A system of aged care focused on filial responsibility unduly burdens women. The social protection system needs a bigger role.
Of prison blocks and condos
On the sidelines of Changi Prison lies a fissure in an environment engineered to “invisibilise” Singapore’s social divides.
ARTSEA
The land moves west
Artists at the Makassar Biennale grapple with the social and environmental consequences of land reclamation.
Carl Josef Kleingrothe: capturing the colonial life of Deli, Sumatra
A look at the life of the photographer whose work captivated European audiences' looking for images of the 'exotic' Indies.
Memories of Burma’s art scene in the 1970s
Andrew Selth recalls an era of flourishing artistic expression amid heavy-handed censorship.
THAILAND
A coup by any other name
A close look at the blocking of Pita’s appointment shows how conservatives are happy to cut legal corners to thwart reformist politics.
Sam Yan Press and publishing as activism in Thailand
Student activists who energised pro-democracy protests are busily translating and disseminating anti-authoritarian books.
Review: “Thai Diplomacy”
Edited interviews with Tej Bunnag provide "unvarnished insights" and "nuanced history" for students of Thai foreign policy.
Indonesia
moreThe plastipelago
Indonesia’s encounter with the “plasticene” has led to a naïve and hasty government effort to rebrand waste as an asset.
Purnawirawan politics in Indonesia’s 2024 elections
Retired police and military officers find easy paths into politics thanks to parties' perceptions of them as vote magnets.
How Indonesian studies’ “brand needy” lets Australian students down
There is a strong case for supporting the study of Indonesian history and cultures in Australian universities.
Captain, striker, and the integralist state
Prabowo’s analogy likening the nation to a football team puts a new spin on old arguments that there’s no place for opposition in Indonesian politics.
Coal, recentralisation and Jambi’s traffic hell
Jakarta’s recovery of legal powers over mining have robbed local politicians of the ability to respond to public demands to address the sector’s social costs.
Selective moderation: Indonesia–UAE religious diplomacy
Pragmatic political interests lie behind the promotion of ‘moderate’ Islam in both countries.
REVIEWS & NEWS
Review: “Thai Diplomacy”
Edited interviews with Tej Bunnag provide "unvarnished insights" and "nuanced history" for students of Thai foreign policy.
Image-making as necessity in Fighting Fear II
A recent exhibition showcased Myanmar artists' responses to the coup and resistance to it.
New Mandala’s most-read in 2022
A look back on New Mandala's greatest hits of 2022 as the site takes a summer hiatus.
Malaysia
MoreMalaysia at 60: the urgency of inclusion
After six decades of federation, it’s time to bring minorities back into the vision of what, and who, the Malaysian national project is about.
A labour agenda for Malaysia
Economic redistribution should start from giving workers bargaining power long denied to them.
Malaysia’s new struggle over state power
The UMNO era is over, but its political economy model and the social conflicts it created still set the terms of the new politics.
OTHER COUNTRIES
OUR ARCHIVEAustralia’s Malay history & heritage: Cocos (Keeling) Islands
At a graveyard beside the Indian Ocean lies insight into Australia’s ongoing multicultural history and heritage
Memories of Burma’s art scene in the 1970s
Andrew Selth recalls an era of flourishing artistic expression amid heavy-handed censorship.
Farmers, Facebook and Myanmar’s coup
New analysis shows how a surge of online resistance in the countryside faded amid fear and self-censorship.