SEAREG celebrates scholarship and community at annual conference

The Southeast Asia Research Group (SEAREG) annual North American conference showcased the work of a diverse SEAREG fellow class that included international relations and political theorists in addition to the social scientists who regularly populate the organization’s agenda. 

SEAREG Fellows are exceptional advanced PhD candidates or recent PhD graduates in the social sciences who demonstrate outstanding potential as scholars of Southeast Asia. They are selected semi-annually through a rigorous, competitive process, and present their research at SEAREG conferences.  

The Winter 2025 SEAREG Fellow cohort included:

• Matthew Koo (Yale University), who discussed his research on loyalty amongst security personnel in dominant-party regimes.
• Tatsuya Koyama (Emory University), who presented his paper on how protections of indigenous communities can entangle them in armed conflict.
• Yi Ning Chang (Harvard University), who provided perspective on Lee Kuan Yew’s early political thought in Singapore and how it evolved after post-colonial rule.
• Vincent Jerald Ramos (Southampton University), who is interested in union bargaining positions in the Philippines as they relate to paid parental leave.
• Damian Boldt (University of Virginia), who asked whether naming and shaming in the international arena can encourage compliance with human rights.

With close to 65 participants at the picturesque University of California—San Diego, the conference was one of SEAREG’s best attended gatherings in its 12-year history.

“It’s been wonderful to host SEAREG in San Diego this year," said Nico Ravanilla, associate professor of political science and public policy at the UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy. "This season here is beautiful, and it’s the perfect backdrop for celebrating new research and getting to know the work of our fellows."

Krislert Samphantharak, professor of economics and public policy at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, delivered the State of the Field keynote. His presentation made the case that Southeast Asia is at forefront of many of the world’s most pressing problems. While that makes the scholarship of the region especially important, Samphantharak encouraged convergence across various elements (e.g., disciplines, audiences, areas) to ensure the message is received.

Alice Ba, the Emma Smith Morris Professor of International Relations and Comparative Politics at the University of Delaware, gave the State of the Region keynote. Her speech focused on ASEAN politics and reflected on the shocks associated with trade policies in 2025 and the implications moving forward.

"Every year, SEAREG provides the opportunity to engage with the most rigorous and cutting-edge scholarship on Southeast Asia," said Edmund Malesky, professor of political economy at Duke University and chair of the SEAREG executive council. "My own work is inspired every year by ideas and approaches I learn here. The conference is becoming increasingly more exciting, as it has expanded to include innovative new work from mid-career scholars."

Thematic panel sessions included four discussions of working papers from more established scholars on: 1) Political Selection, Repression, and Reform in Vietnam’s Single-Party State; 2) Sovereignty, Social Structures, and the Local Politics of Violence; 3) Narratives, Emotions, and Representation in Southeast Asian Politics; and 4) Human Security in Southeast Asia: Technology, Bureaucracy, Ecology, and Migration at the Frontlines of Vulnerability.           

"What I love most about SEAREG is that it’s also a reunion," Ravanilla shared. "I always look forward to seeing friends and colleagues and to the thematic panels where former fellows and mid-career scholars come back with the next chapter of their research." 

"Beyond research, SEAREG has become a fabulous community of dedicated researchers who are passionate about developments in the region," Malesky added.

Notably, Malesky also announced his retirement from the SEAREG executive council after serving 12 years at the helm. He will be succeeded as chair by Tom Pepinsky, the Walter F. LaFeber Professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University. 

“Eddy leaves big shoes to fill, but I look forward to the next steps in SEAREG’s organizational development as we adapt to the changes in the higher education and area studies funding landscapes," Pepinksy said. "Most of all, though, we are all thankful for his leadership over the years.”

The SEAREG program is based at the Duke Center for International Development and relies on generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation.

This event was SEAREG's 19th conference and second convening of the calendar year after Mahidol University in Bangkok hosted the Asian edition this past July.