Southeast Asia Workshop

Democratic Backsliding in Southeast Asia?

Globally, democracy is said to be backsliding. What about in Southeast Asia? Can this concept capture political developments happening in the region? What are the characteristics, causes, and consequences of backsliding in various Southeast Asian countries? This two-day workshop addresses these questions by assembling eight papers on Southeast Asia.

Dates: Day 1 March 29 (Tuesday) / Day 2 March 30(Wednesday), 2022  
Time: 9:00 -12:20 (Japan Standard Time)
Attend:  https://keio-univ.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMtce2trTMiEtz5yG7T3x_iuHwMfUuqwAYk

Day 1 Mainland Southeast Asia (March 29)

Panel 1 Myanmar & Thailand (9:00 - 10:30) 
Opening remark: Netina Tan (McMaster University)
Chair: Yuko Kasuya (Keio University) 
Social Media as Double-Edged Sword: The Evolution of Regime-Dissident Tactics in 
Post-Coup Myanmar
     Mai Van Tran (Univeristy of Copenhagen)/ Megan Ryan (University of Michigan) 
Crowd Sourcing Dictatorship in Thailand
     Aim Sinpeng (University of Sydney)
Discussants
    Gerard McCarthy (National University of Singapore)
    Jacob Ricks (Singapore Management University) 
                   
Panel 2 Cambodia & Vietnam (10:40 - 12:20)
Chair: Netina Tan
Cambodia’s Authoritarian Turn and New Repertoires of Control
    Kristy Ward (University of Sydney)
Declining Opportunities for Speaking Out: The Impact of the New Politburo on Individual Freedom in Vietnam 
    Mai Truong (University of Arizona)
Discussants
    Caroline Hughes (University of Notre Dame)
    Nhu Truong (Denison University)

Day 2 Maritime Southeast Asia (March 30)

Panel 3 Indonesia & Philippines (9:00 - 10:30)
Chair: Netina Tan 
Democratic Backsliding? Evidence from Texts in Indonesia
    Risa Toha (Yale-NUS)/ Cheryl Cosslett (Vriens & Partners) 
Democratic Backsliding in the Philippines: Are Voters Becoming Illiberal? 
    Yuko Kasuya & Cleo Calimbahin (De La Salle University)
Discussants
    Joel Selway (Brigham Young University)
    Aries Arugay (University of the Philippines)
                  
Panel 4 Malaysia & Singapore (10:40 -12:20)
Chair: Yuko Kasuya
Is Malaysian Democracy Backsliding, or Merely Staying Put?
    Meredith Weiss (State University of New York, Albany)
Singapore’s Democratic Backsliding
    Netina Tan & Cassandra Preece (McMaster University)
Discussants
    Walid Jumblatt Abdullah(Nanyang Technological University)
    Ian Chong (National University of Singapore)
Closing remark: Yuko Kasuya

This event is co-organized by Yuko Kasuya and Netina Tan as a part of the V-Dem East Asia Regional Center’s activities and funded by the Suntory Foundation. For inquires, contact Yuko Kasuya  (ykasuya@keio.jp)