RCSD : The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development

Online Seminar: Researching Forced Displacement Issues In Southeast Asia
2025-12-15 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | online, Thailand
Researching Forced Displacement Issues in Southeast Asia
December 15, 2025, 10 AM – 12 PM (Thailand Time)
Register online here
This seminar series explores displacement issues in Southeast Asia, investigating various forms of displacement, enhancing understanding of the legal frameworks that govern displacement, and examining community responses to displacement. This seminar series is hosted by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, with support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), under the Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Southeast Asia program.
Speakers:
10:00-10:15 Welcoming remarks from Dr. Sirada Khemanitthathai
Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Southeast Asia; Lecturer, Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University
10:15-12:00 Panel on ‘Researching Forced Displacement Issues in Southeast Asia’

“The Permanent in the Temporary: Reflecting on the Pedagogy of the Displaced in the Context of Marawi, Lanao del Sur, Philippines” with Kristine Mari T. Miranda
Researcher-Writer (Initiatives for International Dialogue); Research, Documentation, and Learning Consultant (Humanity & Inclusion Philippines)
“Out-of-Camp Refugees in Southeast Asia: History, Legal Frameworks, and the Case of Tonlé Sap” with Nguyen Dang Dao
National University of Singapore]
“Between Protection and Security: The Securitization of Refugees in Malaysia” with Afifi Nordin
School of Business and Social Sciences, Albukhary International University, Alor Setar, Malaysia
“Paradox of Sesan 2 Dam: Analyzing Its Impact on Indigenous Communities’ Future Resources in Cambodia” with Chea Sameng
University of Delhi in India

Moderated by Dr. Andrew Wai Phyo Kyaw
Research Associate, Forced Displacement in Southeast Asia, the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University

Stitches of Strength: A Quilt Exhibition
2025-12-11 09:00 - 2025-12-19 17:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Chiang Mai
The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), in partnership with Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR), presents an exhibition that brings forward narratives of resilience, memory, and hope articulated by Rohingya women. Through visual and material expressions, the exhibition seeks to illuminate lived experiences of displacement and survival, while encouraging visitors to critically reflect on the social boundaries that shape perceptions of “self” and “other.”
The exhibition will take place from 11 to 19 December 2025 at the Entrance Hall of Chiang Mai University Library. Guided tours will be conducted in English, Thai, and Burmese on the following dates:

11 December 2025 at 13:30
17 December 2025 at 13:30

Light refreshments will be provided.
The event is open to the public

Report Launch: Mental health, gender, and conflict in Myanmar’s Chin State
2025-11-14 15:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Organized by: TheHILLS Myanmar (THM) & Chin State Academic Research Network (CSARN), with support from Chin Human Rights Organisation (CHRO)
Friday, 14 November 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 PM
Subaltern Room, Chiang Mai University
This report launch event presents the first study to examine how conflict, gender, and cultural expectations intersect to shape mental health in Myanmar’s Chin State. Conducted during an active civil war through trauma-informed and participatory methods, the research draws on focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and body-mapping exercises across four townships. The findings reveal widespread distress, gendered silences, and faith-based understandings of suffering that both sustain and constrain healing. They also show how women, LGBTQIA+ people, displaced families, and persons with disabilities experience layered forms of exclusion amid political violence and poverty. The Chin State Academic Research Network (CSARN), an initiative of TheHILLS Myanmar, embodies a model of community-rooted research built on trust, local languages, and mentorship. Working through embedded local-global networks and partnerships, CSARN connects emerging Chin researchers with experienced mentors and institutions, acting as an interdisciplinary platform that supports and connects researchers engaged in the region, and promotes the exchange of high-quality, context-relevant knowledge. This study offers not only an urgent call for localized mental health interventions, but also a reflection on what it means to build knowledge, solidarity, and care from within conflict-affected communities.
Speakers
1. THM CSARN Senior Adviser – Sena Galazzi
2. Dr. Lian Report co-author, formerly Technical Consultant, TheHILLS Myanmar
3. Lily Report co-author, formerly Technical Consultant, TheHILLS Myanmar
4. Thawn N. Lian, Executive Director, TheHILLS Myanmar
5. Dr. Sang, MHPSS Specialist, Chin Human Rights Organisation
6. Dr. Matthew Yoxall, Board of Directors, TheHILLS Myanmar
7. Dr. Mary, Research Manager, TheHILLS Myanmar

"Thabyay" Film Screening & Panel Discussion: Future Election in Myanmar
2025-10-07 17:00 - 20:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200
The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, invites students, scholars, civil society, media, and the public to a special screening of the documentary “Thabyay: Creative Resistance in Myanmar,” followed by a panel discussion on the future of elections in Myanmar.
This event is hosted by RCSD and supported by partners in the Myanmar studies and human rights community. The program aims to foster informed, respectful dialogue on democracy, human rights, and creative forms of civic resistance.
About the film
Thabyay (approx. 60 min) follows artists, writers, and community organizers who harness creativity—music, poetry, visual arts, and communication—as tools of resistance and public memory amidst conflict. The film offers a human-centered lens on ethical choices, fear, courage, and the struggle for a freer future.
Program schedule
5:00 pm Registration
5:30 pm Welcome remarks — Ajarn Chayan Vaddhanaphuti
5:40 pm Brief introduction to the film
5:45 pm Film screening (60 min)
6:45 pm Panel discussion “Future Election in Myanmar” (30 min) + Q&A (15 min)
7:30 pm Closing remarks
7:45 pm Tea & samosa (networking)
Venue: Dhani Bholyodhin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.

Seminar: Rethinking Ethnic Studies in SEA
2025-07-20 08:00 - 2025-07-22 17:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | First Floor Meeting Room (4107), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
RCSD invites all to attend a public seminar: Rethinking Ethnic Studies in Southeast Asia, from July 20-22, 2025 at the Faculty of Social Sciences First Floor Meeting Room (4107), Chiang Mai University,
This seminar is jointly organized by the School of Ethnology and Sociology, Yunnan University (YNU), and the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), with the participation of the Center for Ethnic Studies and Development, Chiang Mai University and hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.
Key participants include Wasan Panyagaew, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at CMU; He Ming, Dean of the School of Ethnology and Sociology at YNU; and Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, Director of RCSD. Other participants include Gam A. Shimray from the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Suchart Setthamalinee from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC), and Catherine Baron from Toulouse University, France. Several scholars from Yunnan University, Chiang Mai University (including its Center for Ethnic Studies and Development – CESD, and Department of Sociology and Anthropology), Minzu University of China, Thammasat University, Dali University, Xiamen University, and Sorbonne Paris 1 University will also present.
The seminar will explore a range of topics within ethnic studies in Southeast Asia. Discussions will cover the Culture and Memory of Ethnic Lue in Thailand and Vietnam, the dynamics of Chinese Communities outside China focusing on Yunnan Studies in Thailand and Sino-Thai family businesses in Northern Thailand, and the Study of Lahu in both Thailand and China with case studies in Chiang Mai. Further sessions will delve into State and Ethnicity, examining historical exclusion of minorities in Cambodia and Thai state policies toward highlanders. The relationship between Ethnicity and Coffee in Doi Chang, Thailand will be explored, including comparative studies with Qingkou Village in China and the concept of “Ethnic Coffee Capitalism.” The seminar will also address Ethnicity and Society in Myanmar, touching upon anthropological research on rural society, the formation of plural societies in Colonial Burma, and the role of ethnic civil society. Finally, Cultural Sharing will be examined through a case study of Malaysia, focusing on heritage politics and the construction of shared cultural identity.

Decolonizing SEA Studies Conference
2025-07-17 - 2025-07-19 | Uniserv, 239 Nimmanahaeminda Road, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Supported by the Luce Foundation, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Social Science, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison Center for Southeast Asian Studies, the Decolonizing Southeast Asia Studies Conference will be held 17-19 July at Chiang Mai University’s Uniserv. Organized by RCSD, over 200 presenters and observers from throughout the region will come together for a diverse range of panels, roundtables, and keynote presentations. They will examining the challenges of decolonization from different vantage points: from within Southeast Asian nation states, from the viewpoint of Western academia with its baggage of direct colonization, and the position of indigenous peoples living under the shadow of both of these contexts.
For full description of the conference themes and goals please visit the Decolonizing SEA Studies website, and for observers who have not yet registered to participate, please register here.

Public Seminar: "Ek Khaale" Once Upon a Time - The Rohingya, a Visual Restoration; Memory, Identity and Shared Histories
2025-07-14 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
For people in Myanmar (Burma), the Rohingya community’s history has been, at best, questioned, and at worst —and in reality—rejected outright. Much of the Rohingya’s visual history has been lost, confiscated or destroyed during waves of violence, forced displacement and genocide over the past 60 years. This destruction continues today. This has severely undermined ways in which the Rohingya preserve and share their collective memory, identity and history with others.

Ek Khaale is the Rohingya expression for ‘Once Upon A Time’. The project Ek Khaale was launched by award winning documentary photojournalist Greg Constantine. It is a collaborative storytelling and visual restoration project with Rohingya all over the world.

This project brings together rare and never before seen old photographs, family collections, documents, letters, illustrations and other historical materials from the past and activates them in the present. By exposing this unseen past, this project aims to share a visual portrait of the Rohingya most people have never seen before. It also challenges historical narratives and reconstructs what Burmese regimes and other communities have spent decades trying to destroy.

In this special lecture, Greg will talk about the history of this groundbreaking project, the use of research-based archival work, and the significance of the project for the Rohingya community and other communities from Burma. He will share several of the most important discoveries over the past four years as well as the stories behind them.

View the Ek Khaale project online here.

Ek Khaale will also be on exhibit at the Chiang Mai Alliance Francaise Gallery from July 9-19th.

Greg Constantine is an award winning documentary photojournalist and author. He has dedicated his career to long-term, independent projects that explore the intersection of human rights, inequality, injustice, citizenship, identity, belonging and the power of the state. His long term projects include: Nowhere People, Exiled To Nowhere and Seven Doors. He is the author of three award winning photography books and his work has been exhibited in over 40 cities around the world. Constantine has been documenting the persecution of the Rohingya community for the past 19 years. In 2020, he began working with Rohingya on the project Ek Khaale. In early 2017, he received his PhD from Middlesex University in the UK and has since received Independent Scholar as well as Early Career Fellowships from the Independent Social Research Foundation and Queen Mary University in London. Most recently, he was a Hearst Visiting Fellow at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication.

Be an Entrepreneur or Stay a Farmer? The Anxiety of Specialty Coffee Value Chain Upgrading for Indigenous Smallholders in Northern Thailand
2025-07-07 13:30 - 15:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Public lecture (and coffee tasting) with Po-Tao Chang, Phd student in the Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
This presentation is designed for people who are interested in topics related to sustainable agriculture, indigenous peoples, coffee commodity chains, and industry in Thailand. Po-Tao Chang will present his latest research findings about the transformation of highland Arabica coffee production with (mostly) Akha people, and the revolution of the Thai (specialty) coffee industry. Briefly speaking, the Akha people have played a crucial role in expanding and upgrading both the quantity and quality of Arabica coffee production over the past two decades. There has been a dramatic number of Akha coffee producers elevating the quality and value of their coffee parchments and green beans. While some of them are becoming entrepreneurs, the uneven development of coffee production is also happening among different ethnic groups and villages. In addition, the anxiety of massive investment and the uncertainty of market transformation have also been emerging challenges for indigenous coffee smallholders in northern Thailand.

Book Talk: A Sense of Place and Belonging - the Chiang Tung Borderland of Northern Southeast Asia
2025-04-30 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Join us on Wednesday, April 30 as Klemens Karlsson of Uppsala University and affiliated researcher at RCSD presents his book “A Sense of Place and Belonging – The Chiang Tung Borderland of Northern Southeast Asia,” published by Northern Illinois University/Cornell University Press.
This book is an interdisciplinary study of Chiang Tung (Keng Tung), a marginalized borderland between the dominant cultures of the Burmese, the Chinese, and the Siamese/Thai, and how people identify themselves as belonging to that specific place, a sense of place and belonging.
It presents the dramatic history of Chiang Tung and the Tai Khuen people in Myanmar’s Eastern Shan State, with wars and forced resettlements, but it also presents the glorious Buddhist culture of Chiang Tung with roots in Lan Na Tai and Sinhalese traditions, but with its own individuality and distinctiveness. It discusses the Buddhist tradition in a historic geopolitical context, as well as with its affinity with the cult of territorial spirits.
The book ties together myths and memories told by local people and written in local chronicles, with the unique performance of the Songkran festival which dramatizes a symbolic agreement between the Tai Khuen people and the indigenous Tai Loi (Lua/Lawa) people about the ownership of land.

One Northern Thai Village in Chiang Mai: Public Lecture
2025-02-20 13:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
RCSD invites all to join a public lecture “One Northern Thai Village in Chiang Mai: a 40-year Rural Transition and Responses of Rural People to Opportunities” by Tetsuro Fujikura, Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor of Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University on Thursday, 20 February 2025 at the Subaltern meeting room, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.
The village surveyed, Muang Kham, Pong Yeang, Mae Rim in Chiang Mai, is a quintessential northern Thai village. The life history of rural households, reconfigured in a case study, indicates that improved market accessibility has benefitted rural people. Paved roads improved accessibility for the first generation in their 50s. As laterite roads were replaced by paved roads, electricity, motorization, and a great wave of commercialization came. Moreover, information technology also provides accessibility for the second generation, the family’s primary income earners. The author discusses how households there have accumulated capital and deployed investment throughout their life history. The study describes villagers’ active response to opportunities.

Rare Earth Mining in Mai Ja Yang, Myanmar: Public Seminar
2025-01-31 14:30 - 16:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Room 3201, Department of Social Science and Development, Room 3201, Department of Social Science and Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Academic researchers, media outlets, and international non-governmental organizations have investigated the issue of rare earth mining in Myanmar’s Kachin State, which borders China’s Yunnan Province. According to their findings, rare earth mining has caused irreversible environmental and social impacts. These investigations have also examined the role of the New Democratic Army–Kachin (NDA-K) in rare earth mining activities in the Pangwa area of Chipwi Township. o expand on the knowledge of rare earth mining in Myanmar, we explore how the Kachin Independence Organization/Army (KIO/A) has governed rare earth mining in Mai Ja Yang, the second-largest town in KIO-controlled territory. We argue that the KIO/A has integrated rare earth mining governance into its broader narrative and efforts of nation-building. This governance has yielded mixed results. Economically, some villages have supported mining activities, while others have rejected them due to concerns about environmental impacts. Neither stance, however, has prioritized the aspirations of Kachin nation-building. Against this backdrop, we suggest that the KIO’s governance of rare earth mining should be transparent and inclusive of the diverse needs of local stakeholders. Additionally, international organizations should acknowledge and support the KIO’s role in governing natural resources responsibly.
Speakers
Seng Li (Shanan Foundation)
Ta-Wei Chu (Department of Social Science and Development, Chiang Mai University)

Falling in love with artificial companions
2024-12-06 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | 4th floor meeting room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Join us on Friday, 6 December 2024 from 10:00 – 12:00 at the 4th Floor Meeting Room, Operations Building of the Faculty of Social Sciences for “Falling in love with artificial companions: with Professor of Philosophy Tõnu Viik, Rector of Tallinn University, Estonia.
Abstract:
Is it possible for human beings to establish romantic relationships with robots? What kind of otherness, or alterity, will be construed in the process of falling in love with a robot? Can a robotic companion mean more than being a tool for house-work, a caretaker, an aid of self-gratification, or a sex-doll? Phenomenological analysis of love experience suggests that romantic feelings necessarily include experiencing the alterity of the partner as an affective
subjectivity that freely, willingly, and passionately commits to its partner. The romantic commitment is expected to stem from the sentient inner selves of the lovers, which is one of the features that robots are lacking. Thus the artificial alterity might disengage our romantic aspirations, and, as argued by many, will make them morally inferior to intraspecies love affairs. The current analysis will restrain from ethical considerations, however, and will focus on whether robots can in principle elicit human feelings of love.

Federalism and Decentralization in Myanmar: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective
2024-11-06 13:30 - 15:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
The Coup by the Myanmar military in February 2021 has resulted in renewed calls for a fundamental reform of the political system, which includes the abolition of special privileges for the Tatmadaw, a focus on democratic governance principles and the introduction of a federal union of equals. This presentation will look at the situation in Myanmar before the military coup and assess to what extent, a) Myanmar was a decentralised / federal state under the 2008 Constitution; b) how discussions in the Union Peace Conference dealt with the issue of federalism and c) How developments have sped up since the military coup, and how new visions on federalism are evolving amongst the different stakeholders. By doing so, the presentation will focus on the current situation, and the diverse perceptions of federalism amongst a variety of groups. Finding compromise and agreement will be challenging – and the presentation will highlight how the situation might get worse, before it can get better and a new constitutional framework can be agreed upon.

Speaker Bio
Dr Sören Keil is a Senior Teaching and Research Fellow at the Chair for International Politics of the University of Passau in Germany. Before that, until September 2024 he was the Academic Head of the International Research and Consulting Centre at the Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg in Switzerland. He previously worked at Canterbury Christ Church University in the UK. His research focuses on institutional design in post-conflict societies, federalism and decentralisation, as well as conflict resolution and power-sharing. He has published widely on comparative federalism and power-sharing, with his latest book titled “Power-sharing in the Global South – Patterns, Practices and Potential” (Palgrave, with Allison McCulloch and Eduardo Aboultaif).

Listening Session: Acoustic Ecology
2024-08-13 14:00 - 16:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200
All are invited to join a public listening session of the results of the Acoustic Ecology sound workshop (currently under way), documenting audioscapes and the sound environment in and around Chiang Mai with Dr. Csaba Hajnoczy from Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest Hungary. Please join us from 2-5 pm on Tuesday, 13 August in the Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University

ICBMS4
2024-08-02 08:30 - 2024-08-04 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Uniserv, 239 Nimmanahaeminda Road, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
The International Conference on Burma /Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) committee would like to invite submissions for ICBMS4, which will be hosted at Chiang Mai University on the 2nd – 4th August 2024, titled: ‘Assemblages of the Future: Rethinking Communities after the State’.
Three years after the coup and amid desperate circumstances, the people of Myanmar have responded with renewed thought and action to reimagine the present and future for themselves and their communities. As it has become clear that many traditional forms of authority have had their power eroded – notably the inability of the Myanmar “state” to carry out basic functions – such emergent realities present both opportunities and challenges.
The “assemblages” of the future refers to new “entangled ways of life,” what Anna Tsing calls the “mosaic of temporal rhythms and spatial arcs” as taking place in Myanmar of 2024. This framing asks scholars to situate their work within this contested reality, and ask critical questions about the emergent future. In particular, this refers to the complex rhythms of Myanmar’s social reality, where many aspects of culture, power and life have been transformed after the coup, yet others remain stubbornly intact – for better or worse. In simple terms, in this state of flux, how do we understand how the people of Myanmar are acting in the present to (re)assemble their future commons in its various forms?
ICBM4 in Chiang Mai therefore seeks to foster academic debate and facilitate dialogue to progress the scholarly understanding of what is happening in Myanmar. We would like to invite individual abstracts as well as panel proposals, roundtable proposals from interested academics, researchers, graduate students, and professionals, as well as practitioners engaged in the field of Burma/Myanmar studies. While we welcome submissions on any aspect relating to the study of Burma/Myanmar, we particularly encourage scholars to consider how their work speaks to this contested present and future, as highlighted through these suggested themes:
Conference Themes
Negotiating New Realities: Power, Practice, and Praxis

Emergent Governance and Civilian Protection
Multipolarity in a Contested Region
Resilience and Localisation in Service Provision: Education, Healthcare, and Religion
Energy, Infrastructure and Sustainable Development

Identity, Territory, and Belonging amidst Conflict and Climate Change

Ethnicity and Territoriality
Border Politics & Transnationalism
Migration, Forced Displacement and Refugees
Livelihoods, Agriculture and Food Systems

Uncovering Lived Experiences and Marginalised Narratives

Nascent, Marginal and Informal Economies
Inequality and Empowerment
Gender, Sexuality and Power
Civil Disobedience, Social Movements and Everyday Life

Remaking Knowledge and Finding Truth in Revolution

Discourses of Peace, Conflict, and Justice
Propaganda, Media and Information Landscapes
Arts, Literature and Popular Culture
Research Ethics, Decolonization and Methodological Challenges

For further information, please contact the ICBMS IV Secretariat at icbms.cmu@gmail.com
Important Dates:
Deadline of Abstract & Panel proposal submission: 30 April 2024
Announcement of accepted abstract and proposal: 31 May 2024
Early bird registration: 1 June 2024
Deadline for full-paper submission: 30 June 2024
Registration of Participants (Audience): TBA
Conference Dates: 2 – 4 August 2024
About ICBMS
In July 2015, Chiang Mai University hosted the first International Conference on Burma / Myanmar Studies (ICBMS) entitled ‘Burma/Myanmar in Transition: Connectivity, Changes and Challenges.’ The second edition of ICBMS was held at Mandalay University, co-hosted with Chiang Mai University in 2018, bringing together 543 participants from 29 countries, with 48 sessions of paper presentation and 7 roundtables. The third and largest ICBMS (to date) was delayed, finally being held as a hybrid event in March 2021. Over 1000 participants joined from across the globe under the title of ‘Myanmar / Burma in the Changing South East Asia Context.’

Public Lecture: Acoustic Ecology
2024-07-31 13:30 - 16:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
A talk with Csaba Hajnóczy, Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest. He will introduce “acoustic ecology,” a concept born about half a century ago, but the observation of sonic phenomena in the context of human and non-human environments is much older. As a multidisciplinary territory it is strongly related to acoustic communication, psychoacoustics, bioacoustics, sound art and other fields.
Csaba Hajnóczy will give an introduction, presenting the foundations and history (R. Murray Schafer), the characteristics of the soundscape (Steven Feld), the basics of acoustic communication (Barry Truax), a relating Hungarian project (“Szigetköz” region), and indigenous practices of ecological listening.
This event is free and open to all, with a follow up hands-on workshop in August on acoustic ecological practice to be announced soon.

Building a Human Border: The Thai Border Patrol Police Project in the Post-Cold War Era
2024-07-24 14:00 - 16:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
All are invited to a public lecture “Building a Human Border: The Thai Border Patrol Police Project in the Post-Cold War Era” on Wed 24 July from 2-4 pm at the Subaltern room, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.
Dr. Sinae Hyun is a research professor at the Institute for East Asian Studies at Sogang University, South Korea, specializing in the Cold War, nationalism, and Southeast Asian studies. Her doctoral research surveyed the history of the Thai Border Patrol Police and showed how the Thai ruling elite used American cold war policies for their cause. Her book based on the research entitled “Indigenizing the Cold War: The Border Patrol Police and Nation-Building in Thailand” was published by the University of Hawaii Press in April 2023. She is currently researching the histories of American Protestant missionaries in Southeast Asia and their dealings with overlapping empires of Britain, China, and “others.”

Mekong River changes during the dry season: from Chiang Rai to Northeastern Cambodia
2024-07-08 13:30 - 15:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
RCSD invites all to join a graduate seminar: “Mekong River changes during the dry season, from Chiang Rai to Northeastern Cambodia” with Ian Baird, Professor, Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, presenting his preliminary research findings. Join us from 1:30 to 3 pm on Monday, 8 July 2024 at the Subaltern room, RCSD, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.

Myanmar Interactive Dialogue #7: Enhancing Protection for Myanmar Communities in Thailand: Understanding the Thai Context
2024-06-21 15:00 - 16:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | 4th floor meeting room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Myanmar Interactive Dialogues: Dialogue # 7: Enhancing Protection for Myanmar Communities in Thailand: Understanding the Thai Context
The Myanmar Interactive Dialogue (MID) sessions, initiated by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), aim to create a platform for academics, students, research fellows, and practitioners to engage in open dialogue about Myanmar’s political trends and issues.
This upcoming 7th MID will focus on understanding the Thai context to enhance protection for Myanmar communities in Thailand. Two distinguished Thai speakers will provide an overview and detailed perspectives on Thailand’s political, social, and economic dynamics, followed by insights from two prominent Myanmar speakers. This dialogue seeks to foster a deeper understanding of current contexts and share innovative solutions and lessons learned for enhancing protection.
The session will include opening remarks, panel discussions from both Thai and Myanmar perspectives, and an interactive dialogue among participants. The event targets academics, researchers, students, and practitioners interested in Southeast Asian studies, aiming to provide actionable insights and foster resilience across diverse Myanmar communities in Thailand.
You are cordially invited to this seventh interactive dialogue.
Note: It will be an onsite event.

Roundtable Book Discussion: "Outsourcing the Polity: Non-state Welfare, Inequality and Resistance in Myanmar"
2024-05-16 13:30 - 15:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Please join RCSD for a roundtable discussion on resilience and resistance in Myanmar: ‘Outsourcing the Polity: Non-State Welfare, Inequality and Resistance in Myanmar’ on Thursday, 16 May in the Sub-Altern Room starting at 1:30 pm.

Please register for the event via this online form.

‘Outsourcing the Polity‘ (Cornell, 2023) offers a new account of social outsourcing and non-state social provisioning in post-independence Myanmar. Grounded in extensive research during Myanmar’s decade of partial civilian rule (2011–2021), the book examines how ideals and practices of non-state welfare – charity, philanthropy and social provisioning beyond the state – can both sustain democratic resistance and entrench inequality over time.

In this roundtable Gerard McCarthy and RCSD Fellows & CMU friends will explore the book in light of the extraordinary resilience of Myanmar’s revolutionary movement since the 2021 military coup. In particular the panel will consider how legacies of autocratic market reform and austerity have shaped the material and ideological basis of the ongoing struggle against dictatorship in Myanmar.

Exhibition: Thread Under Threat
2024-03-08 16:00 - 2024-03-27 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Baan Tuek Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Following the first display in Bangkok titled “Thread Under Threat: Myanmar Women Out of the 3-Year Coup Shadow,” the exhibition in Chiang Mai will be held under the name “Thread Under Threat: Invincible Myanmar Women Who Dare!” from 8 to 27 March 2024 at the Baan Tuek Art Center. The exhibition is organized by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Thanakha International Gender Tekkatho and SEA Junction.
Well-known Myanmar artist Chuu Wai’s solo exhibition is born out of solidarity with the opposition movement in Myanmar that has been fighting for democracy since the coup d’état led by General Min Aung Hlaing on 1 February 2021. It resonates with the resilience of the people of Myanmar, especially the women among them. For three years now, Myanmar people have been demanding the restoration of democracy and the rule of law and the release of the imprisoned leaders and all other political in spite of the military’s use of lethal force. As of February 2024, 4,572 people are confirmed killed by the junta and a total of 26,171 people have been arrested, with 20,166 currently detained including more than 5,000 women. The number of displaced people in the country and across borders is over 2 million and growing. Amidst the failure of the international community to pay attention and take action, people are not giving up, continuing their support for the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) in exile and counting on their steadfast opposition and the armed resistance by the People Defence Force and the Ethnic Armies gaining ground to eventually win the revolution.
The exhibition displays the powerful portrayal of women figures in Chuu Wai’s paintings celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 March. The paintings with mixed material shine a spotlight on the strength, resilience, and indomitable spirit of women who have stood against the oppressive forces of both patriarchal and authoritarian values. These figures become symbols of defiance, challenging preconceptions and inspiring a movement towards a more just and democratic society.
More generally, the artworks radiate the resilient spirit and unique culture of Myanmar as a resource to draw upon in the current context. Utilizing handwoven fabric, vintage photos, and newspaper clippings, the exhibition celebrates the country’s uniqueness while also unveiling and challenging the complex tapestry meticulously woven by those in power through education, religion, and traditional normative systems directed at perpetuating an authoritarian and patriarchal system, which people are set to change.

Broken Dreams screening & "From Across the River" exhibition launch
2024-03-01 16:30 - 20:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200
This Friday, 1 March at 430 pm all are invited to a screening of Broken Dreams with director’s talk, along with a violin performance from Joy House and the launch of the “From Across the River” exhibition. The screening and exhibition will be held at the Dhani Phaholyothin conference room, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University with the support of Asia Justice and Rights.
Broken Dreams is a feature-length omnibus film made up of 9 short films that portray the impact of the 2021 military coup in Myanmar. The film covers a wide range of experiences, from the loss of loved ones to the suppression of freedom of expression. Each story is told from a unique perspective, and together they provide a powerful and moving portrait of the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. The film is a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Myanmar Diaries, which won several awards at international film festivals. Broken Dreams builds on the success of its predecessor, offering a more in-depth look at the human cost of the coup. The film is also notable for the fact that most of the filmmakers, actors, and crew are in exile to avoid junta’s persecution for their participation in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution.
“From Across the River” is an exhibition showcasing the journey of artist trainers and their students who fled to Mae Sot after the Myanmar military coup. Through paintings, drawings, and hand-sewn banners, it portrays the impact of the conflict on civilians, depicting air strikes, political prisoners, and displaced persons. The art reflects both the suffering and resilience of Myanmar people in their uprising against military rule. Joy House in Mae Sot offers free Art and Wellness classes, bridging communities through teaching and showcasing artwork, music, and dance to raise awareness of the crisis. Supported by the Foundation for Education and Development, Joy House stands as a beacon of healing and resilience amidst adversity.

Panel Discussion "Draft Order: Political Effects & Implications"
2024-02-28 13:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
All are invited to a public discussion on Wednesday, 28 February for a panel discussion starting 1 pm on the political effect and implications of the new Myanmar military draft decree. Join Aung Zaw from The Irrawaddy, Dr. Sirada Khemanitthathai from the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, and Dr. Surachanee Sriyai, visiting fellow at the ISEAS Yusof-Ishak Institute for a talk and sharing session at the Subaltern Meeting room of RCSD, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University.

Exhibition: "This is how we feel" Journey towards accountability
2024-02-16 09:00 - 2024-02-26 17:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Chiang Mai University Food Center, Chiang Mai University Food Center, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Come see the Journey towards accountability: “This is how we feel” exhibition on display from 16-26 February 2024 at the CMU Food Center, Chiang Mai
Art for change: Explore powerful artworks expressing the collective desire for accountability and human rights in Myanmar. Hear the voices of regions like Kachin, Karen, and Rakhine, affected by decades of conflict.
Imagine the future: How would a just and accountable Myanmar look? See how artists envision truth, justice, and healing. This exhibition challenges us to think critically and act for a better future.
Together we rise: Learn more about the human rights organizations making a difference: AAPP, AJAR, Doh Hlay, LinQ Foundation, and RCSD.

Withstanding Adversity: Finding Hope in Every Heartbeat for Myanmar's Inclusive Future
2024-02-02 16:30 - 20:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Sciences, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200
1 February 2024 marks the three-year anniversary of the unjust seizure of power by the Myanmar military junta. Asia Justice and Rights in collaboration with RCSD will host a special ceremony on 2 February to shine a light on the resilience and courageous struggle of the Burmese people throughout the three-year coup d’état.
The ceremony will be held at the Dhani Bhaholyodin Conference Room, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University, will feature an art performance by Burmese students, the launch of the TJ Case Study Reference Book, a valuable resource documenting human rights violations, and inspiring comic books published by AJAR, and the premiere of short films exploring themes of resistance and hope.
Attendees can engage in social networking sessions over light refreshments, fostering mutual encouragement and solidarity with the Burmese people. Join us on this Friday evening at Chiang Mai University to be a part of commemorating the perseverance of the Burmese people in the face of adversity and to show your support for their ongoing fight for freedom and justice!

Book Talk: "A Revolutionary Mother" Visualizing Gender and Revolution
2023-12-19 13:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Visualizing Gender and Revolution – Arts-Based Methods for Research on War and Revolutions
Since the 2021 military coup, Myanmar’s countryside has been rife with violence and off-limits to researchers. Drawing on a participatory research project that employs feminist visual methods to understand gendered experiences of war in revolutionary landscapes, this short talk will present a graphic novel and journal article that offer complementary accounts of violence and resistance in Myanmar’s countryside. This “Land, Labor, Love, and Revolution” project suggests that using art in research can help with research on war and violence in several ways: it is a form of knowledge that goes beyond language to give insights into people’s emotions and feelings; it disrupts dominant (academic) text-based modes of thinking, doing and presenting research; it takes grounded, everyday, subjective experiences as the starting point for analysis. Art-based methods are accessible to non-academic audiences, and has the potential to reach more people. In this talk, Project leaders Jenny Hedstrom and Hilary Faxon, researcher Zin Mar Phyo and illustrator tamyumkung will reflect on why they chose to work with arts-based methods; how they approached the process; and the challenges that they have faced

Myanmar Human Rights Festival
2023-12-02 14:00 - 2023-12-03 21:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Chiang Mai University Art Center, 239 Nimmanahaeminda Road, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
คลิกสำหรับภาษาไทย
In the spirit of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and #16Days of Activism, Asia Justice and Rights will hold the Myanmar Human Rights Festival, an event dedicated to fostering understanding, dialogue, and advocacy for human rights within #Myanmar and beyond.
From 2-30 December 2023 at the Chiang Mai University Art Center we will leverage the power of arts and films to raise awareness about pressing human rights issues of today. This event is open to the public. There will be a series of film screenings, art exhibitions, panel discussions, and interactive art installations. Food and beverages will be available for all participants. Join us in contributing to the movement for positive change in Myanmar. Save the dates and be a part of this experience!
View the full schedule of events and films for 2-3 December here: myanmar human rights film festival dec 2023
The art exhibition will be on display at the Art Center from 2 – 30 December.
ภาษาไทย
ในวันที่ 2-30 ธันวาคม 2566 ณ ศูนย์ศิลปะมหาวิทยาลัยเชียงใหม่ จะมีการจัดงานเทศกาลสิทธิมนุษยชนเมียนมาร์ ซึ่งเป็นงานที่มุ่งเน้นการสร้างความเข้าใจ การสนทนา และการสนับสนุนสิทธิมนุษยชนในเมียนมาร์ และที่อื่น ๆ รวมถึงระลึกถึงความรุนแรงต่อผู้หญิงในระดับนานาชาติ #16Days of Activism
นอกจากนี้เรายังจะใช้ศิลปะและภาพยนตร์เพื่อเสริมสร้างความตระหนักเกี่ยวกับประเด็นสิทธิมนุษยชนที่คุ้มครองตอนนี้ งานนี้เปิดให้ทุกคนมีโอกาสเข้าร่วม จะมีการฉายภาพยนตร์ นิทรรศการศิลปะ เวทีสนทนา พร้อมทั้งมีอาหารและเครื่องดื่มให้บริการสำหรับผู้เข้าร่วมทุกคน เข้าร่วมในการสนับสนุนการเคลื่อนไหวเพื่อการเปลี่ยนแปลงที่ดีในเมียนมาร์
ดูตารางกิจกรรมและภาพยนตร์ทั้งหมดสำหรับวันที่ 2-3 ธันวาคมที่นี่: กำหนดการณ์ AJAR Film fes
นิทรรศการศิลปะจะถูกแสดงที่ศูนย์ศิลปะตั้งแต่วันที่ 2 – 30 ธันวาคม

The Social Life of Teak: book launch, exhibition, and workshop
2023-11-22 17:30 - 20:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | École française d’Extrême-Orient, 131 Charoen Prathet Road, A. Muang, Chiang Mai, 50100, Thailand
RCSD invites the public to join the launch of the book “The Social Life of Teak,” authored by Tim Webster & Virginia Henderson at the EFEO Chiang Mai on Wednesday, 22 November starting at 5:30 pm. Also on Thursday, 23 November starting at 1:30 pm (the next day) all are invited to join us for a half-day workshop and roundtable discussion with the book authors, historians, academics and researchers for a fuller look at the political, economic, cultural and social context surrounding teak.
In their book, Tim and Virginia have traced human interactions with the world’s most famous tropical timber species and have mapped worlds revolving around teak forests, trees and wood. In this illustrated anthology of oral histories, people connected personally or professionally to teak speak of survival, change and learning, creativity and destruction, growth and demise. Woven together, these experiences bring to light the ways that teak has been sought, crafted, cultivated, traded and valued over time. Exploring teak’s significance highlights processes of consumption and commodification, inviting questions about our relationships with nature and the politics of value. Charting the domestication of wilderness and exposing the era of extinction of a feted natural resource, this book seeks to stimulate conversations about our role as nature’s most troublesome offspring.
The book launch at EFEO will feature short a video presentation and small exhibition from Inson Wongsam, a Thai national artist renowned for his work using teak, as well as a collection of Tim Webster’s images from the book. Beverages and refreshments will be served; please register online here for either or both events on the 22nd or 23rd!

Infrastructure and Circulations in Southeast Asia (and Beyond)
2023-10-24 16:00 - 17:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Please join us in person or online for presentations and discussion on an ongoing research project:
Infrastructure and Circulations in Southeast Asia (and Beyond)
24 October 2023, 4:00pm – 5:30pm
Subaltern Room, RCSD, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University
Participants can join online via this Zoom link:
This collective presentation aims to share and discuss some of the ongoing research carried out as part of the project “Environing Infrastructure: Communities, Ecologies, and China’s “Green” Development in Contemporary Southeast Asia”, based at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (Munich, Germany). The four members of the project will each introduce their work, and open up a few questions for broader conversation. The goal is to stimulate discussion and exchange, spur connections and possible collaborations. Alessandro will start off with a brief description of the overall aims of the Environing Infrastructure project (for more info, see www.environing.asia), and how it shifted from an initial focus on infrastructure to one centred on heterogeneous connections.
Alessandro will then introduce his current project on amber, with a particular focus on the China – Myanmar borderlands. Huiying will share her doctoral research on agroecology in Thailand, addressing the material and social infrastructures that have enabled a range of practices, including community – based organic agriculture, highland coffee agroforestry, and governmental research and extension work on soil improvement, and how these local and internal dynamics interact with interests within the Mekong – Lancang countries, and global commercialisation of forests and soil. Roger will follow with a general framing overview of his ongoing project on the experiences of privilege and precarity among highly skilled Global South – South migrants. He will then focus on one of the core case studies of the project: Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Jessica’s talk, based on her ongoing work in Flores, Indonesia, will discuss what has been happening to rural families and young people amidst Indonesia’s widespread development growth and COVID’s more recent economic downturn. Her research asks what are the consequences of being contemporarily remote from household and individual perspectives?
Presenters
Alessandro Rippa
Alessandro is Associate Professor at the Department of Social Anthropology, University of Oslo; and Project Director at the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, LMU Munic h. He is the author of “Borderland Infrastructures: Trade, Development and Control in Western China” (Amsterdam University Press, 2020).
Huiying Ng
Huiying’s doctoral research project at the Rachel Carson Center focuses on agroecological futures in Thaila
nd and the learning assemblages that form to support them, with a long-term view towards supporting the growth of regional food systems through participatory action research.
Roger Norum
Roger is a researcher at the Rachel Carson Center and the University of Oulu (Finland). His research concerns connections between mobility, media and the environment, particularly among transient communities in South and Southeast Asia, and the Arctic.
Jessica Clendenning
Jessica is a research fellow at the Rachel Carson Center, LMU Munich. Her research interests include agrarian change and young people, social reproduction and (non)migration, and aspirations and the future, in Indonesia and wider Asia

Book Launch & Discussion: Rights Refused with Elliott Prasse-Freeman
2023-09-15 10:30 - 12:30 (Asia/Krasnoyarsk) | 4th floor meeting room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
Please join us for a book launch and discussion with the author of “Rights Refused: Grassroots activism and state violence in Myanmar,” Elliott Prasse-Freeman on Friday, 15 September from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at the 4F meeting room, operations building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University
“For decades, the outside world mostly knew Myanmar as the site of a valiant human rights struggle against an oppressive military regime, predominantly through the figure of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. And yet, a closer look at Burmese grassroots sentiments reveals a significant schism between elite human rights cosmopolitans and subaltern Burmese subjects maneuvering under brutal and negligent governance. While elites have endorsed human rights logics, subalterns are ambivalent, often going so far as to refuse rights themselves, seeing in them no more than empty promises. Such alternative perspectives became apparent during Burma’s much-lauded decade-long “transition” from military rule that began in 2011, a period of massive change that saw an explosion of political and social activism.”
Rights Refused is released by Stanford University Press
