PSC Seminar series

Patterns of Political Party Competition, Dominance, and Institutionalism: The Case of Timor-Leste

My research project began in response to CNRT’s displacement of FRETILIN as the dominant political player in Timor-Leste from 2007. CNRT has led the coalition governments of 2007 and 2012, ending the political pre-eminence FRETILIN had won in 2001 on the basis its prominence in the independence struggle.

Inducement or Entry Ticket? Broker Networks and Vote Buying in Indonesia

This paper presents preliminary findings of a study of vote buying in several districts in Java during Indonesia’s 2014 legislative elections. Using a combination of interviews and observational research, analysis of candidates’ vote-buying lists, surveys of voters and brokers on those lists, and focus group discussions, we analyze the organization, targeting, effectiveness and meanings of vote-buying efforts. We argue that Indonesian elections are broker-centered rather than party-centered affairs.

Was a Burmese Prince Responsible for Siam’s 1902 Shan Rebellion?

In this seminar Andrew Walker reports on work in progress on the Shan rebellion that broke out in northern Siam in 1902.

Rakhine Votes in 2015: The Roles of Ethnicity and Buddhist-Nationalism in Rakhine State Election Results

In the November 8 election, the Arakan (Rakhine) National Party (ANP) bucked the national trend of the NLD’s landslide victory by winning most of the Rakhine State’s seats. ANP won 22 out of 29 seats of the national Parliament. In the State legislature, the ANP has the largest share of seats by winning 23 seats out of 35.

Islamic Nationalism: The Armed Resistance of Malay Muslims in Southern Thailand

My study investigates the contemporary separatist movements’ ideological transformations in southern Thailand since the 1980s. The year 2004 marked a dramatic surge of violence in Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and some parts of Songkhla provinces. While the post-2004 period cannot be separated from the long-standing secessionist movements, there is evidence that Islam has become a more prominent characteristic of the contemporary separatists than it had been.

The State and Management of Islamic Education in Indonesia and Malaysia

My research explores the nature of Islamic education systems in Indonesia and Malaysia and the different approaches taken by the states in both countries to manage them.

Towards an Accounting of Late Cold War Human Rights Violations in Thailand

The 6 October 1976 massacre and coup not only ended the nearly three years of prior open politics, but was also the beginning of an extended period of arbitrary detention and torture of citizens who came to be seen as dissident “dangers to society,” Communists, or and those who simply ran afoul of state officials.

Elite Young People in Myanmar’s Transformation: An ethnographic study of a new generation

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Yangon, this final PhD seminar provides an overview of my research, which analyses the role of five types of elite young people in the transformation of contemporary Myanmar and offers insights about the broader implications of research into elite young people during periods of major social change.

The Structure of Ethnic Inequality and Ethnic Voting

While some ethnic groups engage in a high level of ethnic voting, many others do not. We argue that where class and ethnic differences overlap, ethnic voting should be elevated. More specifically, we theorize that between-ethnic group inequality (BGI) increases ethnic voting, but that its effect is conditional on the level of within-ethnic group inequality (WGI); when WGI is low the effect of BGI on ethnic voting is strengthened; when WGI is elevated, the effect of BGI is reduced.

The Politics of Indonesia’s Foreign Policy under President Joko Widodo

This study will examine how foreign policymaking has been made more complex by the administration’s maritime agenda, while also examining how democratization has affected foreign policymaking overall, by focusing on how intra-national competition and bargaining shape state behaviour.

Explaining the 2016 Islamist Mobilisation in Indonesia: Religious Intolerance, Militant Groups and the Politics of Accommodation

In this presentation, we analyse a unique set of polling data to show that a) Islamic conservatism in Indonesia has been declining rather than increasing, but that b) around a quarter of Indonesian Muslims do support an Islamist socio-political agenda.

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