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A despatch from Brisbane, where an eclectic selection of Indonesian works stands out at the APT.
INDONESIA
Notes on 212 in 2018: more politics, less unity
The second reunion of the 2016 anti-Ahok rally was a show of force from FPI ahead of elections.
‘Tao Po’: A new theatre of war
Introducing a series of short reflections on Tao Po, a one-person play that grapples with the Philippines' drug war.
the philippines
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The rise of Duterte and Bolsonaro: creeping authoritarianism and criminal populism
about 1 day ago
In both countries, ugly populist politics is a direct result of legitimate concerns about crime and corruption.
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The uncomfortable intimacies of ‘Tao Po’
about 4 days ago
"We are drawn into the lives of four characters, each with a separate monologue"
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Deadly answers: a review of ‘Tao Po’
about 4 days ago
"Many were emotionally triggered by this part-testimonial, part-theatrical, and part-documentary theatre"
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‘Tao Po’: More than collateral damage
about 4 days ago
The play highlights "raw and conflicted stories based on real lives in the drug war".
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‘Tao Po’: Is anyone there?
about 4 days ago
"Tao Po invites us to listen to four people’s intimate accounts of the [Philippines'] drug war."
BOOK REVIEWS
THAILAND AT NEW MANDALA
- Thailand Unsettled #2: Reconciliation (with Jatuporn Prompan and Suriyasai Katasila)—Part 1 about 1 week ago
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Lost in literature: the misuse of western sources and perspectives [Part III]
about 2 weeks ago
On the the misuse of western historical sources in the search for Suvarnabhumi.
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Thailand’s new left-wing political parties: rivals or allies?
about 4 weeks ago
"The advent of the Commoners’ Party represents a more exciting, radical break with the status quo [than the Future Forward Party]—one that has so far kept class privilege of the likes of Juangroongruangkit intact," writes Kriangsak Teerakowitkajorn.
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Thai political rap before it went viral
about 1 month ago
The young rappers who shot to national attention when they released Prathet Ku Mi honed their skills in a vibrant Thai indie rap scene that has been growing bigger in recent years—and growing more political, too.
- Making Thailand’s southern peace dialogue meaningful about 1 month ago
Lost in literature: the misuse of western sources and perspectives [Part III]
On the the misuse of western historical sources in the search for Suvarnabhumi.
PERSPECTIVES ON THE PAST
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Indonesia at the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art
about 2 days ago
A despatch from Brisbane, where an eclectic selection of Indonesian works stands out at the APT.
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Lost in literature: the misuse of western sources and perspectives [Part III]
about 2 weeks ago
On the the misuse of western historical sources in the search for Suvarnabhumi.
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Why we should be funding research on the post-Orientalist arts of the Straits of Malacca*
about 1 month ago
A personal reflection on the importance of academic freedom
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Lost in literature: the political and religious consequences of Suvarnabhumi [Part II]
about 2 months ago
On nationalism, religion, archaeology, folklore and pseudo-history.
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Lost in literature: why we need to stop the quest for Suvarnabhumi [Part 1]
about 2 months ago
The idea of finding the El Dorado of Asia is a continuing obsession.
Indonesia & East Timor
more indonesia
Playing the marriage card in Indonesia
A proposal for marriage registration cards is an invitation for more moral surveillance of Indonesian citizens.
Watch the 2018 ANU Indonesia Update
Expert speakers discuss the state of Indonesia's politics and economy in 2018, with the focus on the status of minorities.
Film review: ‘Asimetris’
A provocative documentary examines the asymmetries of Indonesia’s oil palm boom, but leaves some difficult questions unaddressed.
OTHER COUNTRIES & TOPICS
SEE THE NEW MANDALA ARCHIVES
The end of the road for the Khmer Rouge tribunal
The Nuon Chua and Khieu Samphan verdicts are likely a fitting end for the ECCC and its complicated legacy.
Welcoming ‘Near West’ to New Mandala
New Mandala will be home to a South Asia guest section in the lead up to India's general elections.
Where in the world is Cambodia?
The international community needs to take seriously the scepticism of many Cambodians about its intentions.
MALAYSIA & SINGAPORE
Rebellion and regret: talking to rural voters after GE14
The ‘new Malaysia’ is viewed with sceptical eyes in poor rural communities in Johor.
A new electoral system for a new Malaysia
The majoritarian first-past-the-post system has had its day. It’s time to think about bold options for reform.
Malay dominance remains despite UMNO’s rout
Despite the routing of UMNO at GE14 amid regime change, Malay politicians still dominate the new coalition government.
The uses and abuses of Singaporean history
A falsified version of Singaporean history has found resonance among the conservative fringe in Latin America.
A New Malaysia? #3: reform roadblocks with Bridget Welsh & Shamsul AB
Two leading scholars on the ideological and institutional legacies Pakatan Harapan inherits from the BN regime.
A New Malaysia? #2: Media with Boo Su-Lyn & Zurairi AR
What has and hasn't changed about how the media report on politics and policy after GE14?
DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS?
read more
Wielding the purse strings of Southeast Asian civil society
Illiberalism at home, and pro-market ideologies abroad, are putting pressure on Southeast Asian civil society organisations' financial health.
Southeast Asian cyberspace: politics, censorship, polarisation
The internet is both a factor in, and a victim of, the region’s crisis of democracy.
Old dominance, new dominoes in Southeast Asia
Democracy in the region finds itself in dark days. Can anything save it?