New York Southeast Asia Network

Roundtable on Authoritarianism and Intellectual Freedom: Lessons from Southeast Asia

Date: May 28, 2026 | 9:40 PM – 11:10 PM ET

Type/Location: Virtual

At the AIFIS-MSU Conference on Indonesian Studies, join NYSEAN and SEACAF for a roundtable that will explore the relationship between authoritarianism and threats to academic and intellectual freedom in a way that puts attacks on higher education in the United States in conversation with Southeast Asia. The Roundtable includes the following scholars: Bencharat Sae Chua of the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Mahidol University in Thailand; Herlambang Wiratraman of the Research Center of Law and Social Justice at Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia; Sol Iglesias of the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s Political Science Department in the Philippines, Sidney Jones of NYSEAN and New York University’s International Affairs Program, and Rianne Subijanto of Baruch College, City University of New York. Margaret Scott, a founder of NYSEAN and a journalist with the New York Review of Books, will chair.

More Information: https://www.nysean.org/events/authoritarianism-and-intellectual-freedom-lessons-from-southeast-asia-aifis

Webinar Link: https://msu.zoom.us/j/91737914074

Friendly reminder that NYSEAN is hosting its last event of the school year tomorrow in person and virtually. We hope to see you there!

Democracy Under ‘Green’ Extraction: Comparative Lessons From Indonesia

Date: May 12, 2026 | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET

Type/Location: Hybrid / New York, NY

Join NYSEAN for a talk by Dr. Eve Warburton, visiting fellow at NYU Wagner and research fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University. Dr. Warburton will discuss how Indonesia's declining democracy, weak state capacity, and state-business entanglements created an ideal environment for fast-paced upstream extraction and large-scale downstream foreign investment.

Democracy Under ‘Green’ Extraction: Comparative Lessons From Indonesia — New York Southeast Asia Network Join NYSEAN for a talk by Dr. Eve Warburton , visiting fellow at NYU Wagner and research fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change at Australian National University. Dr. Warburton will discuss how Indonesia's declining democracy, weak state capacity, and state-business entanglements,

It Takes a Village Election: Turnover and Performance in Local Bureaucracies | ANU Indonesia Project

Date: May 11 – 12, 2026 | 11:15 PM – 12:30 AM ET

Type/Location: Hybrid / Canberra, Australia

Join the Indonesia Project at Australian National University for a talk by Masyhur Hilmy, Lecturer at the School of Economics, University of New South Wales–Sidney. Professor Hilmy will discuss how leadership changes affect local bureaucratic performance in Indonesia.

https://www.nysean.org/events/it-takes-a-village-election-turnover-and-performance-in-local-bureaucracies

Call for Papers – Religion and Populism in Asia: Institutional Contexts and Political Consequences

Deadline: June 8, 2026

https://www.nysean.org/blog/call-for-papers-religion-and-populism-in-asia

Join us for KulturAksi: NY Indonesian Art Fest, an inaugural two-day festival celebrating Indonesian art, culture, and community. Presented by Amalia Suryani of Saung Budaya Dance in celebration of the company's 20th anniversary.

📅 June 5 and 6, 2026
📍 Five Angels Theater

This year's theme uses creative expression as a call to action, drawing on Indonesia's deep relationship with its natural environment to address global environmental challenges.

Experience a full cultural immersion across art exhibitions featuring Jo Cowtree, Pinot, Mo Riza, Megan Nugroho, and Samuel Alexander Forest; workshops and cultural talks led by John Kudos, Patricia Kusumaningtyas, and the Endangered Language Alliance; and theater performances including "Tana Nirau" by Saung Budaya Dance and an immersive gamelan sound bathing experience by Kusuma Laras.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kulturaksi-ny-indonesian-art-fest-tickets-1984870555262

Continental Southeast Asia as a Strategic Space: Geography, History, and Enduring Constraints | Asia & the Pacific at ANU

Date: May 14, 2026 | 1:00 AM – 2:30 AM ET

Type/Location: Virtual

Join the Australia National University (ANU) Southeast Asia Institute for a talk by Tommy Chai, a PhD Candidate at ANU’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. This webinar examines continental Southeast Asia as a strategic space structured by two distinct but interacting sets of constraints: the current borders of Southeast Asia and a historically constituted strategic space centered on the mainland river basins of the Irrawaddy, Chao Phraya, Mekong, and Red River systems, but extending into adjoining upland and frontier zones such as Yunnan.

https://www.nysean.org/events/continental-southeast-asia-as-a-strategic-space-geography-history-and-enduring-constraints

The A List: Fifteen Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas | Asia Society New York

Date: May 13, 2026 | 6:30 – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society Museum and HBO for a special screening of "The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas." This film brings together a tableau of voices to explore the themes of representation, belonging, and what it means to be Asian American or Pacific Islander in America. Through intimate reflections, participants explore the relationship between national identity and solidarity, individual and community, home country and home.

https://www.nysean.org/events/the-a-list-fifteen-stories-from-asian-and-pacific-diasporas

Vietnam-U.S. Reconciliation: Addressing the Humanitarian Consequences of War | ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute

Date: May 12, 2026 | 10:00 PM – 11:15 PM ET

Type/Location: Virtual

Join the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute for a webinar by Alex-Thái Đình Võ, Research Assistant Professor at the Vietnam Center, Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University, and Phan Xuân Dũng, Senior Research Officer at ISEAS and PhD candidate at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Australian National University.

They will explore U.S. government–supported initiatives that are part of the process of Vietnam–U.S. reconciliation: the Vietnam Wartime Accounting Initiative, which supports the search for Vietnamese wartime missing persons, and programs assisting people with disabilities linked to Agent Orange/dioxin exposure.

https://www.nysean.org/events/vietnam-us-reconciliation-addressing-the-humanitarian-consequences-of-war

Eat, Drink, Watch: LUCKY CHOW Explores Europe with Danielle Chang | Asia Society New York

Date: May 12, 2026 | 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY

Join the Asia Society Museum for a talk by Danielle Chang, the creator, host, and producer of the Emmy-nominated Outstanding Culinary Series LUCKY CHOW (PBS). The evening will feature a screening of two episodes as she explores how Asian flavors are transforming European food culture, offering a firsthand look at the chefs and traditions bridging these two worlds.

https://www.nysean.org/events/eat-drink-watch-lucky-chow-explores-europe-with-danielle-chang