Background

Southeast Asian studies have been matured in Western centres and have evolved considerably in the scholarly literature on international relations which continue seeing Southeast Asia as an un(differentiated) object of study. In response, even given the fact that no other region on the globe is more diverse than Southeast Asia, against external forces, Southeast Asian member countries have agreed to establish ASEAN -- the Association of Southeast-East Asian Nations -- community in 1967. Hence, it encounters rough roads in realizing a greater regional integration with its own considerable staggering problems and domestic fluctuations. To name a few, Asian Economic Community (AEC) is at its critical crossroads, ASEAN also has limited success due to its own non-interference norm and has its institutional nadir in political and security environment towards Myanmar coup and Thailand Junta shaping and slipping democracy into crisis.

Notwithstanding, the socio-economic and political landscape of the region is made more complex than at any time prior to Covid 19 Pandemic due to the fact that Southeast Asia is much less collaborative in combating the global outbreak not only on its immediate public health consequences and its economic downstream, but also the fact that post pandemic have been speeding the uptake of digital platforms which significantly facilitate political fragmentation.

In a nutshell, not only from external forces, it is between the lines that Southeast Asian nations have been compounded by multi-layered burdens. How should we respond as such? How to reach our full potential against all odds? How should we rediscover Southeast Asian values?  How can Southeast Asia be a suitable ground for regional cooperation at all levels? How the media, cinema and art may become the catalysator of rediscovering Southeast Asia?

Purposes

Southeast Asia Conference on Media, Cinema, and Art 2021 calls for scholars and multiple participants to present their current works on the umbrella topic “Rediscovering Southeast Asia Amidst its Multi-layered burdens”.

Sub-themes

Media

  • Media, human rights and democracy
  • Media and pandemic Covid-19
  • Media, culture and society
  • (Digital) media policy in SEA
  • Convergence and digital divide
  • Digital literacy and digital divide in SEA
  • Misinformation, disinformation and info-demic
  • Strategic communication for community engagement
  • Risk, crisis and emergency communication
  • Environmental and ecological communication

 

 

 

Cinema

  • Regionalism in Southeast Asian cinema
  • Current independent film conditions in Southeast Asia
  • New challenges of digitalization for Southeast Asian cinema
  • Southeast Asian film industry during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • New censorship in contemporary Southeast Asian cinema
  • Contesting Identities in Southeast Asian cinema

Art

  • Art, democracy and human rights
  • Art and technology
  • Art and politics
  • Art and religion
  • Art and environmental security
  • The Anthropology and Sociology of Art
  • Performing and visual art studies