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SOUTHEAST ASIA SEMINAR

date
SEMINAR SITE
                                       

NEWS　 2025 August 20

The website for the 49th seminar has been opened. This year's participants will be selected through a limited open call. Please visit here for more details.

About the Seminar

49
times held
11
host countries
1101
total participants
Each year since 1977, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) has convened the Seminar to bring together junior and senior scholars for learning and exchange in Southeast Asian area studies. Initially, the seminar ran for two weeks, offering intensive lectures that provided an overview of the nature, culture, society, economy, and other aspects of the region and the basic knowledge needed to understand the concept of area studies. Subsequently, it became more topically focused, and the period had been shortened to one week for the convenience of participants. The seminar is open to graduate students and young researchers, and has attracted numerous participants each year, in particular many from within the region starting their engagement with Southeast Asian studies. Since the 1990s, with the increase in similar seminars off-campus, it has attracted increasing interest by choosing relevant topics and changing the format of participation.
As the times have changed so has the seminar. Since the 33rd seminar in Kyoto, the Center has switched to an all-English seminar including lecturers from outside Japan. Since then, we have been holding a series of seminars in different countries in Southeast Asia, and participants have applied from all over the world. The seminar has gradually shifted from a lecture-based format to a more participatory style in which lectures, field visits and group work provide the participants an opportunity to engage in multifaceted learning processes with not only the lecturers, but with local society and environments as well. The seminar now offers a unique framework for exchanges between young and upcoming scholars in the region helping to foster the next generation of researchers and expanding networks.
In 2010, the seminar was in principle shifted from Kyoto to Southeast Asia, in recognition of the Center’s deep commitment to understanding the region through intensive and sustained involvement in the field. The organizers also redesigned the seminar format to enable more discussion with the lecturers, exchanges between participants, and consider the thematic issues from the local point of view. This approach lets the Center engage more closely with its partner institutions around the region, adding a new element of education and training to the collaborations that have been developed around research activities.
Topics of the Seminar vary, but endeavor to incorporate a number of disciplinary perspectives in the annual theme – particularly the integration of ecological perspectives within social frameworks for understanding the dynamics of regional, national and local change.
Several of the previous Japan-based Seminars had already pioneered field-based models of the “mobile workshop,” which has long been a part of the Center’s research tradition. What can a group see collectively when specialists from different backgrounds come together to conduct work on a shared research area? It is the consideration of this type of problematic that the Seminar hopes to foster among the participants. In addition to the value of multidisciplinary perspectives on an area, the Seminar also aims to cultivate added value in a heightened awareness of location of participants’ own individual specialization within a broader collaborative research framework.

the 49th southeast asia seminar

Theme:
Global Disruptions and Southeast Asia: Exploring histories, narratives, and transdisciplinary challenges

Venue: Phnom Penh/Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Date: Nov 19-24, 2025

Seminar Website
　　

RECENT SEMINARS

The 48th:　INDONESIA
October 20-28, 2024
Co-creation of New Urban Living:
Advancing Quality of Life in the Climate Change Era
Read More
The 47th:　THAILAND
December 7-14, 2023
Health, Border, and Marginality: Toward Transdisciplinarity?
Read More
The 46th:　Kyoto/Online
February 16, 2023
Social Media and Youths in Southeast Asia: An Instrument for Political Change?
Read More
The 45th:　WEBINAR
February 18-19, 2022
Engaging Transdisciplinarity: Variegated Trajectories in Southeast Asian Studies
Read More
The 44th:　WEBINAR
March 1-2, 2021
The Covid-19 Pandemic in Japanese and Southeast Asian Perspective: Histories, States, Markets, Societies
Read More
The 43rd:　VIETNAM
November 7-13, 2019
Economic Growth, Ecology, and Equality: Learning from Vietnam
Read More
                           
List of Past Seminars


Date Theme Country Poster
49th 2025.11.19-
2025.11.24		 Global Disruptions and Southeast Asia: Exploring histories, narratives, and transdisciplinary challenges Cambodia
48th 2024.10.20-
2024.10.28		 Co-Creation of New Urban Living: Advancing Quality of Life in the Climate Change Era Indonesia
47th 2023.12.7-
2023.12.14		 Health, Border, and Marginality: Toward Transdisciplinarity?? Thailand
46TH 2023.2.16 Social Media and Youths in Southeast Asia: An Instrument for Political Change? Kyoto/Online
45TH 2022.2.18-
2022.2.19		 Engaging Transdisciplinarity: Variegated Trajectories in Southeast Asian Studies Online
44th 2021.3.1-
2021.3.2		 The Covid-19 Pandemic in Japanese and Southeast Asian Perspective: Histories, States, Markets, Societies Online
43rd 2019.11.07-
2019.11.13		 Economic Growth, Ecology, and Equality: Learning from Vietnam Vietnam
42nd 2018.12.06-
2018.12.12		 Health and Rural Development Based on the Concept of Gross National Happiness Bhutan
41st 2017.11.02-
2017.11.07		 Economic Development in Laos and the Greater Mekong Region Laos
40th 2016.11.19-
2016.11.22		 The Promise and Challenge of Democracy in 21st Century Southeast Asia Myanmar
39th 2016.01.25-
2016.01.30		 Mapping the Aesthetics of Urban Life in Asian Cities: A Dialogue with the Arts Japan
38th 2014.11.22-
2014.11.25		 Connectivity in Southeast Asia: Multidisciplinary approaches to understanding global transformations Cambodia
37th 2013.10.29-
2013.10.31		 EHuman-Nature Interactions in Southeast Asia:Trans-disciplinary Approaches Malaysia
36th 2012.11.20-
2012.11.29		 Cities and Cultures in Southeast Asia Philippines
35th 2011.11.22-
2011.11.25		 The Transformations of Human Landscape in Southeast Asia Thailand
34th 2010.10.20-
2010.10.23		 New Concept Building for Sustainable Humanosphere and Society from the Equatorial Zone of Southeast Asia Indonesia
33rd 2009.09.7-
2009.09.11		 “Region” and Regional Perspectives on/from Southeast Asia Japan
32nd 2008.09.1-
2008.09.5		 Southeast Asia: Light and Shadow Japan
31st 2007.09.3-
2007.09.7		 Area Studies and Geographic Information Science: Observing, Analyzing and Relating the Time and Space of a Region Japan
30th 2006.09.4-
2006.09.8		 Areas Studies in Sites of “Development”: Environment, Poverty and Practice Japan
29th 2005.09.5-
2005.09.7		 Beyond Southeast Asia: The Frontier of Chinese and Overseas Chinese Studies Japan
28th 2004.09.6-
2004.09.10		 Engaging with the Field, Contributing to the Field: Diverse Approaches to Area Studies Japan
27th 2003.09.1-
2003.09.5		 Opening Mainland Southeast Asia: The Many Aspects of Market Economy Transformations Japan
26th 2002.09.9-
2002.09.13		 Life, Ageing, Sickness and Death in Southeast Asia: Perspectives from the Field Japan
25th 2001.09.3-
2001.09.7		 The Kaleidoscope of Southeast Asian History: Welcoming the 21st Century Japan
24th 2000.09.4-
2000.09.08		 20th Century Southeast Asia: Trajectories and Prospects Japan
23rd 1999.09.6-
1999.09.10		 Area Studies and Geographic Information: Fieldwork with Remote Sensing and GIS Japan
22nd 1998.10.26-
1998.10.30		 The “Crisis” of the Southeast Asian Economy: Catalyst of Reform? Japan
21st 1997.09.26-
1997.09.27
1997.10.23-1997.11.6
 Southeast Asia after the Era of Borders: From Vientiane to Singapore Japan
Laos/Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore
20th 1996.09.2-
1996.09.6		 The Many Forms of Rural Development Japan
19th 1995.9.4-
1995.9.8		 Southeast Asia from the Perspective of Human Formation Japan
18th 1994.9.5-
1994.9.9		 Southeast Asia and Human Existence Japan
17th 1993.8.30-
1993.9.3		 Area Studies Methods: From the Practice of Southeast Asian Studies Japan
16th 1992.8.31-
1992.9.5		 Area Studies Methods: From the Practice of Southeast Asian Studies Japan
15th 1991.9.2-
1991.9.7		 Southeast Asian Perspective on Nature, Development and Culture Japan
14th 1990.7.9-
1990.7.14		 Considering the Thai Economy: A View from Thailand Japan
13th 1989.7.3-
1989.7.15		 Southeast Asia as Marine Region: The Foundations of the Maritime World, Formation and Development of the Maritime World, Marine Regions and the Present Japan
12th 1988.7.4-
1988.7.17		 Southeast Asia as a Frontier Japan/Thailand
11th 1987.7.13-
1987.7.25		 Politics and Revolution in the Southeast Asian World Japan
10th 1986.7.7-
1986.7.19		 Approaches to the Southeast Asia World Japan
9th 1985.7.1-
1985.7.13		 The Malay World Japan
8th 1984.7.16-
1984.7.28		 Southeast Asian Economics from a North-South Perspectives Japan
7th 1983.7.11-
1983.7.23		 Agriculture in Southeast Asia Japan
6th 1982.7.19-
1982.7.31		 The Mainland Southeast Asian World Japan
5th 1981.7.17-
1981.7.30		 Indonesia and the Archipelagic World Japan
4th 1980.7.18-
1980.7.31		 Natural Foundations of Southeast Asian Agriculture/ The Mind and Beauty of Southeast Asia/ Politics and Economy of Southeast Asia Japan
3rd 1979.8.1-
1979.8.16		 Language and History/ Nature and Agriculture/ Politics and Economics/ Ethnicity and Culture Japan
2nd 1978.8.16-
1978.8.31		 Nature, Culture and Society in Southeast Asia Japan
1st 1977.8.5-
1977.8.29		 Rice-Producing Southeast Asia: Myrdal’s Asia, Environment and Rice Production in Southeast Asia Japan

PHOTOS

All photos Field Group Others

Participants' Review

This seminar left a deep impression on me, where people with different backgrounds gathered together and contributed to each other to think about what is best for current issues. For me, this is the best collaboration with a participatory method that actively involves all levels of society in a bottom-up manner.

Ph.D. Candidate, Indonesia

Participants' Review

True implementation of transdisciplinary collaborative works. I never experience this intensity of practice before.

Lecturer, Indonesia

Participants' Review

I deeply value the substantial contributions made by the professors from Kyoto University, who brought a wealth of resources to enrich the seminar experience.

Ph.D. Fellow, Malaysia

Participants' Review

It would have been very hard to visit stakeholders effectively without a network, so seeing them in person was truly amazing and invaluable.

Professor, Japan

Participants' Review

This has truly been the most fruitful Seminar I have attended in a long time. It has eye opening as well: on the possibilites and openness to alternative views and methodologies that exist when stepping outside of my own research.

Associate Researcher, France

Participants' Review

I like the topic of this seminar most, which is wide and beyond different disciplines. It can connect researchers from different disciplines. With a clear common topic, all participants (both early-career and senior researchers) could focus on it based on his or her own research experience. It is quite useful.

Associate Professor, China

Participants' Review

Shared knowledge, listen to other people experience in their research, their success story, challenges, approaches and strategies that will be useful for my future as an early researcher.

PhD Student, UK

Participants' Review

The sharing of thoughts and experience because it enriches the learning process.

Senior Lecturer, Malaysia