SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 36/2 (July 2021)

SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 36/2 (July 2021)
Su-Ann Oh, editor
Date of publication:  July 2021
Publisher:  ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Number of pages:  185
Code:  SJ36/2

Contents

  • SOJOURN: Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia Vol. 36/2 (July 2021)
    [Whole Publication, ISSN: 17932858]
  • Preliminary pages
  • ARTICLES
  • 1. From the Past, for the Future: Defining Southeast Asian Identity at Thailand’s ASEAN Cultural Center, by Jay Cameron Lamey, author
    This article explores the regional identity being promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and how it is balanced with existing nationalism in the region. I analyse the ASEAN Cultural Center in Bangkok, Thailand and argue that the centre presents a vision of a collective Southeast Asian identity based on a ‘heroic’ rendering of history and a contemporary urban lifestyle—especially its streetfood culture. This is termed ‘ASEAN culture’ in an attempt to weave the organization into the cultural fabric of the region. Nation states remain the most prominent factor in an approach consistent with the model of ‘nested identities’.
  • 2. The Migration of International Academics to Thailand and Their Experiences of Thai Higher Education, by Navaporn Snodin, Tony Johnstone Young, Tirote Thongnuan, Intira Bumrungsalee, Anyarat Nattheeraphong, authors
    This study reports on exploratory research to understand the lived experience of international academics in Thailand, what motivates them to migrate to the country and work in Thai higher education, and what encourages them to stay or leave. Transcripts for semi-structured, narrative interviews were analysed using Schartner and Young’s (2016, 2020) model of adjustment and adaptation as a theoretical framework. The participants were twenty-nine international academics working in Thai universities across different regions. Findings align with motivations of other groups of migrants to Thailand in terms of lifestyle, lower cost of living, having a social network in Thailand or having a Thai partner. Most international academics reported a sense of freedom, good relationships with students, low levels of integration with local staff, and a lack of involvement in management and administration. Their major difficulties were language barriers and visa complications. The findings of this study provide indications of how to develop new internationalization policies and practices to inform planning for quality mobility for inbound international academics. It also serves the wider aim of making Thailand’s migration policies more consistent with its goals of being an educational hub in the region.
  • 3. Obtaining the Nha Heun “Culture” from the King: Considering a Sacred Script and Oral History in Southern Laos, by Ian Baird, author
    Palm-leaf manuscripts are important objects in Southeast Asia. Their value often goes beyond the meanings of the written texts. They also have historical, religious, literary, symbolic and ritual importance. This paper investigates textual materiality as it applies to a story about palm-leaf manuscripts owned by the ethnic Heuny (Nha Heun) group in Paksong District, Champasak Province, southern Laos. This story links material texts to oral history, rituals and efforts by the Nha Heun to legitimize their culture. It demonstrates how palm-leaf manuscripts can serve to legitimize claims handed down through oral traditions and ritual practice.
  • 4. Social Memory and Philippine Electoral Politics: Contests of Masa Narrative and the Nostalgia of Walang Magulo, by Soon Chuan Yean, author
    This paper traces a series of mnemonic regimes in Philippine electoral politics as a method of capturing current political discourse in the Philippines. The argument is that there are competing strategies being used to legitimize narratives—from the discourse of <i>masa</i> (masses) to one that re-memorializes <i>walang magulo</i> (orderliness) that the Philippine nation once enjoyed. Orderliness has become a new public commons introduced by Duterte.
  • SOJOURN Symposium
  • On Improvisational Islam: Indonesian Youth in a Time of Possibility, by Nur Amali Ibrahim, by Pradana Boy Zulian, Norshahril Saat, Nur Amali Ibrahim, authors
  • BOOK REVIEWS
  • BOOK REVIEW: Imperial Creatures: Humans and Other Animals in Colonial Singapore 1819–1942, by Timothy P. Barnard, by Jonathan Saha, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Asian Place, Filipino Nation: A Global Intellectual History of the Philippine Revolution, 1887–1912, by Nicole CuUnjieng Aboitiz, by Joseph Scalice, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Censorship in Colonial Indonesia, 1901–1942, by Nobuto Yamamoto, by Oliver Crawford, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Moments of Silence: The Unforgettingof the October 6, 1976, Massacre in Bangkok, by Thongchai Winichakul, by Arjun Subrahmanyan, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Traces of Trauma: Cambodian Visual Culture and National Identity in the Aftermath of Genocide, by Boreth Ly, by Rachel Hughes, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Fifty Years in the Karen Revolution in Burma: The Soldier and the Teacher, by Saw Ralph and Naw Sheera, by Andrew Ong, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Towards a New Malaysia? The 2018 Election and Its Aftermath, by Meredith L. Weiss and Faisal S. Hazis, by Muhamad M N Nadzri, author
  • BOOK REVIEW: Everyday Justice in Myanmar: Informal Resolutions and State Evasion in a Time of Contested Transition, edited by Helene Maria Kyed, by Jenny Hedström, author
  • NOTES & COMMENT
  • The Potentials of Fieldwork in a Pandemic: Navigating Shifting Landscapes of the Indonesian Fishery Industry, by Jessica H. Peng, author
  • Paper, Pen and Today’s Communication Platforms: Remote Disaster Research during a Pandemic, by Daniela Paredes Grijalva, author

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