Call for Papers: New Dimensions of Migration in Southeast Asia

Call for Papers: New Dimensions of Migration in Southeast Asia

Rising Voices in Southeast Asian Studies – A SEAC / AAS Initiative

Submission Deadline: July 5, 2019

The Southeast Asia Council (SEAC) of the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) is seeking paper proposals from up-and-coming scholars to join a “Rising Voices” panel on the topic of “New Dimensions of Migration in Southeast Asia.” We seek to recruit early career scholars from Southeast Asian countries to form a panel for eventual inclusion in the 2020 Annual Conference of the Association for Asian Studies, to be held in Boston, Massachusetts from March 19-22, 2020. SEAC will provide partial financial assistance for presenters to attend the meetings.

Panel Topic Description

In the decade since the end of the Cold War and the start of the 21st century, the boundaries of nationhood and citizenship have constantly been challenged by the vast expansion of free trade, global capitalism, and connectivity through digital innovation. These factors have contributed to a significant rise, but also change in character, of migratory practices within Southeast Asia and beyond including emigration of Southeast Asian people from their homeland to other nations abroad, and immigration into Southeast Asia from other regions of the world.

Human migration driven by war, economics, politics, or other factors are not new to Southeast Asia; however, the post-Cold War era and dawn of the 21st century marked a significant rise that has continued to increase ever since. Among ASEAN countries, it has been estimated that over 1.5 million people travel abroad for work each year, and foreign migrant workers make up nearly 30% of the workforce in some of ASEAN’s recently developed economies—Singapore and Malaysia (ILO Labour and Social Trends in ASEAN, 2007). Some of the factors driving migration overseas and to other nations within Southeast Asia include: the demand for cheap foreign labor in the domestic, construction, and domestic care labor markets; educational opportunities; and refuge from poverty, violence, and other hardships. Additionally, the expansion of China’s economic dominance through capital investments and labor migration connected to the Belt and Road Initiative have also been significant driving forces of migration within Southeast Asia; as well as between Southeast Asia China, and other nations in the region.

Such a large and diverse migrant population moving within, in, and out of Southeast Asia; together with the rapid rise in internet access and mobile digital communication has meant that the meaning of ‘belonging’ has never been more chaotic Cyber economics, politics, and social and religious groups employ a variety of social media platforms, apps, websites and other digital tools to connect with others, access information, move capital, and seek opportunities. The ‘Rising Voices’ panel seeks to examine the intersections of migration within Southeast Asia and between Southeast Asia and nations abroad in light of these significant developments. We are particularly interested in studies that explore the ways in which identity and notions of belonging are being challenged and transformed across the domains of the nation, religion, community and kinship through the increasing migration and connectivity through digital communications.

Some questions the panel considers are:

1. What is the relationship between the rise of migration in all its forms, and the internet and telecommunication technologies of the 21st century?

2. With increasing migration, what does it mean to belong, and why does it matter?

3. How are digital communication technologies changing the ways in which Southeast Asians find labor opportunities leading to migration; form communities in new host nations; and maintain a sense of belonging and connection with their original home countries, communities, and families?

4. What are the principal causes of migration within Southeast Asia and between Southeast Asia and nations abroad? How is this informed and enabled though digital access to news, websites, social media sites, etc.?

5. How is digital connectivity changing the ways in which families maintain relationships when one or both parents are working abroad?

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

1. We seek papers by Southeast Asian scholars who are early career scholars, or “rising voices.” Rising voices are defined here as advanced graduate students (currently writing dissertations based on original field or archival research) or untenured faculty members (including tenure-track assistant professors, adjuncts, and lecturers, or the approximate equivalent based on the academic tradition from which the scholar is coming). Applicants may be currently enrolled as students in, or employed by, any institution of higher education in the world. However, preference may be placed on students or faculty currently based at underfunded institutions in Late Developing Countries (LDC) in Southeast Asia. (Please note that the definition of LDC used by the AAS excludes the following Asian countries: Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of China (Taiwan), Republic of Korea (South Korea), and Singapore). In addition to the stated goal of supporting rising voices from Southeast Asia, the primary criteria for selection will be the quality of the paper proposals as well as the way selected proposals work together as a viable panel.

2. The panel is intended to be a Southeast Asia-focused panel. Submissions that have nothing related to this region would not be considered.

3. To submit a paper proposal, please submit the following, in the order listed below, all in a single Microsoft word file or pdf document, by July 5, 2019:

a. Applicant’s Name, affiliation, and contact information, clearly indicating applicant’s country of birth and current country of residence.
b. Paper abstract. 250 words in the format of the standard AAS paper proposal.
c. Brief bio-sketch of 200-300 words describing current and recent scholarly positions, a brief sentence or two about current research, and any significant publications. The model for this should be the standard blurb one sees on a faculty or graduate student website.
d. Current curriculum vitae.
e. Please save the file with the following filename convention: RisingVoices2020_ApplicantsFamilyName.doc

Completed applications should be sent to the attention of Dr. Wasana Wongsurawat and Dr. Eve Zucker to the following address: aas2020.risingvoices@gmail.com by the 5 July 2019 deadline. Late submissions will not be considered.