Archives

Ahok’s satisfied non-voters: an anatomy

Warning signs for Jokowi in the importance of voters who were happy with Ahok's performance but voted against him on religious grounds.

Class dismissed? Economic fairness and identity politics in Indonesia

Exit polls from Jakarta election are a good starting point for thinking about the nexus between identity politics and inequality.

Despotic urbanism in Thailand

How the junta's urban development plans target the poor and their politics.

Ian Wilson and Marcus Mietzner on the Jakarta election

Ian Wilson and Marcus Mietzner interpret the Jakarta election in a public conversation hosted by Murdoch University's Asia Research Centre.

How Myanmar’s ‘national races’ trumped citizenship

How the idea of 'taingyintha' is used to decide who does and does not belong in Myanmar's political community.

Between inequality and identity in Jakarta polls

Ian Wilson is right that binary 'diversity vs. sectarian populism' narratives are unhelpful. But religious divides still matter in the politics of inequality.

‘Bottom up’ campaigning failed Ahok, and it might fail Jokowi.

Hailed as a game changer in the 2012 Jakarta polls, volunteer and social media campaigns are playing an increasingly ambiguous role in Indonesian politics.

Oorlog (voorkeur) Beeldbank WO2 - NIOD 88146 - collectie Bob van Dijk

Digging up the Dutch colonial past

An official Dutch inquiry will confront the bloody end of the country's colonial rule in the Indies. It will also open old wounds in Indonesia.

A science circus for Southeast Asia

How a revolutionary approach is addressing major gaps in STEM education.

Via flickr user Christopher Michel, used under Creative Commons licence.

Interpreting communal violence in Myanmar

On the nature of communal violence in Myanmar, and divergent Burmese and international interpretations of its causes.

Ahok’s absurd trial won’t satisfy anybody

Prosecutors' request for a suspended sentence for Ahok underscores what a political farce the legal process has been.

Via Flickr user Ronn Aldaman, used under Creative Commons licence.

Last orders in Bangkok

The creativity, informality, and disorderliness of Bangkok's street vendors couldn't survive the junta's impulses for social control.