SEAREG Conference Agenda

This panel brings together new research on the international and domestic forces shaping democratic development, legitimacy, and identity formation in Southeast Asia and beyond. One paper investigates the limits of Indonesia and Turkey’s emerging role as promoters of democracy in a post-American world. Another unpacks the evolving political role of religious sermons in Indonesia, examining how clerical messaging influences trust in religious authority. A third paper explores the layered and contested narratives of Igorot masculinity in the Philippines, revealing how indigenous identities are reshaped by modern media and labor dynamics. Together, the papers speak to how global ideologies and local practices intersect to reconfigure political authority, belonging, and representation.

Discussants

Tom Pepinsky, Cornell University; Nico Ravanilla, University of California San Diego

Panelists

Angguntari C. Sari, Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, Indonesia: The Role of US, Indonesia, and Turkey in Promoting Democracy Abroad

• Does the reduction of US commitment to spread values globally translate into a greater role of middle power?

Nathanael Gratias Sumaktoyo, National University of Singapore: Political Sermon, Political Islam, and Trust in Religious Authorities: Evidence from Indonesia

• How do political sermons influence voters’ trust in religious authorities?

Orville Tatcho, University of the Philippines Baguio: Tropes and Notions of Igorot Masculinity: From Tradition to Contemporary Images

• This study traces and describes the tropes and notions of Igorot masculinity in an attempt to understand their sources, continuities, and changes. Igorots are indigenous peoples residing in the Cordillera region of northern Philippines.

This panel examines how institutions, elite power, and public engagement shape policy development and governance across diverse Southeast Asian contexts. The papers analyze Malaysia’s evolving foreign policy toward China through systemic, domestic, and leadership lenses; the political economy behind Thailand’s stalled energy transition despite market and environmental imperatives; how electoral law reforms and strategic behavior sustain Singapore’s dominant-party system; and how law reform processes in Vietnam reveal shifts in political participation and legitimation strategies. Together, these studies illuminate how power relations and institutional design drive policy continuity and change, offering comparative insights into the region’s political dynamics amid global and domestic pressures.

Discussants

Edmund Malesky, Duke University; Kai Ostwald, University of British Columbia

Panelists

Tu Phuong Nguyen, University of Melbourne: Law Reform and Shifting Modes of Political Participation in Vietnam

• This paper examines continuities and changes in law reform processes and citizens’ political participation in Vietnam with a focus on the Law on Social Insurance.

Mohamad Ikhram Mohamad Ridzuan, University Malaysia Sabah: Malaysia’s Foreign Policy Towards China: Three Levels Of Analysis

• Which factors have motivated the continuity and change in Malaysian’s policy towards China from the Mahathir era until now?

Danny Marks, Dublin City University: The Political Economy of Thailand's Unjust and Stalled Energy Transition

• Despite abundant solar resources and strong market pressures, the country's energy transition remains stalled. This study applies a political economy framework informed by Gramscian concepts to understand this paradox.

Steven Oliver, National University of Singapore: Reassessing the Mechanical Effects of Manipulating Electoral Laws in Singapore

• This paper examines how electoral rules can reinforce dominant-party systems, reassessing previous work about how a key electoral reform that introduced multi-member districts with plurality party block voting

This panel explores the intersection of party politics, historical memory, and cultural representation in Thailand and Myanmar. The papers highlight how formal and informal institutions, political discourse, and cultural narratives shape democratic development and state legitimacy. Topics range from the unintended effects of party finance laws in Thailand to the contested meanings of ethnic unity in Myanmar, and the state’s reimagining of Bangkok’s street food culture as a tool of soft power. Together, these papers offer fresh insight into how political legitimacy is constructed, contested, and symbolically encoded in Southeast Asia.

Discussants

Paul Schuler, University of Arizona; Kikue Hamayotsu, Northern Illinois University

Panelists

Punchada Sirivunnabood, Mahidol University: The Development of Party Finance in Thailand

• The Political Party Development Fund in Thailand aims to reduce the influence of business conglomerates over parties by receiving funds from the state. It has been a double-edged sword—while it aims to support the development of political parties by requiring the establishment of local branches and recruiting members, it encourages small and new parties to maximize funding by creating many inactive branches and registering fake members.

Ponpavi Sangsuradej, University of London: Counter Histories as Resistance: The Panglong Promises, Historical (Re)collections, and Ethnic Struggles in Myanmar

• This paper explores the impact of the critical period from 1945 to 1947 in Burma, marked by intense negotiations over independence and the involvement of ethnic minorities in pivotal events such as the Second Panglong Conference. The recollection of this period, as presented in centralized platforms such as school curricula and state speeches, continues to play a role in the disenfranchisement of the nation’s minority populations.

Vannaporn Phongpheng, Mahidol University: Bangkok as a ‘World Gastronomic City:’ The Representation of Street Food Culture for Sustainable Development

• This research seeks to explore how the cultural image of Bangkok's street food is represented as a ‘World Gastronomic City’ in publications created by TAT/BMA from 1998 to 2023.