Female Ulama voice a vision for Indonesia’s future

A report from the pathbreaking Indonesian Female Ulama Congress in Cirebon, West Java.

Remembering Professor Joel S. Kahn

A tribute to the life and work of the acclaimed anthropologist, who passed away on 1 May 2017.

Middle class competition and Islamic populism

What Jakarta's election highlighted most was not tensions between socioeconomic groups, but cultural tensions within the Muslim middle class itself.

Malaysia must wake up to its human trafficking problem

As Rohingya and supporters gather to remember those buried at Wang Kelian, corruption and official inertia perpetuate human trafficking.

The allure of Joget Gamelan

Threatened by neglect and officialdom, can the great Malay tradition of Joget Gamelan make a comeback?

An important message about New Mandala comments

Our editor, Liam Gammon, offers some advice on getting your comment published.

Ahok’s defeats and public debate in Indonesia

Ahok's downfall should prompt new inquiry into which institutions and networks shape popular opinion, and how.

Holy places and unholy politics

Ahok's support of an Islamic pilgrimage site amid Jakarta's container port illustrates the intricacies and paradoxes of Indonesia’s politics of religion.

Pemuda PAS: vanguard of Malaysian Islamist politics

The ideological conservatism of young PAS cadres was on full display at the party's national congress.

Explaining the roots of KNU power struggles

The Karen National Union shows how internal conflicts in Myanmar’s insurgencies can complicate the peace process

Indonesian Press Council fails on World Press Freedom Day

The state of Papuan press freedom is dire, despite Jokowi promising openness. Indonesia's Press Council must speak.

Ahok is not Jokowi

There's ample reason to expect Jokowi's 2019 campaign will prove resilient to right wing populist opposition.

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.