeast Asia: Thailand (2013)

Books

ISEAS Publications has also published a wide range of influential monographs and edited volumes on Thailand. These include the following titles.

 

Myanmar Studies

 

Among the first of its kind to be established in Southeast Asia (and in Singapore), the Myanmar Studies Programme’s ambit is on policy-oriented research pertaining to the reforms taking place in Myanmar, and the emerging issues and trends in the country’s transition to democracy. Through research, seminars, conferences, consultations and publications – undertaken individually or in partnership with other like-minded entities – the Myanmar Studies Programme seeks to give a critical analysis (and policy-relevant recommendations) on issues and events in Myanmar.

Interest in Myanmar has grown since the National League for Democracy’s (NLD) election victory in November 2015.  In particular, the ongoing Rohingya crisis and ethnic peace process are being monitored and scrutinised by the international community, including policy, academics and media.  These developments and the NLD government’s responses to them, as well as the prospects for continued economic reforms, will inform both voters in Myanmar and the international community on expectations for the 2020 general elections.

In support of ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s mission, the Myanmar Studies Programme studies the socio-political, security and economic trends and developments in Myanmar. The Myanmar Studies Programme seeks to be an intellectual resource for scholars and policy-makers interested in Myanmar as the country progresses with reforms towards democratisation. To this end, the Programme will devote its research primarily to analysing recent developments and events in Myanmar, so that views, perspectives and recommendations generated from this research can be readily utilised by all those interested in Myanmar and her (re)emergence in the regional and international arenas.

Researchers

Programme Coordinators

Ms Moe Thuzar coordinates the programme. Please contact Ms Thuzar (moe_thuzar@iseas.edu.sg) for further information.

Current Researchers and Affiliates

Past Affiliates

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute also hosts researchers and scholars who work on Myanmar. Among those previously affiliated with the Institute are the following:

  • Professor Robert H. Taylor
  • Associate Professor Sean Turnell
  • Associate Professor Fan Hongwei
  • Mr Lex Reiffel
  • Dr Renaud Egreteau
  • Mr Thaung Tun
  • Mr Myint Soe
  • Mr Stuart Larkin
  • Dr Jurgen Haacke
  • Dr Maung Aung Myoe
  • Dr Amporn Jirattikorn
  • Dr Micah Francis Morton
  • Dr Lin Htet Aung
  • U Ye Htut
  • Dr Nyi Nyi Kyaw


Myanmar Forum 2016

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute partnered with University of Michigan’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies for the Myanmar Forum which was held on Friday, 20 May 2016. Myanmar country specialists, business and government practitioners and an international audience of public and private sector actors interested in Myanmar’s development, participated in the Forum.

The highlight of the Forum was a dialogue session with U Ko Ko Gyi, General Secretary of the 88 Generation (Peace and Open Society) which is a highly respected political organization born out of the student-led democracy protests of 1988. U Ko Ko Gyi is a leading Burmese politician, democracy activist and former prisoner of conscience.

More than 150 participants attended the Myanmar Forum 2016.

For more information, please click here.

International Burma Studies Conference 2014

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, together with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Centre for Asian Legal Studies of the National University of Singapore organised the International Burma Studies Conference 2014 on “Envisioning Myanmar: Issues, Images, Identities” from the 1st to the 3rd August 2014. This theme has attracted a diverse collection of panels and papers from across the humanities and social sciences, as well as from the fields of law, policy, development, media, civil society and other professional fields.

Our ongoing collaboration with international partners, especially the Centre for Burma Studies (based at Northern Illinois University, USA) and the Burma Studies Group of the Association of Asian Studies has enabled us to bring together scholars from Asia, Europe, Australia and North America. Most importantly, we were able to host a number of special guests from Myanmar who were featured in the Plenary and Closing Sessions.

To find out more about IBSC 2014 or access the panel abstracts, click here. To view photos of IBSC 2014, click here.


Seminars/Workshops/Conferences

For upcoming seminars, please check the events section of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute website.

Seminars and conferences in the recent past are:

  • “Roundtable: Myanmar’s Media Landscape: Changes and Challenges”, 23 March 2017
  • Dr Jayde Lin Roberts: “Does Urbanisation Equal Development in Myanmar?”, 24 March 2017
  • Dr Renaud Egreteau: “Towards ‘Pork Barrel’ Legislative Politics in Myanmar?” 27 April 2017
  • Professor Jacques Bertrand: “Decentralization and Minority Representation in Post-Transition Myanmar: A Comparative Perspective”, 6 December 2017
  • Professor Sean Turnell: “Myanmar’s Economy: Progress, Challenges and Prospect”, 25 May 2018
  • Dr Morten Pedersen: “Democratising Myanmar’s National Security State”, 24 May 2016
  • Dr Maung Aung Myoe: “Myanmar Foreign Policy since 2011: Continuities and Changes”, 26 October 2015
  • Dr Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Dr Ma Thida, Mr Kyaw Zwa Moe: “Myanmar Elections 2015: Issues and Concerns”, 2 October 2015
  • “The Ethnic Chinese of Myanmar: A Multidisciplinary Workshop”, 28 August 2015
  • Dr Renaud Egreteau: “Getting to Know the Retired Military Officers in Myanmar’s Parliament”, 7 May 2015
  • A/P Sean Turnell and Mr Stuart Larkin: “What is the Right Path to Myanmar’s Economy?”, 23 January 2015
  • International Burma Studies Conference 2014, 1-3 August 2014, Singapore  (coordinator: Moe Thuzar)
  • Dr Tin Maung Maung Than: “Amending Myanmar’s Constitution: Compromise or Contention”?, 18 March 2014
  • A/P Sean Turnell: “Banking and Financial Sector Reform in Myanmar”. 7 February 2014
  • A/P Sean Turnell: (In-house) “Recent Banking Reforms in Myanmar”, 19 December 2013
  • A/P Fan Hongwei: (In-house) “New Perceptions of Myanmar in China”, 18 November 2013
  • “Myanmar at the Margins”, 14-15 November 2013, Singapore  (coordinator: Oh Su-Ann)
  • Dr Tin Maung Maung Than, Ms Moe Thuzar, Professor Robert Tayor:  “Myanmar Reforms Two Years On”, 11 April 2013
  • Dr Tin Maung Maung Than: “Ethnic Conflict and Peacemaking in Myanmar”, 12 March 2013
  • Mr Toshihiro Kudo, Mr Koji Kubo: “Challenges of Economic Reform in Myanmar”, 25 February 2013
  • “International Conference on Myanmar: Setting the Stage for Economic Transition”, 25-26 October 2012, Naypyitaw, Myanmar (coordinator: Omkar Shrestha and Aekapol Chongvilaivan)
  • Dr Tin Maung Maung Than: “The Tatmadaw and Myanmar Reforms”, 17 October 2012
  • “Myanmar Forum 2012”, 8 June 2012, Singapore   (coordinator: Moe Thuzar)
  • Ms Moe Thuzar and Mr Thaung Tun: “By-Elections and Sanctions: Matching Action with Action”, 27 April 2012


Publications

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute has published research and analyses on Myanmar in various formats. Each edition of the bimonthly ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Monitor and the annual Southeast Asian Affairs also covers Myanmar. Scholarship and research on Myanmar frequently appear in the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute journals Contemporary Southeast Asia, Journal of Southeast Asian Economies and SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia.

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Perspective Issues

Titles on Myanmar include the following:

Oh Su-Ann and Veena Nair Landmines in Myanmar: No Solution in Sight (26 September 2016)
Lin Htet Aung Democratic Myths in Myanmar’s Transition (2 December 2016)
Hoang Thi Ha and Ye Htut Rakhine Crisis Challenges ASEAN’s Non-interference Principle (21 December 2016)
Note: This perspective is jointly relevant to ASEAN Studies Centre and to the Myanmar Studies Programme
Robert Taylor Myanmar’s Military and the Dilemma of Federalism (7 February 2017)
Lin Htet Aung Separating Facts from Assumptions in Myanmar’s Democratisation (28 February 2017)
Nick J. Freeman Whither the Yangon Stock Exchange? (6 March 2017)
Micah F. Morton Indigenous Peoples Work to Raise Their Status in a Reforming Myanmar (22 May 2017)
Renaud Egreteau Negotiating Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector in Myanmar (6 June 2017)
Thomas Kean Myanmar’s Telecommunications Law Threatens the Democratisation Process (11 July 2017)
Ye Htut A Background to the Security Crisis in Northen Rakhine (23 October 2017)
Oh Su-Ann The Rohingyas in Bangladesh: Another Round in the Cycle of Exodus and Repatriation (6 December 2017)
Oh Su-Ann Surveillance and Control: The Encampment and Biometric Identification of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh (19 December 2017)
Moe Thuzar and Lex Rieffel ASEAN’s Myanmar Dilemma (8 January 2018)
Note: This perspective is jointly relevant to ASEAN Studies Centre and to the Myanmar Studies Programme
Oh Su-Ann Drudges or Providers? Working Children in Myanmar (24 May 2016)
Robert Taylor Myanmar’s Presidential Transition: There May (or May Not) Be Trouble Ahead (15 February 2016)
Moe Thuzar Myanmar’s 2015 Elections: New Hope on the Horizon? (17 December 2015)
Kai Oswald and Paul Schuler Myanmar’s Landmark Election: Unresolved Questions (8 December 2015)
Maung Aung Myoe Presidential Hopefuls in Myanmar’s 2015 Elections (3 November 2015)
Oh Su-Ann A Primer on the Elections in Myanmar, or Six Things You Need to Know About the Myanmar Elections (17 September 2015)
Stuart Larkin Myanmar Tycoons: Vested Interest Resisting Reform or Agents of Change (22 July 2015)
Leo Suraydinata Can the Kokang Chinese Problem in Myanmar be Resolved? (15 July 2015)
Lex Reiffel Improving the Performance of the State Economic Enterprise Sector in Myanmar (10 July 2015)
Oh Su-Ann On the Rohingya, Statelessness and “Trafficking”” Separating the Fundamental from the Sensational (30 June 2015)
Robert H. Taylor Ethnicity, Federalism, Citizenship and Politics in Myanmar (26 June 2015)
Robert H. Taylor Refighting Old Battles, Compounding Misconceptions: The Politics of Ethnicity in Myanmar Today (2 March 2015)
Nick Freeman Betwixt “Burmese” Cottages and Cronies: The Political Economy of ‘Myanmar Inc.’ (10 February 2015)
Oh Su-Ann Counting and Being Counted: Ethnicity and Politics in Myanmar’s Census (23 October 2014)
Stuart Larkin Myanmar: Between Economic Miracle and Myth (11 July 2014)
Zhao Hong Japan and China Compete for Good Relations with Myanmar (2 July 2014)
Stephanie Shannon and Nicholas Farrelly Ethnic Chinese in the Midst of Myanmar’s Transition (1 April 2014)
Fan Hongwei China Adapts to New Myanmar Realities (3 March 2014)
Fan Hongwei Enmity in Myanmar Against China (17 February 2014)
Sean Turnell Expanding Cooperative Credit in Myanmar: Renaissance or Regression? (27 January 2014)
Sean Turnell Myanmar’s Central Bank Law Reveals Reform Challenge (13 January 2014)
Moe Thuzar Is Myanmar Ready for the ASEAN Chair? (30 December 2013)
John Lee Myanmar Pivots Awkwardly Away from China (12 December 2013)
Oh Su-Ann Prospects for Ending Child Soldiering in Myanmar (16 September 2013)
Stephanie Shannon and Nicholas Farrelly Whither Myanmar’s Chinese Stranglehold? (27 June 2013)
Zhao Hong The China-Myanmar Energy Pipelines: Risks and Benefits (15 May 2013)
Tin Maung Maung Than Ethnic Insurgencies and Peacemaking in Myanmar (11 April 2013)
Moe Thuzar Myanmar and the 2014 ASEAN Chairmanship (18 March 2013)
Oh Su-Ann Rohingya Boat Arrivals in Thailand: From the Frying Pan into the Fire? (4 March 2013)
Oh Su-Ann Rohingya or Bengali? Revisiting the Paradox of Labelling (10 December 2012)
Robert H. Taylor Obama in Myanmar: A Visit with Limited Significance (19 November 2012)
Ian Storey US-Myanmar Defence Cooperation: From Disengagement to Limited Engagement (22 October 2012)
Moe Thuzar and Tin Maung Maung Than Myanmar’s Rohingya Dilemma (9 July 2012)

Books

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute has published a wide range of influential monographs and edited volumes on Myanmar. Some recent and popular titles are:

  • Ashley South and Marie Hall (ed.) Citizenship in Myanmar: Ways of Being in and from Burma (2017)
  • Goh Geok Yian, John N Miksic and Michael Aung-Thwin, Bagan and the World: Early Myanmar and Its Global Connections (2017)
  • Su-Ann Oh (ed.) Myanmar’s Mountain and Maritime Borderscapes: Local Practices, Boundary-Making and Figured Worlds (2016)
  • Nick Cheesman, Nicholas Farrelly (eds): Conflict in Myanmar: War, Politics, and Religion (2016)
  • Robert H.Taylor: General Ne Win: A Political Biography (2015)
  • Nick Cheesman, Nicholas Farrelly, Trevor Wilson (eds): Debating Democratisation in Myanmar (2014)
  • Maung Aung Myoe: In the Name of Pauk-Phaw (2011)
  • Nick Cheesman, Monique Skidmore and Trevor Wilson: Myanmar’s Transition (2012)
  • Chao Tzang Yawnghwe: The Shan of Burma: Memoirs of a Shan Exile (2010)
  • Nick Cheesman, Monique Skidmore and Trevor Wilson: Ruling Myanmar (2010)
  • Maung Aung Myoe: Building the Tatmadaw (2009)
  • Christopher Roberts:  ASEAN’s Myanmar Crisis (2009)
  • Pavin Chachavalpongpun and Moe Thuzar: Myanmar: Life After Nargis (2009)
  • Ashley South: Civil Society in Burma (2008)
  • Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung: The Karen Revolution in Burma (2008)
  • Robert H.Taylor: Dr Maung Maung (2008)
  • Tin Maung Maung Than: State Dominance in Myanmar (2006)
  • N. Ganesan, Kyaw Yin Hlaing (eds): Myanmar: State, Society and Ethnicity (2007)
  • Mary Callahan: Political Authority in Burma’s Ethnic Minority States (2007)
  • Zaw Oo and Win Min: Assessing Burma’s Ceasefire Accords (2007)
  • Tom Kramer: The United Wa State Party (2007)
  • Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Robert Taylor and Tin Maung Maung Than (eds): Myanmar: Beyond Politics to Societal Imperatives (2005)
  • Mya Than: Myanmar in ASEAN (2005)
  • Mya Than and Joseph L.H. Tan: Myanmar: Dilemmas and Options (1990)

 

Malaysia Studies

 


Banner Image: Serina Rahman (serina_abdul_rahman@iseas.edu.sg), ISEAS Visiting Fellow

The Programme adopts a broad-based approach to the study of political, economic and socio-cultural developments and trends in contemporary Malaysia. Research findings and outputs serve to promote awareness and understanding of the country amongst scholars, civil society, the mass media, and decision-makers from the private and public sectors.

The programme also collaborates and works closely with external researchers, scholars and centres involved in the study of Malaysia.

As part of the above, the Malaysia Studies Programme team is currently working on seven projects, namely:

  • 14th General Elections. Our coverage of the upcoming elections will focus on how political issues and electoral dynamics are similar and different across states in Malaysia. Research will involve fieldwork in selected parliamentary constituencies in the following states: Sabah, Sarawak, Johor, Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah, and Perlis. Project Leaders: Francis E. Hutchinson and Lee Hwok Aun
  • Political and Economic Trends in Johor. This project seeks to understand how this large and economically-vital state is evolving due to large-scale projects such as Iskandar Malaysia, as well as its own internal political dynamics. Project Leader: Francis E. Hutchinson
  • Islamization Policy, Islamic Authority, and the Role of the State. This project looks at the resurgence of Islam in post-independence Malaysia, particularly the implications of the ascendance of conservative Islam. Project Leader: Norshahril Saat
  • Economic and Planning Policy Frameworks. This initiative looks at how economic and planning policy frameworks and organizational arrangements in Malaysia are evolving in response to domestic and international developments. Project Leader: Cassey Lee
  • Human Resource Development in Malaysia. This project aims to explore how human resource development in the country is affected by decisions regarding educational expenditure and quality control, as well as policies regarding migrant labour. Project Leader: Lee Hwok Aun

Programme Coordinator

Francis E. Hutchinson (coordinator) (fhutchinson@iseas.edu.sg)
Cassey Lee (co-coordinator) (cassey_lee@iseas.edu.sg)

Current Researchers and Affiliates

Publications

The Malaysia Studies Programme and the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, more widely, have published on the country in a range of formats. Each edition of the annual Southeast Asian Affairs covers the situation in the country. Articles on Malaysia regularly appear in the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute journals: Contemporary Southeast Asia, The Journal of Southeast Asian Economies and SOJOURN: Social Issues in Southeast Asia, as well as other in-house e-publications such as Trends in Southeast Asia and Perspectives.

Selected recent outputs include the following:

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Perspective

Wan Saiful Wan Jan Malaysia’s Priority is to Manage, Not Stop, China’s Investments (3 July 2017)
Lee Hwok Aun Labour Discrimination in Malaysia: Passage Out of the Gridlock? (30 May 2017)
Lee Hwok Aun Malaysia’s ‘Transformasi Nasional 2050’ Brings Bold New Style, but to What End (11 May 2017)
Liew Chin Tong Expect More Black Swans to Appear in Malaysian Politics (17 April 2017)
Hew Wai Weng Malay Politics Meets Islamist Activism in Malaysia’s Act 355 (3 April 2017)
Lee Hock Guan All Signs Point to Sarawak being ‘Fixed Deposit’ for BN in GE14 (31 March 2017)
Norshahril Saat Malaysia Capitalizes on Saudi King Salman’s Visit (8 March 2017)
Maszlee Malik Kafir Harbi’ in Malaysia: Another Path to Polarization (12 January 2017)
Hew Wai Weng and Maszlee Malik Bersih 5 and the Growing Discontent among the Malays (15 December 2016)
Maszlee Malik Turning Malaysia off Inter-Faith Strife (3 November 2016)
Lee Hock Guan Malaysia’s Gallant School System in Need of an Overhaul (27 October 2016)
Hew Wai Weng Will Malaysia’s New Islamist Party Reshape the Political Landscape? (26 September 2016)
Norshahril Saat Exclusivist Attitudes in Malaysian Islam Have Multifarious Roots (5 July 2016)
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid ISIS in Southeast Asia: Internalized Wahhabism is a Major Factor (16 May 2016)
Faisal S. Hazis Adenan Will Win Big in Sarawak State Election, but Long-Term Effects on Malaysian Politics are Unclear (4 May 2016)
Lee Hock Guan  Impressive Results Await BN in Sarawak State Elections (3 May 2016)
Hew Wai Weng Hui Migrants Pose a Cultural Challenge to Malaysia (5 April 2016)
Andrew M Carruthers
,Sabah ICs for Sabahans: Will it Help? (15 March 2016)
Norshahril Saat UMNO General Assembly 2015: Najib’s Call for Unity and Loyalty is Hardly Enough (29 December 2015)
Evelyn S Devadason, Malaysia’s 2016 Budget: Pursuing Fiscal Consolidation while Skirting Critical Growth Concerns (15 December 2015)
Mustafa Izzuddin Mustafa Izzuddin, “The Pakatan Rakyat Collapse: Implications for Party Politics in Malaysia (5 August 2015)
Cassey Lee  Why is Malaysia So Interested in Joining the TPP?  (9 March 2015)
Norshahril Saat  The State and the Ulama: Comparing Indonesia and Malaysia (26 February 2015)
Cassey Lee  Malaysia Strives for Fiscal Consolidation and Off-Balance Sheet Transformation (20 November 2014)
Khor Yu Leng & Vasiliki Mavroeidi    Iskandar Malaysia Labours to Develop  (4 November 2014)
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani Changes Remain Unclear after Malaysia’s Kajang By-Election (7 April 2014)
John Lee Sino-Malaysia Trade Ties Remain Strong But Complex (6 March 2014)
Lee Hock Guan Malaysia’s Funding System for Higher Education not Sustainable (16 Jan 2014)
G. Sivalingam Malaysia Responds to Rating Agencies in Budget 2014 (7 November 2013)
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid Political Islam and the Recent Rise of Islamist Conservatism in Malaysia (31 October 2013)
G.Sivalingam Avoiding the Twin Deficits in Malaysia (24 October 2013)
Khor Yu Leng The Tough Task of Narrowing Malaysia’s Fiscal Deficit (10 October 2013)
G. Sivalingam The Second Phase of Malaysia’s “Look East Policy” (19 August 2013)
Ooi Kee Beng Malaysia’s BN Stays in Power, But Deep Changes Have Nevertheless Occurred 20 June 2013)
Khor Yu Leng The Significance of China-Malaysia Industrial Parks (17 June 2013)
Lee Hock Guan Steadily Amplified Rural Votes Decide Malaysian Elections (6 June 2013)
Francis E. Hutchinson The Malaysian Elections: The Battle for Johor (29 April 2013)
Cassey Lee Malaysia’s GE13: A Tale of Two Manifestos (22 April 2013)
G. Sivalingam Can Malaysia’s Economy Beat the Odds in 2013? (25 March 2013)
Khor Yu Leng The Sabah-Sulu Crisis Threatens the Palm Oil Supply-Chain (6 March 2013)
Francis Hutchinson Hidden Counter-Revolution: A History of the Centralisation of Power in Malaysia 24 January 2013)
G.Sivalingam The Deficit Dilemma in Malaysia (7 November 2012)

Trends in Southeast Asia

Serina Abdul Rahman Johor’s Forest City Faces Critical Challenges, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 3 (2017)
Norshahril Saat Johor Remains The Bastion of Kaum Tua, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 1 (2017)
Francis E. Hutchinson and Vandana Prakash Nair The Johor Sultanate: Rise or Re-emergence?, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 16 (2016)
Fauzi Abdul Hamid The Extensive Salafization of Malaysian Islam, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 9 (2016)
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid and Che Hamdan Che Mohd Razali Middle Eastern Influences on Islamist Organizations in Malaysia: The Cases of ISMA, IRF and HTM, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 2 (2016)
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani Islamization Policy and Islamic Bureaucracy in Malaysia ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 5 (2015)
Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani  The Politics of Expression in Malaysia  ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 11 (2014)
Terence Chong Johor Survey: Attitudes Towards Governance and Economy, Iskandar Malaysia, and Singapore, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 8 (2014)
John Lee China’s Engagement with Southeast Asia: Malaysia, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 1 (2014)
Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid Political Islam and Islamist Politics in Malaysia, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No.2 (2013)

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Working Papers/Economics Working Papers

Francis E. Hutchinson Evolving Paradigms in Regional Policy in Malaysia, ISEAS Economics Working Paper (2016)
Helen Tu Ming The Politics of Hudud Law Implementation in Malaysia, ISEAS Working Paper, No. 4 (2016)
Abdillah Noh Political Change and Institutional Rigidity in Malaysia: Is There a Way Out?, ISEAS Working Paper, No. 2 (2016)
Fujio Hara The Malaysian Communist Party as Recorded in the Comintern Files, ISEAS Working Paper, No. 1 (2016)
Jeff Tan Water Privatization, Ethnicity and Rent-Seeking: Preliminary Evidence from Malaysia, ISEAS Working Paper, No. 3 (2015)
Santhiram R Raman The Development of Chinese Education in Malaysia: Problems and Challenges, ISEAS Working Paper, No. 2 (2015)
Wong Mun Loong Social Media, Power and Democratization in Malaysia: Weapons of the Weak?  ISEAS Working Paper, No. 4 (2014)
Tham Siew Yean Malaysia in the Midst of Global Economic Uncertainties, ISEAS Working Paper, No.4 (2013)
Francis E. Hutchinson Johor and its Electronics Sector: One Priority among Many?, ISEAS Working Paper, No.1 (2012)
Lee Hock Guan Education and Ethnic Relations in Malaysia, ISEAS Working Paper: Social and Cultural Issues, No.1 (2008)
Lee Hock Guan Bangsa Malaysia: Ethnic and/or Civic Citizenship, ISEAS Working Paper: Social and Cultural Issues No. 2 (2007)
Rajenthran Arumugam Malaysia: An Overview of the Legal Framework for Foreign Direct Investment, ISEAS Working Paper: Economic Issues, No.5 (2002)
Lee Hock Guan Political Parties and the Politics of Citizenship and Ethnicity in Peninsular Malay(si)a, 1957-1968, ISEAS Working Paper: Social and Cultural Issues, No. 2 (2001)
Patricia Lim Pui Huen Continuity and Connectedness: The Ngee Heng Kongsi of Johor, 1844–1916, ISEAS Working Paper: Social and Cultural Issues, No. 1, (2001)

Books

ISEAS Publications has also published a wide range of monographs and edited volumes on Malaysia. Selected titles published since 2000 include the following:

  • Tham Siew Yean and Sanchita Basu Das. Services Liberalization in ASEAN: Foreign Direct Investment in Logistics (2017)
  • Lee Hock Guan (ed.). Education and Globalization in Southeast Asia: Issues and Challenges (2017)
  • Carl Vadivella Belle. Thaipusam in Malaysia. (2017)
  • Meredith Weiss and Arnold Puyok. Electoral Dynamics in Sarawak: Contesting Developmentalism and Rights (2017)
  • Johan Saravanamuttu. Power Sharing in a Divided Nation: Mediated Communalism and New Politics in Six Decades of Malaysia’s Elections (2016)
  • Hah Foong Lian (ed). Power Games: Political Blogging in Malaysian Elections (2016)
  • Wong Yee Tuan. Penang Chinese Commerce in the 19th Century: The Rise and Fall of the Big Five (2015)
  • Tawfik Ismail and Ooi Kee Beng. Drifting into Politics: The Unfinished Memoirs of Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman (2015)
  • Fatimah Mohamed Arshad, Kusairi Mohd Noh, Syahaneem Mohamad Zainalabidin. Agricultural Policy and Institutional Reforms in Malaysia: Experiences, Impacts, and Lessons (2015)
  • Patrik Pillai. Yearning to Belong: Malaysia’s Indian Muslims, Chitties, Portuguese Eurasians, Peranakan Chinese and Baweanese (2015)
  • Carl Vadivella Belle. Tragic Orphans: Indians in Malaysia (2015)
  • Saw Swee-Hock. The Population of Malaysia (2nd. Ed.) (2015)
  • Francis E Hutchinson. Mirror Images in Different Frames? Johor, the Riau Islands and Competition for Investment from Singapore (2015)
  • Leon Comber. Templer and the Road to Malayan Independence: The Man and His Time (2015)
  • Carl Vadivella Belle. Tragic Orphans: Indians in Malaysia (2015) Saw Swee-Hock. The Population of Malaysia (2nd. Ed.) (2015)
  • Johan Saravanamuttu, Lee Hock Guan & Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman. Coalitions in Collision: Malaysia’s 13th General Elections (2015)
  • Ang Ming Chee. Institutions and Social Mobilization: The Chinese Education Movement in Malaysia, 1951-2011 (2014)
  • Bernhard Platzdasch & Johan Saravanamuttu (eds.).  Religious Diversity in Muslim-Majority States in Southeast Asia (2014)
  • Anthony Milner, Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham Siew Yean (eds.)  Transforming Malaysia: Dominant and Competing Paradigms (2014)
  • Meredith Weiss (ed.). Electoral Dynamics in Malaysia: Findings from the Grassrooots (2013)
  • Francis E Hutchinson and Johan Saravanamuttu (eds.). Catching the Wind: Penang in a Rising Asia (2013)
  • Liaw Yock Fang. A History of Classical Malay Literature (co-publish with OBOR, 2013)
  • Tham Siew Yean (ed.). Internationlising Higher Education in Malaysia: Understanding, Practices and Challenges (2013)
  • Terence Gomez and Johan Saravanamuttu (eds.). The New Economic Policy in Malaysia: Affirmative Action, Ethnic Inequalities and Social Justice (co-publish with NUS Press, 2013)
  • Veena Sikri. India and Malaysia: Intertwined Strands (2013)
  • Ooi Kee Beng. Done Making Do: 1Party Rule Ends in Malaysia (2013)
  • Lee Hock Guan and Leo Suyardinata (eds.). Malaysian Chinese: Recent Developments and Prospects (2012)
  • Faisal S Hazis. Domination and Contestation: Muslim Bumiputera Politics in Sarawak (2011)
  • Lee Ting Hui and Mok Soon Pang. Chinese Schools in Peninsular Malaysia (2011)
  • Ooi Kee Beng and Goh Ban Lee (eds.). Pilot Studies for a New Penang (2010)
  • Ooi Kee Beng. Between UMNO and a Hard Place (2010)
  • Johan Saravanamuttu. Malaysia’s Foreign Policy, the First Fifty Years (2010)
  • Julian Lee. Islamization and Activism in Malaysia (2010)


External Publications

In addition to ISEAS Publications, Malaysia Studies team members have published in the following outlets:

Academic Journals:

Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Asian Political Science, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Asian Journal of Social Science, Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Journal of Asian Economics, the Singapore Economic Review, Malaysian Journal of Economic Studies, Contemporary Islam, Studia Islamika, Review of Indonesian and Malaysian Affairs, The Round Table, Sojourn: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Journal of Islamic Studies, Journal of Asian and African Studies

Publishing Houses:

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Routledge, World Scientific, United Nations Development Programme

Periodicals:
Straits Times, Today, Berita Harian, Berita Minggu, Berita Mediacorp, and The Edge Malaysia.

Collaboration and Past Visiting Researchers

The programme also collaborates and works closely with external researchers, scholars and centres involved in the study of Malaysia. In addition, ISEAS has a long history of hosting researchers and scholars studying Malaysia. Among those previously affiliated with the Institute are the following:

Ramlah Adam, Geoffrey Benjamin, Cheah Boon Kheng, Hans-Dieter Evers, John Funston, T.N. Harper, James Jesudason, Gordon Means, Ungku Mainmunah Mohd. Tahir, Chandra Muzaffar, Farish Ahmad Noor, Johan Saravanamuttu; A.B. Shamsul, Dan Slater, Wang Gungwu, and Meredith Weiss.

Furthermore, in carrying out research in Malaysia, team-members have collaborated with the following organizations, among others: Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs; the Penang Institute; Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

Seminars

For upcoming ISEAS seminars, the events section of the main ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute website here.
The Malaysia Studies Programme regularly organizes seminars and updates on topical issues. A selection of recent seminar titles includes the following:

  • Jeyakumar Devaraj, “Recent Political Developments in Malaysia and Implications for PRU 14”, 16 June 2017.
  • Serina Rahman, “Johor’s Forest City: Challenges, Mitigation and Sustainability”, 15 June 2017.
  • Mukhriz Mahathir, “Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia: A Game Changer or a Non-Starter?”, 30 May 2017.
  • Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, “Alternatives to Autocracy: A New Paradigm for Malaysia”, 23 May 2017.
  • Salahuddin Ayub, “AMANAH: A Game-Changer in Malay-Muslim Politics”, 9 May 2017.
  • Gan Ping Sieu, “Wither the Reformists’ Agenda: Is the Federation Breaking Up?, 25 April 2017.
  • Liew Chin Tong, “Black Swans in Malaysian Politics”, 18 April 2017.
  • Asmady Idris, “Malaysia’s Religious Interaction with Saudi Arabia”, 30 March 2017.
  • Carl Vadivella Belle, “Thaipusam in Malaysia: A Hindu Festival in the Tamil Diaspora”, [Seminar and Book Launch],1 March 2017.
  • Saifuddin Abdullah, “UMNO: Neither Yesterday, Nor Tomorrow”, 28 February 2017.
  • Shad Saleem Faruqi, “Malaysia: Islamisation, the Constitution and the Road Ahead”, 24 February 2017.
  • Ibrahim Suffian, “Sabah and Sarawak: Perspectives on Federal-State Relationship, Identity and Current Issues”, 8 February 2017.
  • Mujahid Yusof Rawa, “Malay Politics in Malaysia: Changing World and Way Forward”, 14 November 2016.
  • Anthony Milner, “Malay Identity in Crisis?”, 8 November 2016.
  • Muhammed Abdul Khalid and Hawati Abdul Hamid, “Climbing the Ladder: Socio-economic Mobility in Malaysia”, 1 November 2016.
  • Maszlee Malik, “The ‘Democrat Muslim’ Rashid Ghannouchi and His Influence on Malaysia’s Parti Amanah Negara”, 14 October 2016.
  • Wong Chin Huat, “Beyond Electoral Coordination: Malaysia’s Opposition Evolutional Challenge”, 9 September 2016.
  • Ahmad El-Muhammady, “The Nature of the IS Threat to Malaysia”, 26 July 2016.
  • Elsa Lafaye de Micheaux, “Malaysian Capitalism Amongst Diverse Asian Capitalisms: A New Theoretical Framework”, 19 July 2016.
  • Helen Ting Mu Hung, “The Politics of National Identity in Malaysia: The Making of Negara Islam”, 5 July 2016.
  • Barbara Watson Andaya, “Christianity, Conversion and Overseas Chinese: Historical Moments in Religious Interaction, 17 June 2016.
  • Andrew Willford, “Betrayal, Sacred Landscapes, and Stories of Justice Among Tamils in Malaysia”, 2 June 2016.
  • Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, “Has Malaysian Islam been Salafized?”, 25 May 2016.
  • Jahabar Sadiq, “Political and Economic Risk in Malaysia beyond 1MDB”, 28 April 2016.
  • Faisal S Hazis, “Adenan, Autonomy and the Alternatives: Sarawak Decides 2016”, 22 April 2016.
  • Chua Hang Kuen, “Intimate Citizenship of Non-heteronormative Malay Men in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia: A Comparative Study”, 31 March 2016.
  • A Mani, “Consequences of Development-induced Displacement in the Greater Klang Valley Region: ‘Despair to Hope’ among Tamils”, 11 March 2016.
  • Marco Ferrarese, “Melting Mosh Pit: Music Performance in Multi-ethnic Malaysia, 2010-2015”, 10 March 2016.
  • Barbara Watson Andaya, Leonard Y Andaya, Tawfik Tun Ismail and Ooi Kee Beng, “Meeting Malaysia’s Unfinished Past”, 15 February 2016.
  • Shamsul A B, “The National Unity Blueprint: Redefining ‘Unity’ in Malaysia”, 25 January 2016.

In order to be informed of current and upcoming events, please send your details to: karthi@iseas.edu.sg

 

Indonesia Studies

 

Photos by Budi Irawanto. Used with permission.

The Indonesia Studies Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute promotes in-depth understanding of Indonesia through conferences, workshops, seminars, print and e-publications, and timely commentary in the international and local media. These serve as channels to inform scholars, policy-makers, journalists, the business community, diplomats and international organizations on pertinent developments in Indonesia today.

The programme is concerned with understanding the effects of political and economic reform in Indonesia following the end of the New Order era, especially with respect to the implementation of decentralization policies throughout the archipelagic nation, and the evolving electoral landscape as well.

The programme seeks to build and maintain institutional ties and scholarly exchange with academics, analysts, and centers involved in the study of contemporary Indonesia.

As part of above, the Indonesia Studies Programme team is currently working on following research topics:

  • The 2018 Regional Elections & 2019 Presidential and Legislatives Elections

It is election season in Indonesia. In 2018, 171 districts and provinces around the country held elections for their local leaders, the largest simultaneous regional elections ever held. Indonesia will also hold its first simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in early 2019. Since the 2014 presidential elections, and the victory of President Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s electoral landscape has been marked by an unusual level of ideological division, and an upswing in populist politics and Islamist activism. Why have such divisions emerged, and will they structure upcoming presidential and legislative elections too? And what impact will the simultaneous implementation of these two different elections have upon campaigns and voter preferences? The Indonesia Studies Program has a team of researchers monitoring these developments, and providing timely analysis on campaign dynamics, patterns of coalitions building, and the broader consequences of these elections for the health and stability of Indonesia’s democracy.

  • Indonesia’s Politics and Islam

Indonesia Islam is widely known for its plurality. Despite all the talk that Indonesia is experiencing a conservative turn, however for Indonesia, the smiling face of Islam still prevails. Indonesian Islam is complex, and there is a healthy competition in the religious public sphere for competing ideas to clash. The direction to where this will head remains to be seen.

To support this research agenda, ISEAS researchers have been collaborating with a group of leading international scholars and activists to understand various major aspects of contemporary Indonesia’s Islam. This project aims to get a better understanding of the underlying forces that shape and animate the construction, contestation, fragmentation, and pluralization of authority in contemporary Indonesian Muslim society.

  • Indonesia Economy

Indonesia is still a country in transition, and one that faces major development challenges. It is still a relatively young democracy, struggling to establish robust institutions that are needed to support an upper-middle income economy. Its ambitious decentralization program is still a work in progress into an effective system of governance. Millions of its citizens still live below a poverty line. Meanwhile, inequality has risen appreciably during the democratic era. There are daunting environmental challenges. Corruption remains an ever-present and serious problem.

Under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, there is a high expectation that Indonesia could overcome its huge development challenges. ISEAS has been collaborating with a group of leading international scholars to examine current state of economic policies and achievements under the Jokowi administration and to better understand the potential challenges for Indonesia to achieve its development goals and the implication of those challenges for Jokowi’s electability in 2019.

Seminars

For upcoming seminars, please see the events page of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute website.

Seminars over the past years:

Researchers

Programme Coordinator

Hui Yew-Foong (Coordinator), hui_yew_foong@iseas.edu.sg

Siwage Dharma Negara (Co-coordinator), siwage_dharma_negara@iseas.edu.sg

Lee Sue-Ann (Co-coordinator), lee_sue_ann@iseas.edu.sg


Current Researchers

Maxwell Lane, maxwell_lane@iseas.edu.sg

Deasy Simandjuntak, deasy_simandjuntak@iseas.edu.sg

Ahmad Najib Burhani, n_burhani@iseas.edu.sg

Syafiq Hasyim, syafiqhasyim134@gmail.com

Takayuki Higashikata, takayuki_higashikata@iseas.edu.sg

Yanuar Nugroho, yanuar_nugroho@iseas.edu.sg

Research Officer

Aninda Dewayanti, aninda_dewayanti@iseas.edu.sg

Neo Hui Yun Rebecca, rebecca_neo@iseas.edu.sg

Past Affiliates

Taufik Abdullah Martin Panggabean Agung Wicaksono
Sulfikar Amir Anthony Reid Ian Wilson
Raden Alpha Amirrachman Reza Y Siregar Nugroho Wisnumurti
Adiwan Aritenang Iman Sugema Bernhard Platzdasch
Chatib Basri Rizal Sukma Aris Ananta
Soedradjad Djiwandono Priyambudi Sulistiyanto Alexander Arifianto
Richard Z Leirissa Eric Tagliacozzo Evi Nurfidya Arifin
Audrey Kahin Thee Kian Wie Maxensius Tri Sambodo
George McTurnan Kahin Ekawati S Wahyuni Bantarto Bandoro
Okamoto Masaaki Donald Weatherbee Jacqueline Wendy Baker
Endah Heliana Yopie Hambali Ni Putu Nala Krisdiani
Najib Kailani Gwenael Njoto-Feillard Johanes Herlijanto
Andrew M. Carruthers Ulla Fiona Kathleen Azali
Pearlyn Pang Charlotte Setijadi Eve Warburton
Quinton Temby Ross Tapsell Benjamin Hu
Budi Irawanto Leo Suryadinata Tan Juen
Daniel Suryadarma Made Supriatma

Publications

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute has published research and analyses on Indonesia in various formats. Scholarship and research on Indonesia regularly appear in the annual Southeast Asian Affairs, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Journal of Contemporary Southeast Asia, Journal of Southeast Asian Economies and SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia. Selected recent outputs including the following:


Books

ISEAS Publications has published a wide range of monographs edited volumes on Indonesia, including:

Some of these titles are available in PDF and hardcopies. For a more comprehensive list, please check our bookshop.

 

Trends in Southeast Asia

2018

Mulya Amri and Faizal Rianto

 State Formation in Riau Islands Province, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 15 (2018)
Leo Suryadinata Pancasila and the Challenge of Political Islam: Past and Present, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 14 (2018)
Andrew M. Carruthers Living on the Edge: Being Malay (And Bugis) in the Riau Islands, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 12 (2018)
Siwage Dharma Negara and Leo Suryadinata Indonesia and China’s Belt and Road Initiatives: Perspectives, Issues and Prospects, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 11 (2018)
Max Lane The Rise and Decline of Labour Militancy in Batam, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 8 (2018)
2017
Ulla Fiona Parties in the Periphery: Organizational Dilemmas in Indonesia’s Kepri Province, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 21 (2017)
Charlotte Setijadi Harnessing the Potential of the Indonesian Diaspora, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 18 (2017)
Leo Suryadinata The Growing “Strategic Partnership” Between Indonesia and China Faces Difficult Challenges, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 15 (2017)
Diego Fossati, Hui Yew-Foong and Siwage Dharma Negara The Indonesia National Survey Project: Economy, Society and Politics, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 10 (2017)
Francis E. Hutchinson Rowing Against the Tide? Batam’s Economic Fortunes in Today’s Indonesia, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 8 (2017)
Norshahril Saat The Traditionalist Response to Wahhabi-Salafism in Batam, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 7 (2017)
Johanes Herlijanto Old Stereotypes, New Convictions: Pribumi Perceptions of Ethnic Chinese in Indonesia Today, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 6 (2017)

Leo Suryadinata and Mustafa Izzuddin

 The Natunas: Territorial Integrity in the Forefront of Indonesia – China Relations, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 5 (2017)
Ulla Fionna Investigating the Popularity of Surabaya’s Mayor Tri Rismaharini, ISEAS Trends in Southeast Asia, No. 2 (2017)

ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Perspective

2019
Quinton Temby, Ahmad Najib Burhani and Budi Irawanto Indonesia’s 2019 Elections: The Key Issues (15 April 2019)
Budi Irawanto Making It Personal: The Campaign Battle on Social Media in Indonesia’s 2019 Presidential Election (11 April 2019)
Quinton Temby and Benjamin Hu Polarisation on- and off-line in Indonesia’s 2019 Presidential Elections (10 April 2019)
Hui Yew-Foong, Made Supriatma, Aninda Dewayanti and Benjamin Hu Preview of the 2019 Indonesian Elections (9 April 2019)
Made Supriatma Jokowi and His Generals: Appeasement and Personal Relations (8 April 2019)
Hui Yew-Foong and Siwage Dharma Negara The 2019 Presidential Election as a Referendum on the Economy: An Interview with Sandiaga Uno (12 March 2019)
Norshahril Saat The Implications of a Ma’ruf Amin Vice-Presidency in Indonesia (4 March 2019)
Burhanuddin Muhtadi, Eve Warburton and Aninda Dewayanti Perceptions of Inequality in Indonesia: A Matter of Partisan Politics? (28 February 2019)
Leo Suryadinata Which Presidential Candidate will Chinese Indonesians Vote for in 2019? (1 February 2019)
Max Lane Contending Rhetoric in Indonesia’s Presidential Elections: An Analysis
Leo Suryadinata Identity Politics in Indonesia: The Meliana Case (23 January 2019)
Budi Irwanto Young and Faithless: Wooing Millennials in Indonesia’s 2019 Presidential Election (4 January 2019)

 

2018  
Max Lane An Empty Start to the 2019 Election Campaign (27 November 2019)
Siwage Dharma Negara Positioning for Elections Amidst Uncertainties: Indonesia’s 2019 Budget (26 October 2018)
Budi Irawanto Political Machinery or Women’s Network?: The Case of East Java’s 2018 Gubernatorial Election (19 October 2018)
Deasy Simandjuntak  North Sumatra’s 2018 Election: Identity Politics Ruled the Day (1 October 2018)
Charlotte Setijadi West Kalimantan Gubernatorial Election 2018: Identity Politics Proves Decisive (24 September 2018)
Ahmad Najib Burhani & Deasy Simandjuntak The Ma’ruf Amin Vice-presidential Candidacy: Enticing or Splitting Conservative Votes? (4 September 2018)
Max Lane Trade Unions’ Initiative To Create Alternative Political Force in Indonesia (10 August 2018)
Eve Warburton West Java’s 2018 Regional Elections: Reform, Religion, and the Rise of Ridwan Kamil (3 August 2018)
Leo Suryadinata Islamism and the New Anti-Terrorism Law in Indonesia (25 July 2018)
Diego Fossati and Eve Warburton Indonesia’s Political Parties and Minorities (9 July 2018)
Eve Warburton, Deasy Simandjuntak and Charlotte Setijadi Indonesia’s 2018 Regional Elections: Between Local and National Politics (14 June 2018)
Charlotte Setijadi Chinese Investment and Presence in the Riau Islands (10 May 2018)
Deasy Simandjuntak A Special Law for Archipelagic Provinces: Is it Necessary for Kepri? (23 February 2018)
Max Lane The Further Erosion of an Indonesian Political Taboo (1 February 2018)
Leo Suryadinata Golkar’s Leadership and the Indonesian President (26 January 2018)
Max Lane The Politics of Wages and Indonesia’s Trade Unions (18 January 2018)
Siwage Dharma Negara and Leo Suryadinata Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail Project: Little Progress, Many Challenges (4 January 2018)
2017  
Johanes Herlijanto The 1965 Tragedy, China, and the Ethnic Chinese: Interview with Lieutenant General (Retired) Agus Widjojo (Part II) (22 December 2017)
Johanes Herlijanto The Current State of Military Reform in Indonesia: Interview with Lieutenant General (Retired) Agus Widjojo (Part 1) (15 December 2017)
Johanes Herlijanto Public Perceptions of China in Indonesia: The Indonesia National Survey (4 December 2017)
Ulla Fionna ISEAS Survey: Passive Indonesian Voters Place Candidate before Party (30 October 2017)
Max Lane A New Ideological Contestation Emerging in Indonesia? (19 October 2017)
Charlotte Setijadi Chinese Indonesians in the Eyes of the Pribumi Public (27 September 2017)
Ahmad Najib Burhani The Banning of Hizbut Tahrir and the Consolidation of Democracy in Indonesia (19 September 2017)
Kathleen Azali Indonesia’s Divided Digital Economy (14 September 2017)
Diego Fossati Support for Decentralization and Political Islam Go Together in Indonesia (12 September 2017)
Siwage Dharma Negara Promoting Growth with Equity: Indonesia’s 2018 Budget (8 September 2017)
Leo Suryadinata What Does Indonesia’s Renaming of Part of the South China Sea Signify? (18 August 2017)
Kathleen Azali Fake News and Increased Persecution in Indonesia (7 August 2017)
Andrew M. Carruthers Clandestine Movement in the Indonesia-Malaysia Migration Corridor: Roots, Routes, and Realities (31 July 2017)
Johanes Herlijanto The Role of Moderate Muslims in the 2017 Jakarta Election (13 July 2017)
Leo Suryadinata General Gatot and the Re-emergence of Pribumi-ism in Indonesia (7 July 2017)
Hew Wai Weng Diversity not Uniformity: Chinese Muslim Preachers and Politicians in Indonesia (30 June 2017)
Deasy Simandjuntak Developing Poor Little Rich Natuna’s Economy (27 June 2017)
Ulla Fionna Constructing Images: Campaign Consultancy in the Batu (East Java) Local Election (15 June 2017)
Ahmad Najib Burhani Ethnic Minority Politics in Jakarta’s Gubernatorial Election (9 June 2017)
Charlotte Setijadi Ahok’s Downfall and the Rise of Islamist Populism in Indonesia (8 June 2017)
Leo Suryadinata & Siwage Dharma Negara US Vice-President Mike Pence’s Visit to Indonesia: A US “Return” to Southeast Asia? (19 May 2017)
Siwage Dharma Negara, Norshahril Saat and Jason Salim A Chance for France: President Hollande’s 2017 Visit to Southeast Asia (2 May 2017)
Hui Yew-Foong Decentralization and Chinese Indonesian Politics: The Case of Singkawang, West Kalimantan (27 March 2017)
Charlotte Setijadi The Jakarta Election Continues: What Next for Embattled Governor Ahok? (21 March 2017)
Siwage Dharma Negara The Impact of Saudi King’s Visit to Indonesia (10 March 2017)
Siwage Dharma Negara Can the Decline of Batam’s Shipbuilding Industry be Reversed? (16 February 2017)
Johanes Herlijanto How the Indonesian Elite Regards Relations with China (10 February 2017)
Ulla Fionna Manipulating “Diversity”: Campaign against Ahok Threatens Democracy (2 February 2017)
Siwage Dharma Negara and Sanchita Basu Das Challenges for Indonesia to achieve its Maritime Connectivity Plan and Leverage on Regional Initiatives (10 January 2017)