Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University, with the support of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), invites young and mid-career researchers, practitioners, and graduate students from or with an interest in Southeast Asian countries and societies to apply to join a collaborative workshop on forced displacement in Southeast Asia.
The workshop will be held from 27 April to 3 May 2026 at RCSD, Chiang Mai University, and is structured around four core components designed to advance scholarly engagement with forced displacement in Southeast Asia. First, it facilitates a critical analysis of prevailing disciplinary approaches with leading regional scholars, examining heterogeneous drivers including conflict-induced displacement, state-society-induced displacement, and forced displacement in the context of environmental injustice, and institutional responses to displacement crises.
Second, the workshop conducts rigorous analysis of regional case studies to evaluate policy frameworks, humanitarian interventions, and community-led strategies addressing displacement challenges across ASEAN nations.
Third, participants engage in methodological skill-building sessions on research design, data collection ethics in vulnerable populations, and paper proposal development through structured peer review. Eventually, a two-day field trip to the Thailand-Myanmar border will contextualize the theories and concepts learned in previous days through experiential learning in the border region. By the end of the workshop, the participants are expected to have proposed paper outlines.
After the workshop, participants have three weeks to finalize a 1500-word essay on a chosen forced displacement topic or issue in Southeast Asia, and are ultimately required to submit to the RCSD, which will eventually release a series of op-eds on the RCSD’s website.
This workshop will support approximately 10-15 young scholars and researchers from Southeast Asian countries who are passionate about learning and conducting research on forced displacement and may have lived experience of displacement.
Application is open to:
- Nationals of Southeast Asian countries*
- People with experience in research and writing papers
- People with experience working in forced displacement and/or forced migration in Southeast Asia
* Applications are open to non-Southeast Asian nationals, through the same selection process. There is no fee to participate, however, if selected, non-Southeast Asian participants must cover their own cost of travel to Chiang Mai and accommodation.
Application Requirements
- Applicant CV
- One-page motivation letter, answering:
Why are you interested in this workshop?
How does your participation in the workshop enhance your current academic studies or professional work? - 300-Word abstract of your proposed paper on forced displacement issues in Southeast Asian countries
- A writing sample (chapter, article, proceedings, blog, op-ed, thesis, or research report)
- Start the online application process here
Selection Procedures
Application Timeline
February 23 – March 20, 2026
Shortlisted Applicants
By March 27, 2026
Online Interviews
March 30 – April 3, 2026
Result Announcement
April 06, 2026
Funding support
RCSD will provide meals and refreshments during the workshop. For those living outside Chiang Mai, minimum funding support will cover accommodation and travel expenses to Chiang Mai.