SSEAC Newsletter
December 2022 edition
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Welcome to the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre's Newsletter.
Featuring some of our current research projects, education initiatives, development programs, news and events.
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Defending human rights in Myanmar
To explore the evolving economic and human rights dimensions to the post-coup crisis in Myanmar, in late November, SSEAC convened two panel events, bringing together advocates, academics, legal and policy professionals. The first event, held on campus and online, focused on human rights and included guest speakers Manny Maung from Human Rights Watch; Tun Aung Shwe, the National Unity Government of Myanmar representative in Australia; and Chris Sidoti, member of the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar. The discussion was moderated by Htwe Htwe Thein, an Associate Professor at Curtin University.
Our second event focused on the role of international business in Myanmar following the coup, and the situation facing workers and labour movements in the country. Held online, the panel included Khaing Zar Aung, president of the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar; Ben Hardman of EarthRights International, and Clancy Moore of Transparency International Australia. The session was moderated by Michael Gillan, Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia.
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Tobacco policy in Indonesia
Congratulations to Dr Elisabeth Kramer (SSEAC's Deputy Director) who secured an ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award for her project exploring the politics of tobacco policy in Indonesia. Lis' project aims to investigate the difficulty of regulating tobacco products in Indonesia by interrogating the influence of domestic politics, the global tobacco industry and the role of interest-based lobbying. Well done Lis!
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Pfizer funding
Congratulations to Dr Justin Beardsley (Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases) and colleagues for securing an education grant from pharmaceutical giant Pfizer to improve the diagnosis and management of fungal infections in Vietnam. The project will establish an online training platform on fungal diseases, aimed at health professionals in Vietnam. The team includes researchers from the University of Sydney, Hanoi Medical University, and Duke University.
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Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences
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Stone age surgery
Dr Melandri Vlok, a bioarchaeologist and SSEAC’s Postdoctoral Research Associate, was part of a team of Indonesian and Australian researchers that uncovered the oldest case of surgical amputation to date in Borneo. The team’s findings, published in Nature in September, relate to the skeletal remains of a young adult found in a cave who had part of their left lower leg and left foot amputated at least 31,000 years ago. The bones were uncovered by archaeologists from Griffith University and University of Western Australia (UWA) in March 2020, and Dr Vlok was invited to study them when they were brought back to Australia. The research gained significant international media attention, with coverage by BBC News, the Washington Post, The Economist, and Smithsonian Magazine, among other outlets.
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Top researchers recognised
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Vice-Chancellor's Awards 2022
Congratulations to all SSEAC members who were recognised for their outstanding work at the University through the 2022 Vice-Chancellor's Awards for Excellence, announced in November.
Recipients who were SSEAC members included:
- A/Prof Eleanor Bruce for outstanding research engagement and innovation.
- SSEAC Director Michele Ford for outstanding mentoring and leadership.
- Professor Mark Ledbury for outstanding educational engagement and innovation.
- Professor Susan Park for outstanding research.
- SSEAC Curriculum Coordinator Dr Natali Pearson for outstanding early career teaching.
- A/Prof Betina Szkudlarek and A/Prof Helena Nguyen for outstanding contribution to diversity and inclusion.
- Dr Elisabeth Valiente-Riedl, A/Prof Melody Ding and Professor Elizabeth New as part of the Sydney Early-Mid Career Academic Network for outstanding mentoring and leadership.
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New book: Queer Southeast Asia
A range of emerging and established scholarly voices, including activists in Southeast Asia, are featured in this new book, co-edited by Dr Shawna Tang. Queer Southeast Asia (Routledge 2022) covers a broad scope of topics, from the impact of Japanese queer popular culture on queer Filipinos, to the politics of public toilets in Singapore, and the impact of digital governance on queer communities across ASEAN. Taken in combination, these investigations not only highlight the operations of queer politics in Southeast Asia, but also present a concrete basis to reflect on queer knowledge production in the region.
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Ho Chi Minh Scientific Prize
Congratulations to SSEAC members Professor Greg Fox and Dr Thu Anh Nguyen who were among a team of researchers recognised by the Vietnamese government for their important work addressing tuberculosis in the country. The 2022 Ho Chi Minh Scientific Prize was presented to the Vietnam National Tuberculosis Program, which includes researchers collaborating across the University of Sydney and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research. Well-deserved recognition for such vital work that aims to combat the spread of TB in Vietnam and improve treatment and support. Read more here.
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Supporting women entrepreneurs in Vietnam
Dr Russell Toth (School of Economics) has begun work on a significant research project exploring how women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can better access finance in Vietnam. With support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Dr Toth is leading a research team that will partner with Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPB) to develop, test and evaluate interventions that could help the bank to increase its lending to women-led SMEs and improve financial inclusion. The project is part of a larger $500 million loan package recently signed between ADB and VPB, including funding dedicated to women-led SME financing.
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Meet our new writing fellows!
As part of SSEAC's latest round of research grants, we were pleased to award three writing fellowships for exciting proposals on Balinese drumming, health services in Vietnam, and the history of settlements in Southeast Asia. The SSEAC Writing Fellowship supports outstanding early career researchers to write a journal article related to Southeast Asia, based on their PhD work. Congratulations to all three writing fellows for 2022: Dr Adam King, Dr Mai Nguyen and Dr Ben Dharmendra.
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Surfing with purpose
In mid-2019, SSEAC led an interdisciplinary field school to Indonesia on disability and social inclusion. Over two weeks, undergraduate students from across the University spent time in Jakarta and Yogyakarta to learn about issues of stigma, access, services and advocacy in Indonesia, in collaboration with local students, academics, activists and NGOs.
Among the participants was Rob O’Hara, then a Bachelor of Psychology student, who was keen to explore his passion for mental health through a different lens. He credits the field school experience as integral to shaping his study and career path.
“In Yogyakarta, we met with NGOs and local organisations and heard about their advocacy on disability, including mental health. Coming from a psych background, mental health was really my core interest and we ended up focusing our research project on the nature of stigma surrounding mental illness in Indonesia,” Rob says.
“In terms of reducing that stigma, particularly among men in accessing mental health support, it was so interesting to look at it from that different cultural standpoint and perspective, including how mental illness was viewed and what people knew about it. Learning more about what informs good advocacy on how we can decrease that stigma really informed my work back in Australia.”
Following his studies, Rob landed a dream job teaching people to surf through a program that also offers mental health support.
“It’s been amazing to be a part of. We go down to the beach, set up the boards in a circle and that’s where we chat about a different mental health topic each week,” Rob says. “We try and promote the idea that physical health and mental health are on the same spectrum. The programs are run in a really relaxed way so it doesn’t feel like people are necessarily getting therapy, but are provided with the safe and comfortable space to engage in meaningful conversations around mental health.”
The program, Waves of Wellness, caters to general groups, as well as specific cohorts such as veterans, people from a refugee background, women who have experienced domestic violence, and at-risk young people.
As for the surfing, few things beat the joy of seeing people stand up for the first time. “It’s the best,” says Rob. “It’s the only sport I know where you can be as genuinely stoked for your mate or another participant getting a wave as catching it yourself.”
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Recent highlights
—workshops, webinars, events & more
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Timor-Leste trip kickstarts new research
In August, a SSEAC-led team travelled to Timor-Leste to lay the groundwork for two important research projects featuring multidisciplinary teams at the University who will work in close collaboration with Timorese partners, including researchers from the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL).
The first of these projects is focused on improving oral health care in Timor-Leste, where the burden of oral diseases remains unacceptably high. The project will include a Tetum-language survey and involves researchers with expertise in dentistry, nutrition, sociology and anthropology. It is co-led by SSEAC Director Michele Ford and Professor Alex Broom, director of the Sydney Centre for Healthy Societies.
The other project will identify barriers to decent work for people with disability in the country. Also led by Professor Ford, the project includes a diverse team of academics with expertise in disability, social work, policy, law, labour studies and occupational therapy. In addition to our UNTL collaborators, Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is involved in the project.
Project plans took shape over a week-long trip to the capital Dili, with Michele Ford and SSEAC’s Curriculum Coordinator Dr Natali Pearson joined by Dr Margaret Spencer (School of Education and Social Work) and Professor Woosung Sohn (School of Dentistry), representing each of the research teams. The team had fruitful discussions with Australian Embassy staff, including the Ambassador William Costello; government officials across health, education and social inclusion; researchers at UNTL; and several NGOs, DPOs and service providers. SSEAC Country Coordinator for Timor-Leste, Dr Lynda Blanchard, played a vital role in facilitating a number of these meetings.
The visit clarified some of the challenges and opportunities of the research, as well as its value, and enabled the team to strengthen existing partnerships and establish new connections. Look out for more updates as these projects progress over the months ahead.
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Supporting peace studies in Timor-Leste
As Timor-Leste marked the 20th Anniversary of its independence on 20 May this year, the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa’e (UNTL) also celebrated the restoration of its graduate program in peace and conflict studies. Dr Lynda Blanchard, from the University of Sydney’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, has been collaborating with UNTL—Peace Centre for over a decade. She travelled to Dili from May-July 2022 as a visiting scholar for the ‘launch’ of the program, calling it “a fitting tribute to the political history of a nation striving for human rights, justice and peace”. The two-month visit included interviewing 30 students to enrol in the program, participating in field visits to Namalai, Ermera and Ponilala for ‘peace ecology’ symposia, and developing a successful and significant research proposal for the IOM-UNICEF funded project: Assessing Vulnerabilities and Resilience in Border Communities in Timor-Leste through the Human Security Approach in the Context of Covid-19.
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7th International Conference on Lao Studies
- Written by Dr Paul-David Lutz
Founded in 2006, the Center for Lao Studies has consistently staked a claim for a country still too often (mis)treated as adjunct to its “bigger” neighbours. Now in its 7th iteration, the Center’s triennial International Conference on Lao Studies (ICLS) reaffirmed that “little” Laos is not only more than worthy of study in its own right, but also offers unique vantage and novel stimulus for regional scholarship as a whole.
Cementing Australia’s place as a hub of Lao Studies, this year's ICLS was held down under for the first time. From November 15-18, nearly 120 participants from four continents gathered at Deakin University in Geelong and online. Among them were 35 Lao or Laos-based participants, including recipients of bursaries generously provided by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, and individual donors. Many thanks again for all contributions!
ICLS has long taken a holistic approach to knowledge of and from Laos. Scholars of all ages and stages were joined by visual artists, dancers, development practitioners and filmmakers. Indeed, the conference kicked off with a livestreamed screening of the 2019 Lao thriller The Long Walk at the historical Pivotonian Cinema in Geelong, followed by a Q&A session with director Mattie Do of the Lao New Wave Cinema movement.
Panels proper opened with a platform for the next generation of Lao scholars: all four conference keynote speakers were early career researchers. In their well-received talks, Dr Elizabeth Elliot, Dr Paul-David Lutz, Dr Rosalie Stolz and Dr Charles Zuckerman shared novel insights on collaboration and accountability in Lao Studies, the entanglement of “magic” and socialist modernity, the role of kinship in upland futures, and on the state lottery as a lived window on “late” Lao socialism.
Among the many highlights of the eighteen diverse and well-attended sessions were a lively contributors’ discussion for the upcoming inaugural Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Laos; an invigorating roundtable on the history of Cold War Laos; a practice-oriented panel on preserving Lao manuscripts and archives, and an insightful laboratory on the multifaceted (non-)market forces driving cash crop booms and resource extraction. Supported by the Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, the panel Visual Art in and on Laos brought together seven inspiring Lao artists to share their work, stories and concerns about identity, creativity and social change. ICLS7 also featured a moving memorial for the late Peter Koret, gifted scholar of Lao language, literature and history. For two emotional hours, friends, family and colleagues shared stories and lessons from Peter’s work and exceptionally well-lived life.
The conference concluded with a showcase of contemporary Lao dance by performing artist and The Long Walk co-star Noutnapha Soydala. The next Lao Studies Conference will be held in 2025 at the Centre for Asian and Transcultural Studies at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. See you there!
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Writing retreats at Kirribilli
The writing goals were ticked off in style in late November during our back-to-back writing retreats for postgraduate and early and mid-career researchers. The residential retreats were held in the beautiful surrounds of Kirribilli, with views of Sydney Harbour and the flowering jacarandas. Over three days, each group of participants knuckled down to make meaningful progress on their academic writing, with supportive debriefing sessions and opportunities to connect with peers. It was particularly stimulating to hear about all the exciting and diverse Southeast Asia-related work happening at the University and beyond. We look forward to the published results!
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Locating ‘Human Dignity’ in Cambodia
Since its inclusion in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1949, ‘human dignity’ has become a foundational human rights concept. Yet despite assertions of ‘universality’, what ‘human dignity’ requires is frequently contested, and the term itself can be understood in diverse ways.
This event, co-hosted by SSEAC and the Sydney Centre for International Law, explored the research project ‘Locating “Human Dignity” in Cambodia’. The project interrogates both how ‘human dignity’ is used in Cambodian law, policy, and advocacy, and how it is understood by Cambodians from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. In this event, the research team detailed some of the project’s key findings, and discussed the ways ‘human dignity’ resonates and conflicts with legal, social and cultural norms in Cambodia.
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TS4 | Living in Interesting Times: Patterns and Problems in Contemporary Thai Politics
Professor Allen Hicken (University of Michigan) joined us to delve into some of the complex issues impacting contemporary Thai politics. The last quarter century has been politically tumultuous, even by Thai historical standards. In this talk, Professor Hicken discussed the evolution of political attitudes, behaviors, and institutions in Thailand, the changes he observed (both promising and worrisome), as well as some surprising continuities.
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Object-Based Learning Workshop for Research Portfolio Staff
In October, we teamed up with the Chau Chak Wing Museum to run another iteration of our popular object-based learning workshop. Staff from the Research Portfolio were able to explore the histories of enigmatic objects related to Southeast Asia, drawn from the museum's vast collection. Participants probed the unlikely connections between objects, and mused on their stories and significance. Thank you to Eve, the museum's Academic Engagement Curator, for expertly facilitating this fascinating session.
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IS4 | “I have a right to a better imam”: Women, Divorce, and Islam in Indonesia
In this IS4 webinar, Associate Professor Rachel Rinaldo (University of Colorado Boulder) reflected on the progressive influence of Islamic courts on longer term shifts in gender practices and relations in Indonesia. A/Prof Rinaldo discussed her recent research on divorced Indonesian Muslim women and how the institutionalisation of Islamic courts in Indonesia has impacted notions of gender.
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TS4 | Boys Love Media in Thailand: Celebrity, Fans, and Transnational Asian Queer Popular Culture
Dr Thomas Baudinette (Macquarie University) joined us for this fascinating webinar on the transnational pop culture phenomenon of “Boys Love” (BL) soap operas, and how it has transformed contemporary Thai consumer culture. The talk drew upon six years of traditional and digital ethnographic research into Thai Boys Love media to trace both BL’s significant impacts on depictions of same-sex desire in Thai media culture and its simultaneous transformation of this culture through the development of new forms of celebrity and fandom.
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PhilS4 | Rumors of Dismemberment: The Philippine Geobody and Moro Unrest (1923-1926)
Professor Jorge Bayona (El Colegio de Mexico) led this discussion of religious and political discord in Mindanao in the 1920s, the governor-generalship of Leonard Wood, and the Philippine nationalist élite. Professor Bayona explored the complex ways in which the Christian Filipino élite continued to other Muslim Filipinos while still trying to build a united front against the retentionism represented by Leonard Wood.
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IS4 | The Solidarity Economy Experiments of Indonesia's Peasant and Fisher Movements
In this IS4 webinar, Dr Iqra Anugrah (Kyoto University) reflected on Indonesia's rural political economy, and the limits and achievements of solidarity economy projects carried out by farming and fishing communities. Examining several of these projects, Dr Anugrah tentatively argues that they offer possibilities for a democratic and sustainable arrangement of communal ownership and resource allocation.
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PhilS4 | Saving our Sisters: Exploring the Politics of Anti-Trafficking and Sex Work in the Philippines
The Philippines is a global pioneer in institutionalising anti-trafficking measures to protect its citizens, which makes it a crucial case study for understanding the impact of anti-trafficking policies on vulnerable populations. Drawing on collaborative ethnographic research with Filipino sex workers, Dr Sharmila Parmanand (LSE) repositions anti-trafficking as an ambivalent practice rather than an uncomplicated human rights victory. She provides a multi-scalar account of the politics of anti-trafficking with a focus on how a carceral and securitised approach emerged as the dominant paradigm in the Philippines.
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Malaysia in Deluge: The 15th General Elections Amid the Pandemic, Floods and Global Turmoil
The 15th Malaysian General Elections (GE15) took place on 19 November amid extreme weather, the pandemic, and the lingering economic and political instability of three Prime Ministers and governments in three years. Ahead of the election, SSEAC and the Malaysia and Singapore Society of Australia (MASSA) convened a panel to explore the major players and competing coalitions, the key issues facing voters, and what the future may hold.
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CDRP Keynote: Disability in Digital Societies
In November, the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP) and SSEAC co-hosted a highly anticipated inaugural keynote lecture welcoming back to Australia Professor Gerard Goggin after three years at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Professor Goggin is an internationally renowned scholar in communication, cultural, and media studies, whose pioneering research on the cultural and social dynamics of digital technology has been widely influential. In this inaugural CDRP keynote, he presented his work on emerging technologies, disability, rights, and equalities in Australia and Singapore. The lecture was followed by an enlightening panel discussion featuring Professor Alistair McEwan, Dr Leyla Craig, and Dr Genevieve Johnsson.
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TS4 | Divination for Resistance: Religion, Magic, and Youth Protest in Thailand
Assistant Professor Edoardo Siani (Ca’ Foscari University of Venice) took us on a journey into the world of divination, revealing how religion and magic blend into a powerful potion for Thailand's Gen Z opposing the government of General Prayuth Chan-ocha. Since the COVID-19 crisis, divination has boomed among Thai youth. Some are also actively involved in protests against the Prayuth government. Drawing from ethnographic data collected in Bangkok in 2022, A/Prof Siani explored the political uses of magic among young activists and the discourses that govern them.
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PhilS4 | Surviving Typhoons with Disaster Media Infrastructures in Tacloban, Philippines
Dr Shelley Tuazon Guyton (National University of Singapore) joined PhilS4 for this webinar on the vital role of technology and media infrastructure to reduce communities' vulnerability to disaster in the Philippines. Drawing on field work conducted in Tacloban three years after Typhoon Yolanda, Dr Guyton reviewed some of the conditions surrounding low-income coastal residents’ experiences navigating disaster information through different communal, city and national communication infrastructures.
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What's coming up?
—events and opportunities
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IS4 | Displacement and Dispossession in Carbon Sink Governance: The Politics of Peatland Partnerships in Indonesia
Join Dr Michelle Miller (NUS) for a closer look at climate change mitigation and the politics of low-carbon peatland partnerships. Dr Miller will examine the politics of partnerships aimed at retaining soil-based carbon in Indonesia’s province of Riau, where over half the surface area is composed of agriculturally productive peatlands. Peatland conversion for agriculture is the leading cause of Indonesia’s terrestrial carbon emissions that contribute substantially to global warming.
When: Thursday 8 December 2022, 9am CET / 3pm WIB / 4pm SGT / 7pm AEDT
Where: Online via Zoom
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SSEAC Postgraduate Lunch
Please join us for our last SSEAC postgraduate lunch of the year! This is a casual, low-stakes gathering with no agenda other than meeting up to chat and enjoy some delicious food together before a well-deserved end-of-year break!
Who: Honours, Masters by Research or PhD students, who are SSEAC members, and conducting research on Southeast Asia.
When: Thursday 15 December 2022, 12:00–2:00pm AEDT
Where: Outdoor venue on Camperdown Campus to be advised two days prior
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Indonesia Council Open Conference 2023
Indonesia 25 Years On.
The Sydney Southeast Asia Centre at the University of Sydney and Humanitarian and Development Studies at Western Sydney University are proud to host the 2023 Indonesia Council Open Conference. This conference brings together academics and postgraduate researchers from across disciplines with an interest in Indonesia, and is open to scholars, students and community members interested in engaging with cutting-edge research.
In 2023, we mark a quarter-century of Indonesia’s abrupt rejection of authoritarianism following the resignation of Suharto in May 1998 after millions took to the streets in protest against the economic and social chaos that accompanied the Asian financial crisis of the previous year. But what does Indonesia look like now? We invite abstract submissions from any disciplines for individual papers, panels and roundtable discussions that reflect on one or more of the myriad facets of life in today’s Indonesia, how Indonesia got there, and where it might go next.
The Indonesia Council Open Conference 2023 will also include a half-day postgraduate workshop on Monday 25 September 2023 (morning only). The workshop is open to all postgraduate members of the Indonesia Council. Postgraduates wishing to attend the workshop are strongly encouraged to present at the conference as well. Applications are currently open until 15 February 2023.
When: 26–27 September 2023
Where: Online via Zoom and in person at the University of Sydney, Camperdown campus
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 | Contested Hydropower Development in the Mekong River Basin
Regional demand for renewable hydropower from the Mekong River and its tributaries in Laos is on the rise. Dr Ming Li Yong (East-West Center) exposes how further hydropower development on the Mekong River could negatively affect ecosystems, resulting in decreased food security and jeopardising livelihoods in the river basin. She also discusses processes of public consultation and how they fail to consider local communities’ opinions on these contested projects.
| |  | Sustainable Peatlands and Transboundary Haze
Indonesian citizens, and those of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries, have long suffered recurring haze pollution caused by peatland fires in Indonesia. To avoid these forest fires, and reduce the environmental harm and negative health impacts that transboundary haze gives rise to, Indonesia needs to restore its degraded peatlands. Dr Rini Astuti (Australian National University) discusses why peatland fires are a particularly acute issue in Southeast Asia, and how Indonesia can play a crucial role in effectively mitigating transboundary haze in the region.
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 | Civil Society, Capitalism, and Political Regimes in SE Asia
Professor Garry Rodan (University of Queensland) argues that, contrary to popular claims, civil society is not generally shrinking in Southeast Asia. Instead it is transforming, resulting in important shifts in the influences that can be exerted through it. Drawing from his book, Civil Society in Southeast Asia: Power Struggles and Political Regimes (Cambridge University Press 2022), he argues that political and ideological differences in Southeast Asia have sharpened as anti-democratic and anti-liberal social forces compete with democratic and liberal elements in civil society.
| |  | Ethics, Utopia and Materiality
The Asmat are an indigenous people of Indonesian Papua, renowned for their artistic carving flair and complex life-cycle rituals. They also have big ambitions that reach as far as the Vatican. Over the past five decades, pressures from the state, religious authorities, and the global art market have led to profound cultural changes and a widespread sense of disempowerment. Dr Roberto Costa (USYD) discusses the material and ethical alternatives the Asmat people are developing in response to a wide range of socio-cultural, religious, and ecological predicaments.
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 | Social Media in the Philippines
We are all familiar with the spread of disinformation on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. But just when we thought we’d seen the worst of it, along comes TikTok. Assistant Professor Maria Elize Mendoza (University of the Philippines Diliman) analyses the influential role of social media in Philippine political affairs, revealing intricate webs of disinformation, propaganda, and citizen mobilisation, with colossal political ramifications in a country with more than 89 million social media users.
| |  | Edging Towards New Politics?
After decades of authoritarian rule, a new alliance, Pakatan Harapan, was voted in in 2018, marking Malaysia’s first-ever transfer of federal power through elections in what was widely heralded as the start of a democratic transition. But that new government collapsed within two years, and Malaysian politics has remained unstable ever since. Professor Meredith Weiss (University at Albany, SUNY) discusses the state of politics in Malaysia, reflecting on the promises, both fulfilled and broken, brought about by GE14, and what the future may hold.
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 | Material Matters
Despite decades of research into the historic settlements of Mainland Southeast Asia, our understanding of the region’s long-term settlement history remains incomplete. Dr Ben Dharmendra, who recently completed his PhD at the University of Sydney, takes us on a journey spanning millenia to explore the long-term history of settlement development across Mainland Southeast Asia, with implications for how we interpret settlement patterns developing across the region today.
| |  | Vietnam and China
Nguyen Khac Giang (PhD candidate at Victoria University of Wellington) discusses Vietnam and China’s complex relationship, reflecting on the intimate ideological links, economic dependency, and security concerns that link the two countries. He explores some of the key strategic challenges faced by Vietnam, how they can be negotiated, and whether it is possible for Hanoi to leverage relations with both China and the United States to minimise the potential geopolitical risks associated with great power competition.
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In the media...
- The Jakarta Post published a commentary by PhD candidate Bunga Paramashanti on the importance of childhood dietary diversity in Indonesia.
- Dr Rosemary Grey and Dr Rachel Killean wrote for The Conversation on the conclusion of the Khmer Rouge trial in Cambodia.
- Coconuts Jakarta mentioned Professor Adrian Vickers’ book A History of Modern Indonesia on a list of recommended non-fiction books on Indonesia.
- Channel News Asia interviewed Emeritus Professor Phil Hirsch for a documentary exploring the impact of hydropower projects in Laos.
- Bangkok Post wrote about Dr Thomas Baudinette’s SSEAC seminar on Boys Love media in Thailand, chaired by Dr Aim Sinpeng.
- ALSO, on our website:
- For World Cities Day, we spoke with Dr Sophie Webber (School of Geosciences) about her research into big infrastructure projects built or underway in Jakarta in response to climate change.
- We also highlighted the work of a research team from the Faculty of Medicine and Health, who are addressing cerebral palsy in Vietnam.
- And, ICYMI, check out this piece by University of Sydney researcher Dadung Ibnu Muktiono on his pathway to a PhD.
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Join the conversation!
SSEAC is connecting with thousands of individuals and organisations engaging in Southeast Asia every month on social media. Join the conversation to share your work, hear about our latest events and seminars, and be the first to know about grants, research, and opportunities in Southeast Asia.
If you have a recently published article, book review, or interview that you'd like to share with a Southeast Asia-focused community, let us know! Email sseac@sydney.edu.au with the details, or tag us in your tweet @seacsydney.
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