Welcome to Southeast Asian Studies @ NUS
Life isn't divided up into neat disciplinary boxes. Learning about the world shouldn't be boxed in either.
The Department of Southeast Asian Studies offers an ideal alternative to students who find disciplinary approaches to learning narrow or restrictive, and those who prefer a more subject-oriented curriculum. Our department aims to offer a truly inter-disciplinary approach to learning which draws on different perspectives and methodologies from the humanities and social sciences, all thoroughly informed by local experience and knowledge.
News
NEW PUBLICATION: Ummah Yet Proletariat : Islam, Marxism, and the Making of the Indonesian Republic
Ummah Yet Proletariat Islam, Marxism, and the Making of the Indonesian Republic From 1965 to 1966, at least 500,000 Indonesians were killed in military-directed violence that targeted suspected Communists. Muslim politicians justified the killings, arguing that Marxism posed an existential threat to all religions. Since then, the demonization of Marxism, as well as the …
Sutasoma: The Journey – A Balinese dance performance
The Department of Southeast Asian Studies at NUS is pleased to announce a performance of a Balinese spectacular dance drama on 17 November 2023. The story of Sutasoma is a Buddhist poem that was composed in 14th century Java. It tells of the wanderings of Sutasoma and his strange group of friends: a tiger, a dragon …
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Journeying through Maritime Southeast Asia on the NUS Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative
As part of the new Southeast Asia Friendship Initiative, students from various NUS halls, residential colleges and houses went on experiential study trips to countries in the region.
UK band’s controversial kiss achieved something few have in Malaysia
Against the backdrop of Malaysia’s state elections, the controversy sparked by British band The 1975’s lead singer Matty Healy’s on-stage antics at Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival has unveiled a multitude of perspectives and implications that extend beyond the realm of music. In her commentary published in Channel NewsAsia (August 2023), Dr Serina Abdul Rahman (NUS …
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Will Azmin Ali be Able to Rise Again or will the Selangor PRN Mark the End of his Political Career?
An Op-Ed in Suria News Online by Dr Serina Rahman, Lecturer at NUS Southeast Asian Studies.
UK Band’s Controversial Kiss Achieved Something Few Have in Malaysia
The British band, The 1975, may have thought their same-sex kiss on stage during a Good Vibes Festival performance was a statement against the government of Malaysia, but in fact it only hurts members of the LGBTQ community living by the country’s laws, according to Dr Serina Rahman (NUS Southeast Asian Studies).