Archive for December, 2008
December 31, 2008 at 1:29 am · Filed under Artikel / Articles
After month of political turmoil a new face is leading Thailand into the new year and with it into a period of economic downturn along with the worldwide recession and, relevant for the situation in Thailand, further stimulated by the negative publicity for Thailand’s tourism sector following the airport lockdown during the recent political crisis.
Compared to the passed months of never-ending turbulences, however, the situation in Thailand during Christmas’ celebrations and New Year’s Eve preparations looked rather well again. The country can now cast a view back to the seizure of its government house in August and continued protests since the coup in September 2006. The present, new coalition will have a very hard task at hand and especially the young new Prime Minister might not be able to hold on for long – but to be honest, it might not be his fault if he should fail. That this coalition, led by the Democratic Party, even came into existence was due to tenacious negotiations between political parties, fractions and single powerful political actors. To bring an example: the kingmaker (or PM-maker in this case) is Newin Chidchob, a close ally of former PM Thaksin Shinatwatra. He changed sides and politically turned almost 180 degrees. His move, which was enabled by negotiating especially with the Democrat party secretary-general and the men behind the new face of the government, Suthep Thuagsuban, is widely seen not as an act of cheating but quite as the contrary: Newin is now considered a hero in the public opinion, who saved the country. In a very Thai ‘democractic’ twist did the strongman from the Northeast; a region with a history of ‘independent thinking’ politicians and his followers (called the Friends of Newin Group) turn the tide and brought the new government into being.
At this point it is not about a discussion on Thai democracy; as the situation got very complicated and the new government is only a caretaker until the next elections, but there is one thing, the recent developments show quiet clearly. A return to factionalism and the old ways the Thai political system works and has worked for decades. Only the TRT (and maybe its follow up party the PPP) were political parties in the sense that they had a political program with which they tried to tackle voters. Some might argue for the Democratic Party as also fitting the profile, but the Democrats have been in the opposition for a long time and mostly out of that fact were unified. Now they indeed have much to proof. What can be seen now rather clearly is that the TRT was the political party of Thaksin Shinawatra, a political party which now more than ever appears to be a aggregation of different factions and friends of somebody, all held together by the charisma (and money) of Thaksin. With the switch of Newin, the ‘Thaksinisation’ has been weakened but maybe parts of that bond will survive through the ongoing application of populist policies (such as the village funds and health care) by the new coalition, as it already has promised to do. If the new government continues to see or even prioritize the need to attract the rural voter and therefore work with the accordant political base, the twist might have nethertheless turned into a more democratic direction. This direction
December 30, 2008 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Call for Papers
Dieses Jahr stehen zwei Workshops im Rahmen der Tage der Sozial- und Kulturanthropologie im Zeichen von Südostasien:
Workshop 4:Religiöse und säkulare Strömungen in Südostasien: Einheit versus Vielfalt?
Workshop 11: Cultural continuity connecting the present with the past. The interaction between the Hill People and the valley societies in Southern China and Southeast Asia
Natürlich sind auch andere Workshops offen für ein passendes Thema aus der Regionalforschung Südostasien. SEAS hofft auf eine rege Teilnahme Eurerseits.
Call for Papers
December 23, 2008 at 8:47 am · Filed under Call for Papers
In 2009, the fourth international conference of its kind will be convened by the Institute of Social Science at the University of Hildesheim, Germany. Building upon “Women and Politics in Asia 2005: Discovering the Gender Face of Politics”, Women and Politics in Asia: A Springboard for Democracy? aims to reflect upon the links between
- democracy and the feminisation of the halls of political power
- gender and (power) politics
- gender relations and gender ideologies and their impact on specific socio-political systems, modes of interaction / participation and citizenship discourses
December 9, 2008 at 9:27 pm · Filed under Stellenangebote / Jobs
The Department of Political Science at the University of Louisville invites applications for the Aung San Suu Kyi Endowed Chair in Asian Democracy to begin Fall 2009. This is an open rank position, a Ph.D. is required. Candidates should have an active and successful research program; a strong teaching record; and the willingness to contribute to the intellectual life of the new Center for Asian Democracy. The Endowed Chair will teach courses related to his or her area of expertise and present at least one research seminar during the academic year. Successful candidates should be tenurable at the level of Associate Professor or Professor. Exceptional junior applicants may also be considered. In their letter of application, candidates should highlight research and/or teaching expertise related to the development of democracy and/or democratic institutions or practices in an Asian context. Salary, teaching loads and benefits are negotiable and competitive.
December 4, 2008 at 8:33 am · Filed under SOA Lehrangebot
In der Fakultät für Geisteswissenschaften, Asien-Afrika-Institut, ist ab 01.04.2009 eine UNIVERSITÄTSPROFESSUR W 2 für Sprache und Kultur Thailands (Thaiistik)zu besetzen.
Kennziffer: 1943/W2
Bewerbungsmodus:
- schriftliche Darlegung der Erfahrungen und Vorstellungen zur Forschung, Lehre und Entwicklung des Faches
- tabellarischer Lebenslauf, zunächst nur mit einem Schriften- und Lehrverzeichnis (keine Belegexemplare)
- Angabe der Kennziffer
Einreichfrist: 18.12.2008, an die Präsidentin der Universität Hamburg, Referat Organisation & Personalentwicklung -631.6-, Moorweidenstr.18, 20148 Hamburg.
December 4, 2008 at 8:16 am · Filed under Call for Papers
For the “First International Graduate Student Conference on Indonesia”, there is announced a Call for Papers – the conference will be held in 2009 in commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.
Theme of the Conference:
“(Re)Considering Contemporary Indonesia: Striving for Democracy,
Sustainability, and Prosperity, A Multidisciplinary Perspective”
All Graduate Students from various disciplines are invited to submit abstracts and papers on the basis of current research on the contemporary issues of Indonesia. The themes of submitted abstracts/papers can cover various aspects of people’s life in relation to the main theme of the conference.
