Archives

Farewell from a founder

Reflections on the ups and downs of New Mandala and the future for online academic engagement.

Sitio San Roque: in the peripheries of development

An urban poor community fight to save their homes in the face of arrests and arson.

Why Indonesia’s electoral system needs reform

Lawmakers have an opportunity to work with experts in civil society and academia to make politics less dependent on financial sponsors.

Not the Emperor’s, not the King’s, but the Straits Chinese

Ann Ang discusses the historical context, origins and identity of the Straits Chinese.

The medieval tropics

Medieval artefacts and manuscripts are explored by Alex West to give insight on the deep past of Southeast Asia.

Smallholder crop booms in mainland SEA

Destructive cycles of crop booms carve deep cracks in SEA societies, cultures and landscapes.

Jokowinomics gambles with Indonesia’s democratisation

Jokowi's controversial new cabinet aims to secure buy-in from elites for large-scale economic reform. Will the wager pay off?

The role of social media companies in shaping political discourse in Indonesia

Social media companies have more control than the government of Indonesia in limiting the freedom of expression of its citizens. To what extent will they control the political discourse in Indonesia?

What was that election for again?

The make-up of Joko Widodo’s second-term cabinet confirms worrying trends.

Development under Jokowi leaves human rights behind

Jokowi's priorities for his second term revolve around human resources development, but not human rights.

Increasing inroads and growing anger in West Papua

The Indonesian military and divisions within the separatist movement are hurdles to a solution.

“We try to not be Thai”: the everyday resistance of ethnic minorities

How two ethnic minority groups, the Lisu and the Maniq, continue to challenge the Thai state's sovereignty