Against monolithic narratives of womanhood, nationhood, regionalism; emphasising body & environment.
Civil society in the Mekong: What can we learn from environmental struggles?
As political space contracts, the role for informal networks or coalitions expands.
“Mandatory” deaths for the poor, get out of jail free card for the rich in Asia
The fact that dirty money needs to be cleaned provides opportunities for law enforcement agencies in ASEAN to collectively monitor drug lords and drug traffickers.
Women’s rights & gender equality in Indonesia: watch now
Marking International Human Rights Day in 2021, this discussion on women’s rights and gender equality in Indonesia examined the achievements and challenges equality in political, economic and social fields.
Hari Tani Nasional: A forum hosted by the ANU Indonesia Institute
What are the most important policy problems facing rural Indonesia, and what can researchers do about them?
PHILIPPINES
VISIT THE PHILIPPINES HOME PAGEMarcos or Robredo? Assessing the dynamics of the May 2022 Philippine presidential elections
Will Leni Robredo be able to overcome Bongbong Marcos’s decisive lead in the surveys?
Bullets and ballots: violent politics and extremism in southern Philippines
Violence was avoided this election, but is more likely in the 2025 BARMM regional elections
Red-tagging as a human rights violation in the Philippines
Citizens and civil society in the Philippines are fighting back in the legal sphere against an instrument of repression.
Environmental Justice in Southeast Asia
Environmental justice on New MandalaINDONESIA
VISIT THE INDONESIA HOMEPAGECounter-polarisation and political expediency
...there are grounds for doubting that counter-polarisation is the real reason for many recent political manoeuvres.
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.
Indonesia’s new capital authoritarianism
Though the Capital Authority acts as a "fast track" for the goal, they have to bear in mind the cost of constitutional democracy at the local level in the future
MYANMAR
VISIT THE MYANMAR HOME PAGEDigital contention in post-coup Myanmar
Social media dissidence has likely facilitated a civil disobedience movement with greater grassroots support than ever—a development that the Tatmadaw might find difficult to halt.
Academics call on Government to protect stranded Myanmar students
A group of academics is urging the Federal Government to grant humanitarian protection visas to a small cohort of gifted students.
Myanmar’s anti-junta forces are terrorists, says the Institute for Economics and Peace
Empirical data is not politically neutral, nor does it speak for itself. Divorced from its original context, it can cause harm.
ART DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Visit the ARTSEA homepageLAOS, VIETNAM, TIMOR LESTE AND MORE
Politics of denial: South Korean war crimes in Vietnam
Civil society groups have driven several efforts to achieve government-level recognition and responsibility during the war, including a People’s Tribunal on War Crimes.
Going under? Belt and Road megaprojects and sovereign debt in Laos
Financial ruptures have flowed on from an aggressive dam-building spree in Laos.
Living Art under attack in Timor-Leste: Arte Moris
The eviction of the young nation's only art school has shown who holds the real power in Timor-Leste.
MALAYSIA, SINGAPORE AND BRUNEI
VISIT THE MALAYSIA HOME PAGE“Semut: The Untold Story of a Secret Australian Operation in WWII Borneo”
"....when you actually sit down and look at what happened, the locals were key participants in all of these war activities."
Politics of literary translation in plurilingual Malaysia and Singapore
Literary translations between languages becomes a conscious, if not political, effort to let one another be heard within the national context.
Scholarly Journeys: Substation and Singapore’s Academia
The Substation as we know it may be history, but its significance should not be written as an obituary.
Pop! Perspectives on the Past
Visit the Perspectives on the Past homepagePeace, prosperity, progress? The Paris Peace Agreements
VISIT THE PROJECT HOMEPAGECAMBODIA
VISIT THE CAMBODIA HOME PAGECambodian CSOs: constraints and opportunities in local governance
CSO’s activities have been suppressed by local members of the CPP and police & projects addressing communities collective concerns co-opted and controlled.
NBSEAS “Cambodia: From Pol Pot to Hun Sen and Beyond”
Despite best efforts to fashion Cambodia into a model liberal democracy, Hun Sen and the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) have eliminated all opposition.
Hydro-power projects and cultural rights for Bunong communities in Cambodia
The LSS2 dam blocked 2 of the Mekong River Basin's largest rivers, with serious social, economic and cultural impacts.
BOOK REVIEWS
Palm Oil: the Grease of Empire by Max Haiven (review)
How can one come to understand palm oil as always both local and global, without offering primacy to one and diminishing the other?