IKAT : The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
The Journal strives to provide new, rigorous and comprehensive knowledge and understanding of Southeast Asia through inter-disciplinary perspectives. Its scopes includes but is not limited to economic welfare, institutional knowledge production, history, political transformations and the social development of information and communication technology in the region. Contributors may focus on an in-depth individual country analysis or on comparing a multi-country case study. Given the mission statement of CESASS, contributors are encouraged to submit empirical, methodological, theoretical, or conceptual articles about Southeast Asia through the eye of social sciences.
Articles
87 Documents
<![CDATA[Bilingual Khmer/English Literature: Contestation Practices and Strategies in the Cambodian Literary Field ]]>
<![CDATA[Fransiskus Tri Wahyu Setiawan]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 2 (2018): January ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i2.32361
<![CDATA[The study aims to examine how different agents namely individuals, groups, and organizations form the Cambodian literary field compete through selected practices. Certain strategies are applied in accordance to the rules of game in the literary field production. Having different habitus and capitals, agents struggle and compete for positions in the literary field. Applying literary study and classical ethnographic methods this study shows that political distance from the government in the field of cultural production allows external forces to interfere and reshape the Cambodian literary field. Agents make the structure and are structured in dynamic competition within the field. Strategies are mainly intended to create new network and to gain legitimacy, thereby accumulating capitals. Bilingual Khmer/English literature is important literary phenomenon in Cambodia as it indicates practices of contestation in response to the global field of cultural production. ]]>
<![CDATA[Comparative Study of the Roles of ASEAN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Responding to the Rohingya Crisis ]]>
<![CDATA[Irawan Jati]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 1 (2017): July ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i1.27466
<![CDATA[Since 2012, Southeast Asia has witnessed the human rights tragedy of the Rohingya people of Myanmar. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have been displaced from their homes and traveled to refugee facilities in Myanmar and Bangladesh, while others have been stranded on the Andaman Sea. The Rohingya crisis is perhaps the most horrific human rights tragedy after the crisis in Vietnam in the 1970s. As the crisis has developed, international communities, including ASEAN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have responded to the crisis. As the main regional organization, ASEAN has been hoped to elucidate the crisis tactically through peaceful means. OIC, meanwhile, has been expected to join humanitarian action using a diplomatic approach to other international humanitarian bodies, including the UNHCR. However, it is obvious that ASEAN's response to the crisis has been limited to diplomatic oration and failed to prevent a wider crisis. For OIC, its humanitarian solidarity has lacked access to the target community. Therefore, this paper would like to attempt a comparative analysis to describe the central inquiry; how have ASEAN and OIC responded to the Rohingya crisis? This analysis involves studying ASEAN and OIC publications and related references. The initial argument of this paper is that both organizations have given reasonable responses to the crisis, but have been unable to halt its advance.]]>
<![CDATA[Postcolonial Hermeneutics: Concepts and Contribution to Understanding Socio-Religious Problems in Southeast Asia ]]>
<![CDATA[Novita Dewi]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 2, No 1 (2018): July ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v2i1.37392
<![CDATA[Scrutiny of unequal power-relations between the “East” and the “West” in politics, culture, economy, and various aspects of life is the concern of postcolonial studies. Foucault's concept of power is central in postcolonial theory with which Edward Said is celebrated for his dismantling of Orientalist views. Postcolonial literature, likewise, has contributed to the growth and development of postcolonial criticism. The first objective of this article is to give a brief overview of different terms attached to the word “postcolonial”, i.e. postcolonial literary criticism, postcolonial literature and postcolonial theory, since these terms enrich one another theoretically. The second objective is to discuss postcolonial hermeneutics as a reading tool to examine various mundane practices in Southeast Asian postcolonial society. The purpose is to achieve a balanced, reciprocal exchange of perspectives while providing legitimacy for alternative interpretations to the hegemony shown in “Western” discourse. Citing traditional ways of conflict resolution and eco-friendly land management as examples, this article concludes that postcolonial reading may shed light on how socio-religious conflicts, hybrid experiences of faiths, and other social practices operate and get their respective meanings in postcolonial countries across Southeast Asia.]]>
<![CDATA[Production Shifts and Upgrading in ASEAN Automotive Production Network: Case on Toyota-led Regional Value Chains ]]>
<![CDATA[Riza Noer Arfani]]>;
<![CDATA[Awan Setya Dewanta]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 2 (2018): January ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i2.32356
<![CDATA[The study aims at exploring the phenomenon of regional production network in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) automotive sector/industry by employing a firm as well as macro-level analysis of data gathered through combining techniques between desk-study and a series of fieldwork. It examines patterns of production and manufacturing activities of leading Japanese automotive firms and their upgrading strategies as showcased by Toyota in an endeavor to cast the much-aspired ASEAN regional value chains (RVCs). Production shifts have been apparent as indicated in the trade patterns and trends in value added of key automotive products traded between Japan and its ASEAN partners during the past 25 years. The shifts have resulted in deepened localization of production and manufacturing activities of Japanese automotive lead firms in ASEAN countries. Such dynamic shifts, as shown especially in passenger cars and automotive parts and accessories, have further prompted upgrading efforts by the lead firms (along with their suppliers, subsidiaries, and local partners) which suggest the functioning RVCs. The upgrading embraces areas of upstream (on research, development, and design or RD&D), midstream (on production, manufacturing, and assembly) as well as downstream (on sales, marketing, and after-market) activities. Future policy outlook lays on the ability of firms and other related stakeholders in the region’s automotive sector/industry to team up in the upgrading activities and hence capture the value-added. ASEAN-Japan long and strong historical relations facilitate the enhanced collaborative automotive industrial development, particularly in the areas of technical capacity formation and supporting industries. ]]>
<![CDATA[Jathilan Horse Dance: Spirit Possession Beliefs and Practices in The Present-Day Java ]]>
<![CDATA[Eva Rapoport]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 2, No 1 (2018): July ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v2i1.37389
<![CDATA[Jathilan is one of the names for traditional Javanese trance dance which takes its roots in the most archaic levels of local culture but remains very popular nowadays. It is also described as a horse dance for the horse effigies made of woven bamboo are the hallmark props used by the performers. Horse dance is a part of the folk culture, still untouched by institutionalization or commodification; it can be performed for both ritual and entertainment purposes. Trance is its main attraction, though through the lens of local beliefs it is interpreted in terms of spirit possession thus it is understood that spirits can enter performers’ bodies and fulfill their needs while being manifest in material world, but also allow the dancers to perform various feats demonstrating invulnerability to physical harm (like eating glass, walking over hot coals, being whipped or even run over by a motorcycle).The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough description of how trance in jathilan is performed and understood, based on existing literature, practitioners’ first-hand accounts and numerous performances observed and documented; but also to consider it in the wider context of Javanese beliefs and practices involving spirits, possession, and exorcism, which persist alongside with Islam.]]>
<![CDATA[Can Art Make a Difference? Visual and Performative Arts on the Subject of Indonesian Mass Killings of 1965–66 ]]>
<![CDATA[Michał Bielecki]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 2 (2018): January ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i2.32362
<![CDATA[This paper considers the impact of various activities of artistic nature in public debate and collective memory of the genocide in Indonesia in the years 1965-1966, as well as the public reception of these event, with a particular focus on Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary „The Act of Killing” (2012). As a result of systematic extermination of PKI members and sympathizers, between 500 thousand and 2 million people were killed. These murders are often considered an ‘unspoken’ or ‘forgotten’ crime. In Suharto’s Indonesia, questioning the official version of events was prohibited. In 1998, General Suharto resigned from office and the state begun a slow drift towards democracy. The issue of the traumatic past, however, remains a very uncomfortable one. The crime of such scale cannot be easily forced into oblivion. The pressure faced by authorities in today's Indonesia was caused partly, if not mainly, by mnemonic actors of an artistic nature, by both Indonesian and foreign artists interested in this matter. By applying content analysis, the proposed paper discusses varied artistic activities addressing the mass violence and their influence on the public discussion and the collective memory of that event. The analysis of media reports, interviews with artists, fictional and documentary films was carried out by the author. The study shows how art contributes to the process of dealing with Indonesia’s past. ]]>
<![CDATA[Islam, Asymmetric Policy, and Social Conflict: The State's Role as a Root of Radicalism in the Philippines and Thailand ]]>
<![CDATA[Bayu Mitra A. Kusuma]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 1 (2017): July ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i1.27467
<![CDATA[Radicalism has become a serious problem for many countries, including in Southeast Asia. One of its triggering factors is an extreme understanding of religion that leads to the assumption that people with different understandings are wrong and that violence is a legitimate way to change the situation. This often occurs because of a love of lineage or clan, as well as aggressive instincts. Such an extreme understanding results in the religious social conflicts, which in reality—particularly those involving Islam in Southeast Asia—are often influenced by regimes’ asymmetric policies. This study, therefore, explores the role of the State as a root of radicalism in the context of the dynamic relationship between Islam and asymmetric policies, with a focus on the southern Philippines and Thailand. Research findings show that the rise of radicalism in the Philippines was caused by social conflict resulting from government manipulation of referendum policy on special autonomy in predominant Muslim areas. Meanwhile, radicalism in Thailand was triggered by social conflict resulting from the cultural assimilation policy imposed upon the Muslim community by the government.]]>
<![CDATA[Online Perspectives on ASEAN-Japan Relations: An Analysis of ASEAN-related Japanese Tweets ]]>
<![CDATA[Indah S Pratidina]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 2, No 1 (2018): July ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v2i1.37393
<![CDATA[ASEAN targets internal integration and strong external relations with its partner countries. Japan has stressed its long-standing support for ASEAN. The year 2013 saw the 40th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN relations when Japanese state actors put considerable efforts into marking this anniversary. Although Japan remains one of ASEAN's largest trading partners and sources of foreign direct investment, recent years has witnessed power relations dynamic in the region with China and South Korea actively engaging as well. State actors’ statements and mainstream media coverage on ASEAN-Japan relations, particularly on economic and political security issues, had been the heavy focus of scholars interested in the field. An analysis of social media, and in particular Twitter, offers alternative insights for a more comprehensive observation. The total of 3.29 million tweets containing the word “ASEAN” were collected from November 2013 to December 2015. From the dataset, it was identified that tweets using Japanese language are the third highest in volume after Indonesian and English. Content analyses were conducted to answer the questions on how ASEAN as an entity is viewed by the populations of its partner countries; which aspects of the integration project attract Twitter users’ interests also, in the relation to strong external relations that ASEAN want to pursue, which countries are mentioned in the tweets and on which aspects? Using keywords from the Blueprints of ASEAN Community’s integration aspects, the tweets were categorized as related to economics, political-security and socio-cultural topics. Countries mentioned in the dataset were counted and then categorized according to these aspects as well. The study finds economic and political-security themed tweets are the largest in volume with heavy mentioning of Japan, China and South Korea. Results suggest that online conversations about ASEAN are still strongly influenced by government and mainstream media’s agenda.]]>
<![CDATA[Traffic Woes, Metro Manila, and Collaborative Problem-Solving: A Case Study of Computer-mediated, Collaboratively Built Information Infrastructure in the Field of Transportation in the Philippines ]]>
<![CDATA[Joshua Ramon Enslin]]>
<![CDATA[ IKAT: The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies Vol 1, No 2 (2018): January ]]>
Publisher : <![CDATA[Center for Southeast Asian Social Studies (CESASS) ]]>
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DOI: 10.22146/ikat.v1i2.32357
<![CDATA[The chaotic traffic situation in Metro Manila has been characterized as a major roadblock to the country’s economic development and has turned into an important discussion point in political debates. In this paper three traffic related web services, aimed at helping their users gain an insight into the traffic situation of Metro Manila and beyond are analyzed in regards to their use of cooperation using Benkler’s concept of Collaborative Peer Production. The three web services differ starkly from each other in their concept – PH-Commute.com is a blog, Taxikick.com is a service for short messages pertaining to misbehaviors of taxi drivers, Sakay.ph is a navigation service. As I conclude, all three however share in common that they are indeed highly dependent on cooperation on different layers. Determined by the underlying concept of each of the websites, they incorporate inputs from their users, but they might also let their users help them in developing their software by publishing their source code, and they rely on community-created, open-source software infrastructure to be able to run their own.]]>
