History

Bridging historical archives and earthquake hazard studies in Indonesia

Historical records complement studies of seismic hazard and are an important standalone tool for the study of earthquake hazards.

Watch now: The inaugural Tony and Yohanni Johns lecture by Greg Fealy

On-the-ground studies find enormous variety and behaviour that often confound the conventional categorisations of religious type.

Martial Law nostalgia and Ilocano youth: reimagining the Marcos legacy

Recounted experiences from elder generations in Ilocos clash with national facts, and young people have to choose between the two.

A conversation about Vomit Girl: Mai Nguyen-Long talks to Elly Kent

Studying Vietnamese folkloric practices, the artist has crafted objects that reflect the aesthetics of creative subversion and resistance.

Time to shift our focus on Indonesian communist studies?

Political actors' roles in regenerating the spectre of communism deserve closer attention.

The life and times of an Unesco convention in Timor-Leste

Intangible Cultural Heritage processes carry a structure whose rigidity is out of place with the subject matter.

Antisemitism in Southeast Asia: Stories from Jerusalem to Jakarta

Southeast Asian antisemitism has often bemused scholars and researchers, because it has been described as an antisemitism without Jews.

Kita perlu bicara! Seni, pelanggaran, dan politik di Documenta 15

Kolektif-kolektif berorientasi hak asasi manusia dari Indonesia telah dituduh anti-Semitis di salah satu pameran terbesar di Eropa, Dokumenta di Kassel, German.

We need to talk! Art, offence and politics in Documenta 15

Human-rights oriented Indonesian art collectives have been accused of anti-Semitism at one of Europe's largest art exhibitions, Documenta, in Kassel, Germany.

The women entrepreneurs of early modern Vietnam

Their contributions were fundamental to shaping Vietnam’s early modern social, religious, and economic society, but historical scholarship has neglected their experiences for centuries.

Redefining my Thai identity

It seems like being Thai means I have to overlook the barbaric killings and the state impunity as if it is a way of life.

New Books in SEAsian Studies: Craig Reynolds’ Power, Protection and Magic in Thailand

Meet a legendary policeman who trained in martial arts and the occult...

Coercing mobility: Territory, displacement & SE Asian Muslim Movements

Displacement is a key contributor to the trajectories of “Muslim” politics around the region...

Watch: History and Art History in Southeast Asia

How to track art history as the history of styles deriving from influences, and the history of modernism and its relationship to modernity? Is there art that links Southeast Asia as a region?

Seminar presentation: “History and Art History in Southeast Asia” Professor Adrian Vickers

New Mandala and the Southeast Asia Institute at The Australian National University are pleased to present this seminar by Professor Adrian Vickers, who is a Visitor in the School of Culture History and Language.

ASEAN on Myanmar’s coup: revisiting Cold War diplomacy on Cambodia

ASEAN has precedent and success in interceding in struggles for diplomatic recognition at the United Nations during the Third Indochina War (1978-1991).

At what cost: The impact of Indonesia’s Omnibus law on underwater cultural heritage

Why, after such a long hiatus, is underwater cultural heritage is once again being considered as an economic, not an archaeological or historical, resource?

Remembering HMAS Perth (I) for the future

For Indonesia and Australia, the salvage of Perth has put maritime heritage cooperation into the spotlight, prompting greater bilateral engagement.

Writing History in Premodern Java

The materiality of writing has major implications for the practice of history...When you look at a ‘medieval’ Javanese manuscript, it is almost always an 18th or 19th century copy of a copy of a copy ... and so on.

Nick Cheesman in conversation with Sumit K. Mandal on “Becoming Arab”

A discussion on the power and limits of colonial racial categories; Hadramis, Sayyids and Sharifas in maritime Southeast Asia; modernity and cultural hybridity; the descendants of Arabs in the Malay world today;

Was Majapahit really an empire?

A critical reflection on the emergence, dominance and legacy of Java’s historic ‘empire’.

Not the Emperor’s, not the King’s, but the Straits Chinese

Ann Ang discusses the historical context, origins and identity of the Straits Chinese.

The medieval tropics

Medieval artefacts and manuscripts are explored by Alex West to give insight on the deep past of Southeast Asia.

Lost in Translation: Jawa Pos

Foreign correspondent and historian Frank Palmos reflects on his first translating job in Java in 1961.