東南アジア研究42 巻２号

2004 年９月

Notes on a Discussion withYoung Southeast AsianIntellectuals＊

By Patricio N. ABINALES ＊＊From May 7–8, 2004, the staff of the Bangkok

and in research capacity their peers in the otherLiaison Office of the Center for Southeast Asian

regions, but more importantly those that preceded

Studies and Asian Scholarship Foundation held athem.

joint workshop on “Intellectual Discourses ofFor it is not enough to simply just sit back andSoutheast Asia,” inviting a group of young

admire the growing mass of Southeast Asian stu-Southeast Asian academics and graduate students

dents of Southeast Asia. It is equally imperative that

distinguished by one commonly-shared interest:

we go to the next phase, i.e., the intellectual deepen-

they study countries in the region other than theiring of those who have shown the potential to be theown. In their respective keynote addresses, Dr.

next generation of Southeast Asian intellectuals inLourdes G. Salvador (executive director of theSoutheast Asia.

Asian Scholarship Foundation), Dr. Cynthia

The contours of this next phase appear to beBanzon-Bautista (Dean of the University of theforming, and this was most evident in the partici-

Philippines’ College of Social Sciences andpants’ energetic involvement in the discussions thatPhilosophy) and Dr. Donna J. Amoroso (editor,ranged from the issue of language training, to theKyoto Review of Southeast Asia) highlighted the fact

meaning of “area studies” and the continuing valid-that there now exists a critical mass of young poten-

ity of “Southeast Asia” as an intellectual frame of ref-tial Asianists within Asia, thanks in part to the pro-erence.

grams of American and Japanese foundations that
prodded recipients to think comparatively when

Language Trainingpreparing their research or activities report.
The question then is what next? The existence

The participants noted that developing a criticalof a critical mass is still a far cry from developing acore of Asianists-in-Asia means that there must becore of Southeast Asianists within Asia. For to de-sustained support to the language training of fel-velop such a mass means not only exposing thoselows. Six-month fellowships are not sufficient for

who constitute that core to the extensive knowledge

someone to learn a language other than his/herbase of the region. It also means nurturing their tal-own. While the six-month term may be good in

ent by exposing them to the various perspectives onterms of introducing a fellow to a “new world,” someSoutheast Asian studies. This critical core, in short,of the participants also noted that that knowledge

must possess the training to engage both in theory

will remain superficial if the fellow could not com-―――――――――――――――――＊
These notes are based on the discussions fromjoint workshop sponsored by the Asian Scholarship Foundation and the Center for Southeast
Asian Studies Bangkok Liaison Office on thenext phase of Southeast Asian Studies inSoutheast Asia, April 10–11, 2004.
＊＊Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto
Universitymunicate with the people in that society in their ownlanguage.
Those trained in the West who became prominent Southeast Asianists achieved that stature
because they were trained in or exposed to intensive language training. The suggestion by the participants then is for the funding agencies to perhaps
once more consider the question of language train-235

東南アジア研究ing.

42 巻２号
in the local languages—on Southeast Asian studies

The participants likewise mentioned the pau-

is an imperative. This may be an ambitious project,city of dictionaries that do translations between two

but the long-term positive result would more thanSoutheast Asian languages as compared to English-

compensate for the cost. In short, the issue that theSoutheast Asian dictionaries. More importantly,

workshop participants are positing to foundations

there is a need to be sensitive to difference in mean-

and other institutions interested in developing a crit-

ing in the same language group (Bahasa Malaysia

ical intellectual core of Southeast Asianists revolves

and Bahasa Indonesia, being prominent).

around sustainability. How can one sustain thisdream given limited resources, and shifting individ-

Institutional Linkages

ual and institutional priorities?

Some participants cited the existence of programs

Constraints

by groups like the ASEAN that have not beentapped considerably by those interested in fellow-

The workshop allotted one afternoon discussing theship programs. ASEAN, for example, could repre-

possible constraints to the above possibilities. AFS

sent not only a substantial source of support, espe-

invited Dr. Alan Feinstein, consultant of thecially in the light of the decline in funding by certain

Rockefeller Foundation to give the participants anfoundations (see below), but also as possible stable

overview of the concerns of Japanese and American

framework within which some of the possible pro-Foundations in relation to Southeast Asian Studies.

jects towards building that this critical core ofDr. Feinstein noted with regret the decision ofSoutheast Asianists could be based upon.

Japan Foundation and Toyota Foundation to scale

Another option was to tap graduate centers indown its interests on Southeast Asia. This decline inwell-endowed universities like the National University

interest comes at a time when the beginnings of aof Singapore (NUS) to assist the development ofcommunity of Southeast Asian scholars and public

this core by accepting fellows into the MA or PhD

intellectuals studying the region are becoming moreprograms. The NUS was especially cited for its

evident (Toyota Foundation has agreed to fund its

Southeast Asia Program that could compete withpioneering SEASREP for another five years andsimilar programs and departments in the West.

then terminate its support thereafter).

Several participants argued that it would be a waste

Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation

if funding agencies steer away from training poten-

however remain active in the region and he sug-tial PhDs just because their concern is the “publicgests that the participants continue contacts withintellectual” or the “civil society.” A real core ofthese foundations.

Southeast Asianists must necessarily consist of peo-Dr. Feinstein then gave an overview of theple with advance graduate training, with PhD better

state of Southeast Asian Studies in Cambodia, Laos,preferred. It is a folly to simply rely on “local knowl-and Vietnam. Of the three countries, Vietnam is faredge” or “popular knowledge” in building this core.

more ahead; Cambodia and Laos are still struggling

The importance of the elder generation of Southeast

in building their university infrastructure. ThisAsianists (mostly trained in the West) lies in theoverview was vital to give participants a sense of thetraining that they received as graduate students.

unevenness of Southeast Asian studies in theThis necessity is fairly obvious. The develop-region.

ment of a critical core of Southeast Asianists cannot
be sustained without an adequate information base.

Suggested Concrete Projects

A project that would stock up strategic libraries (notnecessarily those simply in the capitals of the coun-The participants, however, were also aware that thetry) with the “principal texts”—both in English andissues they raised are not exactly new ones. The236

Field Reportneed was to try to go beyond the discussion byresearch topics were as follows:

working on a concrete project (or projects) to see
whether their shared views can lead to something

Rommel Curaming (Philippines)

concrete.

Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

The participants agreed to work on two pro-Topic: The Construction and Transmission ofjects. First, is to set up an e-group that would con-Nationalist Historical Discourse in Post-Colonial

tinue to discuss the issues raised in the workshop,

Indonesia and the Philippines, with emphasis on theact as a forum where participants can share their

Suharto and Marcos Years

works, debate ideas, plan additional project, andsimply remain in touch with each other.
The participants also took up the proposal ofDr. Hanneman Samuel (Indonesia)
Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

Dr. Amoroso, editor of the Kyoto Review of Southeast

Topic: Intellectual Activist Alliances and Protection

Asia for them to be working editors for one issue ofof Human Rights in the Philippines

the web-based journal. The proposed theme of theissue is “From Local to Regional.” In this issue, theDr. Matthew Santamaria (Philippines)

participants will be encouraged to write in their own

Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

languages and to do the translation of their works in

Topic: Traditional Khmer Dance: A Study of Na-cooperation with one another. This would be onetional Memory and Continuity

tangible way in which they could determine
whether they can work together, and, more impor-

Dr. Umaiya Binti Haji Umar (Malaysia)

tantly, a means by which the questions “Can we talkAsian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

to each other?” and “How can we talk to each

Topic: A Malay Cultural and Dialect Loss in Con-other?” be answered. Editing of the issue will also

centrated Muslim Communities of the Bangkok

be a way of broadening the circle by inviting others

Metropolis

outside in and outside their networks to join in theendeavor.
These two projects are expected to be com-

Dr. Krisadawan Hongladarom (Thailand)
Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

pleted by the end of this year. Their outcome will

Topic: Kham Tibetan: A Linguistic and Anthro-also determine whether the participants of the work-

pological Study

shop will be able to work on a more long-term project: the engagement of this generation of budding

Dr. Thanyathip Sripana (Thailand)Southeast Asianists with the elder generation andAsian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

their works.

Topic: New Concept of Vietnamese Foreign Policy

This entails entering into a dialogue with sometowards Thailand after “Doi Moi”

of the leading Southeast Asianists in the West as
well as in the region. This will be an annual work-Mr. Alden Lauzon (Philippines)

shop where the “younger generation” is given theAsian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

opportunity to study, critique, discuss the major

Topic: Tourism, the State and Local Culture in Iden-

works of their “elders,” and allow the latter totity Formation

respond to their younger discussants. The results ofsuch workshops would be published either in theMs. Sri Nuryanti (Indonesia)

web or in book form, to be disseminated throughout

Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

the region.

Topic: The Role of the Young Moslem Intellectuals

The participants of the workshop, their country

in Moslem Minority Resistance in Pattani, Thailandof origins, fellowship affiliation and respective
237

東南アジア研究42 巻２号

Mr. Danilo Reyes (Philippines)

Mr. Davisakd Puaksom (Thailand)

Asian Scholarship Foundation Fellow

National University of Singapore/Wallalaik Univer-

Topic: An Almanac of the Southeast Asian Imagi-sitynation: The Territorial Symbols and Foundational

Topic: Javanese History

Myths of Indonesia and Thailand

238