RCSD : The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development

Book Talk: Socializing Land - Plantations, Disposession, and Resistance in Laos
2026-04-09 13:00 - 15:00 (Asia/Bangkok) | Subaltern Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
RCSD invites all to attend a book talk on Thursday, 9 April from 1-3 pm
at the Subaltern Room, RCSD, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University.
In “Socializing Land: Plantations, Dispossession, and Resistance in Laos,” author Miles Kenney-Lazar provides a sophisticated ethnographic critique of the global land rush, focusing on the proliferation of Chinese and Vietnamese pulpwood and rubber plantations in southern Laos. Moving beyond a view of land as a mere commodity or “thing,” Kenney-Lazar argues that land is fundamentally a set of social relationships. By examining the experiences of the ethnic minority Brou people in Savannakhet, the book reveals how the coercive expropriation of territory by state-investor partnerships is met with persistent friction and contestation.
The author highlights the contradictory role of the Lao state, which simultaneously pursues investment-driven growth while pledging to protect limited peasant land rights. Crucially, the research demonstrates that despite the disastrous effects of dispossession, these struggles can ironically strengthen peasant social ties to the land through organized resistance, perhaps ultimately limiting attempts at alienation.
This upcoming talk offers a deeper look and chance to engage with the author on the political relationships between government officials, plantation managers, and village authorities that shape the contemporary agrarian landscape in Southeast Asia. All interested students, faculty, and members of the public are welcome to attend.

Photo: Nicholas Bosoni www.nicholasbosoni.com

Public Seminar: Development, Ethnic Conflict and Migration in Indonesia
2026-04-28 15:00 - 17:00 | First Floor Meeting Room (4107), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
RCSD invites all to join a public seminar, “Development, Ethnic Conflict and Migration,” under the Researching Forced Displacement Issues in Southeast Asia series of seminars and research. 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. Join us in person on April 28, 2026, 15:00-17:00 (Thailand Time) at the 4107 first floor meeting room of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, or register with us here to receive a link to join online.
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.
Agenda
15:00 – 15:30 Welcome Remarks
Dr. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti, Director of the Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development, Chiang Mai University
Dr. Sirada Khemanitthathai, Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Southeast Asia;
Lecturer, Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University
15:30 – 16:15 Development, Ethnic Conflict, and Migration in Indonesia
Dr. Riwanto Tirtosudarmo
The presentation on “Development, Ethnic Conflict, and Migration in Indonesia” draws from extensive research on transmigration and political demography to demonstrate how state led development has reshaped Indonesia’s ethnic landscape and created new areas of conflict. It begins with a historical overview of transmigration and other internal migration policies, illustrating how efforts to reduce population density in Java and foster national unity have also led to local grievances over land, resources, and political representation in peripheral regions such as Kalimantan, Maluku, and Papua. Building on empirical case studies, the talk then explores how demographic shifts and perceived economic inequalities contribute to communal violence and displacement, highlighting how responses to migrants are influenced by center–region power imbalances and ethno-religious narratives. In its final reflections, the talk encourages critical examination of current trends in migration, urbanization, and decentralization, suggesting that more just and sustainable development in Indonesia depends on understanding migration as a political process and rethinking nation-building beyond security- and assimilationist paradigms.
16:15 – 16:30 Reflections and Discussions
Discussant: Dr. Naruemon Thabchumpon
16:30 – 17:00 Q&A Session
Moderated by Dr. Sirada Khemanitthathai

World Refugee Day 2026 Seminar
2026-06-19 13:00 - 16:00 | 4th floor meeting room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
World Refugee Day 2026 Seminar
Changing Global Order, Aid Retrenchment, and Refugee Protection: Reframing the Right to Work for Myanmar Refugees in Thailand
13:00–16:00, 19 June 2026
Venue: 4F Meeting Room, Operations Building, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai (or register to join online)
Register to participate here.
Hosted by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, in collaboration with the Center on Gender and Forced Displacement, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) and made possible with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC/CDRI) of Canada.
World Refugee Day 2026 provides an important opportunity to examine how changing global political and economic conditions are reshaping refugee protection. As humanitarian funding declines and international support becomes increasingly uncertain, responsibility for refugee protection is being transferred more heavily to host countries, while refugees themselves are often expected to achieve self-reliance under challenging and precarious conditions. These developments raise important questions about responsibility-sharing, refugee rights, and the future of protection in the Global South.
This seminar brings together academics, practitioners, policymakers, and civil society actors to discuss the implications of aid retrenchment, changing protection regimes, and regional political uncertainty for refugee-hosting countries and displaced populations. Focusing on the case of Myanmar refugees in Thailand, the seminar uses the right to work as an entry point for broader discussions on refugee protection, self-reliance, encampment, and regional approaches to displacement in Southeast Asia.
The right to work occupies a central place in refugee protection. Beyond its status as a legal entitlement under international refugee law, access to decent and secure employment is closely linked to income security, dignity, psychosocial well-being, and reduced dependence on humanitarian assistance. At the same time, access to work is shaped not only by legal frameworks but also by political, economic, and administrative factors operating at both national and local levels.
These issues are particularly relevant in Thailand, where refugee governance has long been characterized by legal ambiguity, camp-based containment policies, and differentiated treatment of refugees and migrant workers from Myanmar. Experiences from other refugee-hosting contexts also demonstrate that formal access to employment does not necessarily translate into meaningful livelihood opportunities. Refugees may remain confined to informal, insecure, or highly restricted forms of work, especially where regulations are unstable, employment sectors are limited, or broader protection concerns remain unresolved.
Against this backdrop, the seminar asks not only whether work opportunities can be expanded for Myanmar refugees in Thailand, but also under what legal, political, and ethical conditions employment can contribute to meaningful protection and long-term well-being.
The discussion will be guided by three key questions:
* How is global aid retrenchment transforming protection responsibilities in refugee-hosting states?
* How can the right to work be understood as both a protection issue and a political-economic question?
* What are the implications for Myanmar refugees in Thailand at a time of protracted displacement, constrained labor market opportunities, and uncertain policy futures?
By bringing together diverse perspectives, the seminar aims to foster a grounded and critical dialogue that is academically rigorous, policy-relevant, and responsive to the lived realities of displacement. It seeks to contribute to wider discussions on dignity, autonomy, state interests, and regional responsibility-sharing in an era of profound change for refugee protection.
Participants will include Dr. Sirada Khemanitthathai, Research Chair on Forced Displacement in Southeast Asia and Lecturer, Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University; Dr. Paula Banerjee, IDRC Chair on Gender and Forced Displacement and Director of the Center on Gender and Forced Displacement, Faculty of Public Policy, Asian Institute of Technology; Mr. Zcongklod Khawjang, Operation Centre for Displaced Persons (OCDP), Ministry of Interior; Ms. Sumbul Rizvi, Advisor on Forced Displacement, Protection, & Solutions; and Dr. Hayso Thako, Karen Refugee Committee (KRC)

ICBMS5
2026-08-14 08:00 - 2026-08-16 17:00 | Chiang Mai
The Committee of the International Conference on Burma/Myanmar Studies is pleased to announce that ICBMS 5 will be held at Chiang Mai University from 14 to 16 August 2026.
Myanmar stands at a critical juncture. The country faces protracted political stalemate, armed conflict, economic decline, and humanitarian crisis. Yet amid fragmentation and violence, communities continue to build alternative futures. Local organizations, resistance groups, and civil society actors across the country are creating new forms of governance, social movements, and civic practice that challenge dominant narratives of nation-building. At the same time, Myanmar’s trajectory is shaped by shifting geopolitical forces across Asia and beyond, as regional and global powers influence its political economy, resource frontiers, and conflict landscape.
ICBMS 5 seeks to foster scholarship and dialogue that advances understanding of these dynamics. The conference will create space for examining how political imagination emerges and takes hold, how solidarity forms across ethnic, social, and cultural divisions, and how diverse communities articulate shared, common aspirations while maintaining their distinct voices. We welcome work that engages with both the constraints of the present moment and the possibilities that continue to emerge from below.
We invite scholars, researchers, activists, and practitioners working on Myanmar-related issues to join us in Chiang Mai. Guidelines for the submission of abstracts, panel proposals, and roundtable proposals will be announced in the coming days.
Conference Themes:
Geopolitics and Transnational Investment
Visions of Social Revolution
Electoral Politics and Political Consequences
Human Rights, Justice, and Equity
Health and Humanitarian Politics
Refugees, Migration, Labour, and Forced Displacement
Environmental Justice: Transboundary Pollution and Climate Change
Agrarian Transition and Food Sovereignty
Illicit Economies and the Scam Industry
Gender, Class, and Intersectionality
Arts, Media, and Popular Culture
Social Reproduction and Care
Education and Social Change
Knowledge Production in Burma/Myanmar Studies
Further updates and key dates will be announced soon!
